neck meat is quite flavorful, and the neck makes a fabulous bone in roast. I don't find the neck meat to be too sinewey to grind, and I don't spend much time on trimming the fat from the neck, either. I spend some trimming most of the fat and the worst of the silver skin from the shoulders and hind quarters. some of those trimmings with some meat on them wind up in the bag with the shanks for canning. A good grinder will eat most all of the silver skin from a deer, though.
The Butchering Thread
- Thread starter Buckmaster
- Start date
If you trim a deer the way some people talk about and get everything looking like the center of the loin or round your scrap bucket is going to look bigger than the finished product. Thick pieces of silver skin, fat, anything looking icky gets trimmed off and let the grinder catch the rest. Cuts get detailed. No processer is going to fillet the entire outside layer of a deer muscle. Maybe I'm doing it all wrong but it tastes fine to everyone that eats my stuff.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
It had been several years since I butchered a deer, only because we suck at killing them LOL. In the past I was pretty anal about trimming everything I could off that resembled sinew/silver. To say I took it to the extreme would be right, to the point that one of the last does I did I feel I wasted too much and fed the dogs with more than they deserved. Allen's last buck a few years back was the last one I did and I know I trimmed less and definitely got more. This past deer I did a lot better in accepting things and running it through the grinder without much thought. I had it in my head growing up as I would hear my dad say you have to take all that off and think I took it to the extreme. Steaks and all the big muscle I do just find on with trimming and accepting what is there, it was mostly the extra trimmings that should have been turned into burger where I didn't know what I was doing.
I trim anything white, silver, nodes, etc out. I separate and fillet each muscle out and remove the silver skin. From hanging to cleanup typically takes me 8 hours. No butcher will do it how I do it. I’m proud of my meat and so is my wife.
dante322
*Supporting Member*
As far as trimming the neck... there is a string of lymph nodes that runn along with the juggular... those have to go! Nasty! The rest of the neck gets put in the grinder for sausage. I try to keep my cuts simple. I take the back straps and cut them into 3 pieces each. The inner loins, and the eye of round (sliced about an inch and a garter thick. I take the rest of the round for jerky, everything else is summer sausage. I do the best I can with trimming, but I don't get anal about it. If a little fat makes it into the grinder, oh well. As long as any nodes are removed it'll be fine, most nodes will be in large fat deposits which get trimmed out anyway
I peeled it all the way to the base of the skull, the angle of that pic is just so that it doesn’t show the neck. Not that an 80 lb fawn has much of a neck anyway
Been a solid stretch of good hanging temps since youth season. It's been awhile since we have been blessed like this. I believe I was swatting mosquitos at times the last two years...
whitetailjunky3
Junior Member
- 847
- 91
I cut up my first one Tuesday and I feel what your saying I think I was to worried about getting rid of scrap. I guess you live and learn.
this is essentially what I do, too. lymph nodes need to be removed, deer fat doesn't taste good, so I remove most of it, too. the various types of muscle sheathing get treated different by me. the heaviest "silver skin" gets fileted of of the muscle like removing the skin from a fish, most of the rest I leave because I have a grinder that will easily grind even the heavy stuff if I leave it or miss it. this stuff is collagen, which is good for us to eat, and does add flavor.
another thing I do as part of my butchering/aging is to leave the grind meat and cuts I cook with (loins, top round and eye of round) to drain for about two days before I pat them dry and vacuum package to begin the actual "wet aging" for a week or two. I usually go a grand total of about two weeks from the time the deer expires to the freezer
Straps out and the rest is ready to trim and grind
Lots of deer butchering talk in here. Here's another common outcome for me this time of year. We do several UFC fights throughout the year with my duck hunting buddies. This will make a meal for us at the next UFC.
I rarely take the legs, but should really start doing it more often. Seems I always end up doing the cleaning, so I keep it quick and easy. Adding the legs just drags out the process for not a whole lot more food IMO.
I rarely take the legs, but should really start doing it more often. Seems I always end up doing the cleaning, so I keep it quick and easy. Adding the legs just drags out the process for not a whole lot more food IMO.
I hate to waste thus I’d probably do a crockpot full of spicy legs. I’d bet they would disappear on fight night.
I need to someday have you up for a waxing demonstration. Do that, and you’ll be pulling those legs every time. The wax makes plucking feathers a breeze.
Nice work on the greenheads by the way!
Still need to order my electric hoist, but this is always how I envisioned cutting up deer would look at this house. Time to skin, quarter, pack, and age. Perfect thing to do on a cold, damp Sunday!
These 2 items won't go 50. I got rid of the gambrel and put a single hook on it. (That's just how I learned to skin/one leg hangin)
With the multiple parts of line, it makes the cranking so much easier! Kids can do it....
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
The electric hoist will be helpful for more than deer and it's less than $100. I can lift the front end of the quad and mower for maintenance, or any other sort of heavy lifting I need done. Definitely over kill for just deer, but it's not just for deer either.
Rear quarters are ready for a few weeks in the fridge. Finally got some good stainless hooks and added a bar for hanging. I have racks cut to size that can hold more meat when needed.
Rear quarters are ready for a few weeks in the fridge. Finally got some good stainless hooks and added a bar for hanging. I have racks cut to size that can hold more meat when needed.
ive read up on this since you posted earlier in the season. Can you start to notice a smell change as you age? Just reading the more age on beef it gets a funk taste after long aging. Just wondering if you notice anything during this process.