Encouragement for those considering processing your own.

[kaizen leader]

A bit of encouragement for those considering processing your own deer. I started doing my own several years ago at the encouragement of Erik Almy after a local processor had let one rot on me. It really isn't hard, doesn't require a walk in cooler or major specialized equipment.

I shot a doe Saturday morning at roughly 8:10 am. I had her home, a 35 minute drive after getting her out of the woods, quartered, and on ice by 11am with the help of my family who had things ready for me. I then spent roughly 1 1/2 hours on Sunday evening breaking down and de-boning the hind legs, then another 1 1/2 hours today finishing up with the front legs, the trimmings, and the backstraps. All in all I would guess I have roughly 4 hours in the processing so far. I do still have to grind most of it to make bacon burgers and meatloafs but that won't take that long. From what I've seen, most processors are charging around $100-125 or more for basic processing.

Here's the best part. This deer weighed 65 lbs gutted. I did not keep the rib meat or the tenderloins since I had caught the stomach slightly so there was that mess inside the carcass. Even with that I still wound up with 29 lbs of boned out, prepped, and trimmed meat. I'm picky, trimming out any and all fat, connective tissue, and such. I typically find that on average I get between 40-45% yield off of a deer from the gutted weight. That will vary depending on if it's a late season deer with more fat, or the manner of harvest. A rifle shot through the shoulders will cause more loss compared to an arrow through the lungs. Processors cannot take the time I do to get as much meat off of the carcass or to clean it up as much. They have to play a numbers game.

The other huge benefit is that my family pretty much prefers to grind most of the deer. We really don't do roasts and such. We will keep the backstraps but the rest gets ground. With that we make pre-done meatloafs that we vacuum seal and freeze for easy meals, bacon burgers (5lbs venison to 1lb bacon and some French onion soup mix for seasoning), and then just course ground for other stuff. Easy to do and gives us lots of good meals.

Equipment wise I don't have much. I store the quartered deer on ice in a cooler. The meat goes into unscented garbage bags surrounded by gallon ziploc bags of ice. I don't like to water bath my meat. I have 4 butchering knives I use, but could easily get by with just one 6" boning knife if I had to. I have a small Lem grinder that cost me $80 bucks over 10 years ago that is still going strong, and a basic vacuum sealer. It doesn't take much. Oh, I about forgot I have a plastic burger press.

Anyway, if you're considering it, go for it. There are some great videos out there, such as the ones from the bearded butchers, that will walk you through breaking one down. It's not hard.

Did you pull the hide off or cut it? Pulling works great.

 

[MidTennFisher]

I avoided beef for 20 years and eventually the Alpha-Gal went away. I don't know how long it really took because I was afraid to test it. But I've heard about people who have had it fade away in as little as 5-7 years. And interestingly, the only problem I had when going back to eating beef was that after 20 years without it in my diet, I had lost the gut bacteria necessary to digest it. For a while, I would have severe gastrointestinal issues when eating a little beef. But my gut finally compensated and now I can eat it without problems.

Yes, I was able to eat venison without any problem. Not only is venison much lower in fat than beef, but we butcher our own and remove all fat from the meat before packaging.

So for people who get that allergy from a tick bite, they can still eat venison but not beef? Or were you just fortunate to have had no reaction to deer meat? I thought it was all hooved animals they couldn't eat.

 

[BSK]

So for people who get that allergy from a tick bite, they can still eat venison but not beef? Or were you just fortunate to have had no reaction to deer meat? I thought it was all hooved animals they couldn't eat.

The symptoms are different for each person. I was able to eat venison. One of my sisters with Alpha-Gal could also eat venison. But a second sister could not (with three people in my family afflicted, my family genetics must make us highly susceptible). Some people with Alpha-Gal can eat pork. Others cannot. Some can eat venison. Others cannot.

Everyone's list of what they can and can't eat is different. I could eat pork loin and pepperoni, but beef steak, burger, baked ham, and brats were out.

