Processing Venison

[maritimer]

I've always been interested in processing my own harvest. When we do, it's just a basic cuts of steak, a couple roasts, and the rest into burger. All done with a sharp knife and a hacksaw. ;D

How many Swampers cut up their own deer?
What kind of home butchering equipment do you have?

[patricimo54]

Basic cuts is the norm for me. Back strap, separate the muscle segments on the hams and then slice into steak, jerky meat and burger. If I had a power saw I'd try some fancy stuff like a rack of deer like they do with lamb. I might try it with the hand saw next time.

With the burger I will mix 20% to 30% bacon "bits and pieces". It really makes for a good patty.

My equipment is pretty basic, knives, hand saw( which I rarely use) and a meat grinder. I also use just a cheap o type dehydrator for my jerky.

[TrappinTommer]

I have processed every deer I have ever killed along with most of the ones my family and friends get as well. I have a couple Forschner knives that I wouldn't be without when butchering deer. I cut everything I can into steaks, the rest gets divided into stew and burger/sausage. I do all the grinding myself as well. I enjoy doing it and take a great deal of pride in it, and am glad that I can take the time to do it and not have to pay the money for someone else to do it. ;D

[shu9265]

I do all of my own also.

Have a set of knives just for boning and cutting steaks, and strips of jerky.

I cut all the steaks I can, and then the rest goes into jerky meat.
I trim out the tendons and make use of about all of the meat.
After I get it all stripped from the bones, I boil them (the bones) and freeze them for the dog. Not much goes to waste.
I converted a charcoal smoker over to propane, and it works great for doing jerky.

[Admin]

I process all my own meat. I grind mostly everything. I'll can the backsraps and keep a roast or two but the rest is burgerr & sausage. I find I utilize it better that way. Like tonight, venison tacos cooked on the woodburner. It don't get much more primative than that. ;D

I don't have much for processing equipment, just knives, a 36" cutting board, stailnless steel tables and a pretty decent grinder. ya gotta have a good grinder.

[TRAPnHUNT]

Out of all the deer that I've harvested, I've only had two processed by a butcher. I've done the rest with sharp knives & stainless steel hacksaw. Oh yeah... and I'm constantly using a sharpening iron.

[cowdawg]

We do our own too.
Got a box of assorted knives for boning, cutting, etc.
got me a nice cutting table to do all the trimming and boning on.

Cabela's meat slicer for the Jerky and Minute Steaks
Cabels's grinder for the hamburg for the homemade chili and my Venison Scrapple.

Vacuum sealer for the deep freeze storage.

2 electric dehydrators for the Jerky batches.
1 electric smoker

Think I got all the bases covered.

[lookout]

I've butchered every deer and every moose that I've shot. I have the usual assortment of knives purchased at yard sales (got some good ones too) and sharpen them religiously. alot of work gets done with the filet knives in the cleaning department. Stainless steel tables with poly cutting boards and a $750 grinder.

You can't beat home butchered deer when you compare it to the "butcher" butchered deer that one person spends two hours on. Just ain't the same, son...

I cut off the loins, tenderloins, round and sirloin roasts and the rest goes to burger. I make sausage out of the bunch too.

[Hidehunter1]

A buddy and I do all our own deer and a few for other people. We have plenty of good quality cutlery, a couple electric hoists, spacey countertops, electric 1HP grinder, vacuum sealers, reciprocating saw for cutting bones (legs, pelvis), propane torch for burning off hair, etc. All our deer are done boneless, and very few hang more than 2 days. We do all kinds of cuts and make all kinds of specialties including sausage, hot dogs, jerky, summer sausage, salami, burger, etc. We do basic boneless cutting in season, vacuum seal and freeze. Anything NOT, steak, backstrap, or roast is chunked and frozen. After the season a bunch of us get together on a weekend or 2 and process all the specialties. A real party atmosphere. In season we avg 45 min to 1 hour to process a deer and do 20-25 a season. We make upwards of 400# sausage alone every season (usually in 1 day) plus another couple days for all the other stuff. Nothing wasted.

[adkwildflower]

I always cut my own deer up because I'm too cheap to pay for it. I save a roast and the backstrap but grind the rest with bacon. Grinding bacon with it makes for tasty burgers.

[bowslinger]

i cut mine in to roast speedies and burger

[Canadian trapper]

I cut all the deer for our gang also. Everyone meets in my garage and we debone all the deer (along with drinking a few beer). I cut the sirloin,back strap, tendeloin and the round steaks off and everything else is cleaned up and put into burger.
I have a few good boning knives a butcher block and a good grinder.
The Canadian Trapper

[woodsman416]

I do all my own and a group of us get together to do big cuts a couple of times per year. Last year we did 32 I think. I tend to go a little overboard on equipment so I have everything I need and a bunch of stuff that's nice to have and/or makes the job easier.