Using as much of the deer as possible

[catman529]

I've cooked fawn ribs before, there's more meat than you'd think.

Have you eaten caul fat? I've been curious about it. I've thrown away a couple really thick slabs of caul fat when field dressing deer because I didn't have anything to put it in.


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[AT Hiker]

Ribs can be delicious and a lot of work. My favorite is a French style roast but with CWD it's slowed me down a little (I hunt KY so I cannot bring them back).

Liver, it's hot or kiss with me. Mainly a miss. TX300MAG uses it in a boudin I think, I really need to get his recipe/method.

The neck is also a overlooked cut. Love heart (duck heart lightly sautéed in butter is flipping amazing, if you get a chance to try it).

Haven't done tongue yet although I love beef tongue. Deer tongue is usually hanging out, bloody and dirty so I avoid it.


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[swd]

I have never eaten any kind of liver.

I decided last season after having such great success cooking and eating deer heart I would give it a shot. I cut in and it was full of liver flukes. Kind of lost my initiative after that...

With the discovery of CWD in my hunt areas, I gave up on that idea altogether as I have heard that freezing a liver degrades it more than a muscle.

 

[catman529]

I've eaten beef liver once and never again. If deer liver tastes anything like it, I want nothing to do with it. Fried chicken livers are good though.


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[Omega]

I had to look it up, caul fat, and I will have to look for it next time as I don't recall ever seeing it, at least not like it shows in the pictures. I take it that it's the "bag" that all the guts are encased in, what exactly does it do for a dish?

 

[AT Hiker]

I had to look it up, caul fat, and I will have to look for it next time as I don't recall ever seeing it, at least not like it shows in the pictures. I take it that it's the "bag" that all the guts are encased in, what exactly does it do for a dish?

Yes and once you see it you will know exactly what is. If your gut job is clean and the guts not shot up it's pretty easy to distinguish.


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[catman529]

I had to look it up, caul fat, and I will have to look for it next time as I don't recall ever seeing it, at least not like it shows in the pictures. I take it that it's the "bag" that all the guts are encased in, what exactly does it do for a dish?

Yes and once you see it you will know exactly what is. If your gut job is clean and the guts not shot up it's pretty easy to distinguish.


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emphasis on not gut shot!


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[ROVERBOY]

The liver can be delicious if cooked right. Especially a younger deer. I've never tried the ribs but, have always meant to. I gave a deer years ago to a friend and he wanted the "Tennessee Oysters". He said they were good.

 

[Omega]

Oh, I've seen the bag as I have only once gut shot a deer, but I have never pulled it out and separated it from the pile. It just normally falls out, and it gets disposed of with the rest of the mess. I have retrieved the liver a few times, but I have lost the taste for it, the heart is almost never in that bag, it stays in the cavity for me to retrieve.

 

[TDW05]

Not to hijack or anything but I thought you had to contact TWRA and ask to take the animal? And all that sounds good and i often thought about getting deer off the road cause most look like they would still be okay to eat! I would also love to see the breakfast burrito you speak of!!

 

[TDW05]

Not to hijack or anything but I thought you had to contact TWRA and ask to take the animal? And all that sounds good and i often thought about getting deer off the road cause most look like they would still be okay to eat! I would also love to see the breakfast burrito you speak of!!

That's correct. I called the regional office and reported it. You don't have to ask permission, you just have to report that it. You have 48 hours I think.

They take all the info about the who/what/where.

That's what I was thinking, but back to those burritos!!!! :rotf:

 

[Simpleman.2]

I've eaten beef liver once and never again. If deer liver tastes anything like it, I want nothing to do with it. Fried chicken livers are good though.


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I love me some KFC chicken livers lol


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[catman529]

I've eaten beef liver once and never again. If deer liver tastes anything like it, I want nothing to do with it. Fried chicken livers are good though.


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I love me some KFC chicken livers lol


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I haven't had theirs but I get them at the jumbo house sometimes


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[TX300mag]

Caul fat

Leaf fat/organ fat is high in stearic acid, so it sticks to your mouth. Since we're in the soap-making business I'll use it for this purpose.

I find liver almost always milder than beef liver. My kids can devour a 3 1/2lb one in a single meal. I normally reserve several for boudin, too.

Kidneys! Wash them out well. Stronger Offal flavor than liver IMO, so it goes into boudin or sausage.

Shanks! Braise slowly or pressure cook. You'll eat every big of meat, cartilage, whatever

Bone broth! Save all your trimming and bones. Roast first! Simmer, not boil. I'm learning a lot from the chef that makes our broth we sell from our poultry. Let it chill uncovered. Salt isn't necessary in the preparation phase.

Lastly-hooves are BEST for adding body (collagen) to bone broth.


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[TX300mag]

Great job on those ribs!


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[AT Hiker]

Shanks...some people hunt for big racks, I look for big shanks. Luckily, we can have our cake and eat it too because big bucks got big shanks!

Unfortunately, another downside to CWD regs. [emoji20]


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[rukiddin]

I was wondering if caul fat and leaf fat were the same. That's what all the old timers in NC called it when we were killing hogs.

My grandfather never turned down deer ribs. It was actually his preferred cut off the deer.

 

[TX300mag]

Caul fat is the netting around the abdominal cavity. Leaf fat is the smooth, pretty fat around the kidneys.


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[jejeffrries71]

I also try to use almost all of a deer, but most of that stuff you guys are talking about, I'm using for dog food. They got to eat too!

 

[JJ3]

Shanks...some people hunt for big racks, I look for big shanks. Luckily, we can have our cake and eat it too because big bucks got big shanks!

Unfortunately, another downside to CWD regs.

I love shanks, braised for a few hours— best part of a deer. But yes with CWD guidelines and warnings to not cut through bones (and cook with cut bones), shanks may be a thing of the past here in the west. Rest of the state — make sure you save those shanks!

 

[catman529]

Caul fat is the netting around the abdominal cavity. Leaf fat is the smooth, pretty fat around the kidneys.


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leaf fat looks just like the fat inside a fish. I never knew it was called leaf fat before. It's basically tallow right?


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[TX300mag]

Caul fat is the netting around the abdominal cavity. Leaf fat is the smooth, pretty fat around the kidneys.


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leaf fat looks just like the fat inside a fish. I never knew it was called leaf fat before. It's basically tallow right?


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Yes, it would be called tallow after rendering I guess. Pork fat is rendered into lard, beef fat is rendered into tallow. Leaf fat is most neutral tasting and renders easiest due to it's texture.


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