Another weird symptom I've heard about from several ex-sufferers is that, even after the meat allergy is gone, the digestive track becomes highly sensitive to peanuts and peanut oil. The peanuts do not cause an allergic reaction, just gastrointestinal pain. I am like this. I can eat a handful of peanuts, no problem. But more than a handful, or eating something cooked with peanut oil, is going to cause me major intestinal cramps.

 

[CharlieTN]

Did you pull the hide off or cut it? Pulling works great.

I do a bit of both, cutting it around the legs and such and pulling it off of the main body.

 

[Laserman1]

Last deer I processed I found beef fat at Kroger. They had several 2-3 pound packs in the back. May have to ask

Do you still get the fat from grocery store? If not, where? I asked at Food City and Publix and they said they are not allowed to give it anymore because of the liability if someone gets sick from it

 

[CharlieTN]

Do you still get the fat from grocery store? If not, where? I asked at Food City and Publix and they said they are not allowed to give it anymore because of the liability if someone gets sick from it

I have found it much harder to get nowadays. You might check with a local processor to see if they could sell you some.

We don't add any fat into our grind unless we're making burgers or meatloaf mix. In those cases we've gone to using thick cut bacon. Adds a good flavor and is readily available. We have a local chain here called United Grocers Outlet that sometimes sells the bacon ends and odd pieces that works great.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I've been processing my deer my entire hunting life, which amounts to about 45 years of hunting. Great encouragement for those who have never tried to do this.

 

[FredRog72]

I smoke several briskets each year and always try and pick a good fatty one. I trim most of that thick fat off and save it for deer season where I mix it with my grind. About a 10% ratio. Of all the different fats I've tried, it gets the best review from my picky wife and kids. We love processing our own and it's very rewarding. Although, the girls are not crazy about me naming their meals after the deer! LOL

 

[CharlieTN]

I've been processing my deer my entire hunting life, which amounts to about 45 years of hunting. Great encouragement for those who have never tried to do this.

Thanks. That really was the whole purpose. Anyone can do it with minimal equipment. Great thing is that it can be done over a few days, a bit here, and a bit there, with great results.

I honestly didn't expect this post to garner this much attention but I'm glad to see it. Nothing against the deer processors out there but we can do it better ourselves unless we're wanting some real fancy things done, and many of the processors don't do that anyway.

 

[Gronkmonster]

Do you still get the fat from grocery store? If not, where? I asked at Food City and Publix and they said they are not allowed to give it anymore because of the liability if someone gets sick from it

Been 3 or 4 years since then

 

[Lt.Dan]

Do you still get the fat from grocery store? If not, where? I asked at Food City and Publix and they said they are not allowed to give it anymore because of the liability if someone gets sick from it

Local butcher is where I get mine. But I have to go early because once the processors start cutting venison it's all reserved for them.

 

[Roadracer6]

I have one of those big white coolers you see on boats etc. I like to cut all the meat off and lay a couple shelving units on the bottom to keep the meat out of the blood and liquids. I then take a handful of frozen jugs (milk/OJ/whatever) and place on top of the meat. Close the top and its good for days. I keep about 15-20 in deep freeze so I can swap them as they melt (key here is all water is in jugs and not in meat...with drain hole sealed.. keeping even cooler). I'll do this for 7-14 days. Works amazing.

Here's a picture of what I do (shot a doe this morning )....if I can, I'll leave the meat like this for 2-3 weeks.

 

[Lt.Dan]

Here's a picture of what I do (shot a doe this morning )....if I can, I'll leave the meat like this for 2-3 weeks.

Two - 3 weeks? I've had mine on ice for 8 days before but usually 5 days. Does your venison skin over like it will hanging in a meat cooler? I hung one in our fridge, quartered up of course, my wife wasn't to happy with me. It skinned over and I had to trim off a lot of the meat. It was the most tender deer I have had.

 

[Roadracer6]

Two - 3 weeks? I've had mine on ice for 8 days before but usually 5 days. Does your venison skin over like it will hanging in a meat cooler? I hung one in our fridge, quartered up of course, my wife wasn't to happy with me. It skinned over and I had to trim off a lot of the meat. It was the most tender deer I have had.

