they are skinned and hangin' in a cooler at a friends, where they will stay til next Saturday, I don't think they really need to hang that long, but that's the soonest I can get to it, we will go quarter them up, throw them in some coolers, bring them home, bring them in a quarter at a time, deboning, cutting steaks, roasts and scrap meat, we will probably grind up some burger at the same time, then time to vacuum pack everything and get it in the freezer.

That's how we do it.

How's everyone else do it?


Sounds like you got it down pat Huntrz! lol......:rolleyes:

Any good tips on cooking?????

Cook your steaks to medium at the most. Any more will dry it out and it won't taste too great.

Sometimes I'll soak a whole tenderloin in milk for a few hours, it tenderizes it. Then I totally encrust it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I then wrap the whole thing in bacon and cook on the grill with indirect heat, until about medium rare to medium. Let it stand a couple minutes and slice up and eat. Its pretty yummy.

Just a note that Kohls has the Rival vacuum packers on sale this weekend for $49.95 and a mail in $10 rebate. Ya can't beat $39.95 for a $100 machine!

We skin and let hang a day or 2 if possible. No access to a freezer, so we do waht we can

For steaks all I really cut is the backstraps butterflied, and the loins of course...

I like the sirloin tip for a crockpot roast/stew. The rest of the hind quarter makes good jerky, and we eat a lot of that.

Pretty much chop the rest for burger, sausage, bologna, sticks, whatever.

A good book if you've never cut your own is:
Butchering Deer by John Weiss
its an Outdoorsman's Edge Guide

A very complete guide...

I try to do my part in supporting the local economy and take mine to a processor. :rolleyes: :D


Talk Deer Processing to be exact.

Oh my gosh this is my favorite part of messing with a deer.. the butchering.
I am an eater so whenever I butcher one I have to have a grill going as I get hungry and my mouth will start watering.
My preferred way is to let it hang a few days after I have skinned it, but that is not always possible so my second favorite way is to quarter and leave in a tub of ice and water for a day or two then process it. I always have a clean (as in new) 5 gallon bucket to put burger meat into and the rest goes into steaks and roast. I will leave very little meat on the bones because I take everything 9including rib meat) and throw it in my burger bucket. After my wife and I ground burger last year, and her seeing what makes it into the grinder, she is dern near afraid of store bought burger now.

I like doing my own too. A cooler of cold beer, a can of Skoal, a good sharp knife, and some freezer paper and I'm ready to go. I don't have access to a walk-in either so I get mine quartered and in a cooler on ice ASAP. Then, as hunterz said, process one piece at a time.

If I want any ground or made into sausage or sticks I'll take it to the processor deboned. I've made my own jerky before too using that Eastman's kit from Walmart. It turned out really good. Seemed I got alot more "buddies" at work when I brought it in!

My FAVORITE way of cooking deer is country-fried butterflied tenderloins with homemade gravy and biscuits. That is how my mom used to cook it. I also like it with fajitas and in a stir fry with vegetables.

I may add that my loving wife sells Pampered Chef, and she got me the boning knife they have for our 7 yr anniversary... and that Just so happens when I butchered last.

It was like cutting butter... A REALLY GOOD KNIFE makes the job much easier...

Let me know if any one is interested about getting the knife...(or any of that stuff) She can order it... They are $49 in her catalog...

It's nice to have good tools in the kitchen now... As a bachelor, our utensils were minimal, and probably from the Salvation Army...

I will vouch for that knife!!! It may well be one of my favorites..all of that product line is excellent!
Best and easiest boning knife I have ever had..works like a charm...

Oh I also use a vacuum sealer... The steaks get cut and sealed straight away... way better than wrapping meat.... I have a grinder on and old kitchen mixer I bought at an auction for $5 I think.

I bought my own grinder last year at Buchheits, paid about $369.00. works great! for burger and breakfast sausage, better than borrowing my buddies' old Hobart and bringing it over here, that things weighs like 573 lbs. breaks my back carrying it to and from truck to house.

Would that be harder than turning my hand crank grinder? :D I don't think I'd be grinding several pounds of meat at one time with it.

The grinder I use is an old hand crank my grandpa had, it works great but last time I used it Mrs. Bird and I had a heaped over 5 gallon bucket full of meat scrap and ended up with well mounded pile of meat about 4' long, 2' wide and 1' tall. Lots of burger and my shoulder was killing me for about a week.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who still uses a old cast iron hand grinder...however an electric one is on my wish list...

I try to do my part in supporting the local economy and take mine to a processor. :rolleyes: :D


Talk Deer Processing to be exact.

I used Talk for the first time last year and thought they did a good job and they were only a few miles away. They had venison bacon, which seems wierd, not sure how they make it. Bought a bag of it and it was actually pretty tastey, just put into the microwave to crisp it.

I wasn't as impressed with the jerky though.

I've had beef bacon Treek, so venison bacon makes sense.

About breakfast sausage... what is you guys method? I like it... I usually just buy spicy hot sausage, and mix it 50/50...

I've got an excellent recipe for pork breakfast sausage but haven't tried it with venison.

About breakfast sausage... what is you guys method? I like it... I usually just buy spicy hot sausage, and mix it 50/50...

I have a good recipe, but it will have to wait till I get home Friday to post it. I've mixed the venison and spicy pork sausage like that too Bob, it actually works pretty good, I usually add a little more spice though.

I like he deer breakfast sausage almost as much as deer burger, and I like the deer burger almost as much as deer roast, and I like deer roast almost as much as deer steaks! HECK! I like it all!

you "azz" a little more spice??? LOL Is this a Freudian slip?

you "azz" a little more spice??? LOL Is this a Freudian slip?
whoops! the s & d are next to each other so more like a Fingerian Slip, gone now! lol

S is next to D, so I'll leave it LOL

Even at 50/50, there is no grease in the pan when that shtuff is done... and it cooks fast. I like it...

Post the recipe H...