Not to bad. I'll do older deer that long. Anything 2.5 yrs or younger it's more like a week. I killed a very old buck in IN last yr and was afraid the meat was going to be to tough so I did 3 weeks and it turned out amazing. Probably the best I've had, yes you may have to skin off some meat, but in my opinion, it's worth it.

 

[Lt.Dan]

Thanks. That really was the whole purpose. Anyone can do it with minimal equipment. Great thing is that it can be done over a few days, a bit here, and a bit there, with great results.

I honestly didn't expect this post to garner this much attention but I'm glad to see it. Nothing against the deer processors out there but we can do it better ourselves unless we're wanting some real fancy things done, and many of the processors don't do that anyway.

Over the years I've bought some nice equipment, grinder, mixer, and vacuum sealer. I saw a post on here about those chamber type sealers. That and a slicer is next on the list. But you are right, it really takes minimal equipment to get started. For years I used a knife and a hand crank grinder. It got the job done for less than a $50 dollar investment.

 

[Lt.Dan]

Not to bad. I'll do older deer that long. Anything 2.5 yrs or younger it's more like a week. I killed a very old buck in IN last yr and was afraid the meat was going to be to tough so I did 3 weeks and it turned out amazing. Probably the best I've had, yes you may have to skin off some meat, but in my opinion, it's worth it.

Thanks for the info. I had killed a 3.5 year old last year that was super tough. I believe they will sit longer next time. I like the homeade block ice idea too. At what amount of "thaw" do you change out the blocks?

 

[Mag]

My first attempt at processing was several years ago. A fellow TNdeer member was kind enough to allow me and my Daughter (who was a Sgt in the Army at the time) to hunt with him in W Tn. We returned with five deer in total. He was the best host possible and quartered all of them for us, filing up all of our coolers. It turned really cold and I spent the next several evenings in the garage processing, grinding and packing away. Each shoulder and leg became easy and easier as I became more comfortable.
One question, how do you dispose of the leftover? Just bag and trash or do you have an area where you are able to drop it out for the critters?

 

[Lt.Dan]

My first attempt at processing was several years ago. A fellow TNdeer member was kind enough to allow me and my Daughter (who was a Sgt in the Army at the time) to hunt with him in W Tn. We returned with five deer in total. He was the best host possible and quartered all of them for us, filing up all of our coolers. It turned really cold and I spent the next several evenings in the garage processing, grinding and packing away. Each shoulder and leg became easy and easier as I became more comfortable.
One question, how do you dispose of the leftover? Just bag and trash or do you have an area where you are able to drop it out for the critters?

I bag and trash. My brother feeds the wild critters. He has property and I live in town.

 

[double browtine]

My dad raised me always processing our own. I have been doing my own since I was a teenager. I'm 51 now and I have taught most of my kids how. I bought a cheap Harbor Freight meat grinder years ago and it has not failed me yet. I usually grind 3-4 deer per year with it. For $50, that grinder has paid off lots of times.
I once let a buck hang skinned in the garage for about 22 days. I had shot him in mid December and it stayed cold (never about 40) the entire time. He hung in the garage. I would open the door during the day and close it when I got home from work so it didn't freeze. That was the most tender deer and best tasting I have ever had. Just had to cut off the outside. The backstrap was absolutely amazing on the grill.
Don't be scared to process one yourself. Lots of YouTube videos to teach you how. I debone it off the carcass while it is hanging.

 

[CharlieTN]

My first attempt at processing was several years ago. A fellow TNdeer member was kind enough to allow me and my Daughter (who was a Sgt in the Army at the time) to hunt with him in W Tn. We returned with five deer in total. He was the best host possible and quartered all of them for us, filing up all of our coolers. It turned really cold and I spent the next several evenings in the garage processing, grinding and packing away. Each shoulder and leg became easy and easier as I became more comfortable.
One question, how do you dispose of the leftover? Just bag and trash or do you have an area where you are able to drop it out for the critters?

I have to bag and trash. I don't have anywhere I can simply dump the carcass unfortunately.