DIY Deer Processing

[Omega]

Lol, you see some crazy stuff downrange. I went to South Korea to train with the ROK SF for a few months. We were up in Area 1 by Camp Casey, Hovey, Garry Owens etc. You see some weird stuff over there also. But it was a freaking blast. I just know I should have listened to them about taking it easy on the Soju. I was in black out drive about an hour into my first night there. Lol

Ha, got me too, was asking for screwdrivers, had a jump the next day, into a DZ with rice patties, did a perfect PLF on the dry run between patties, only to be dragged by the wind into the flooded patties. Hot sun, human fertilizer and a long bus drive back to the base while hungover...good times.

 

[Rakkin6]

Ha, got me too, was asking for screwdrivers, had a jump the next day, into a DZ with rice patties, did a perfect PLF on the dry run between patties, only to be dragged by the wind into the flooded patties. Hot sun, human fertilizer and a long bus drive back to the base while hungover...good times.

Oh yeah I remember the ROK SF soldiers smelled like Soju and Kimchi every morning. You could smell it coming out of their pores.

 

[JJ3]

I bought the grinder attachment for my wife's KitchenAid mixer. It has worked fine for me for about 15 years now. At the most I was doing four or five deer a year, now I just do a couple but honestly, I think that would work fine for you.

The meat I wanted to grind I would just cut up into smaller cubes and run it thru the attachment.

I used my wife's Kitchen Aid mixer for years — might have caused one to wear out, at least that's what she tells me. But last year my daughter bought me a $90 grinder made by Altra on Amazon. It leaves the KitchenAid attachment in the dust. Now that I see the difference I wish I had gone to a dedicated grinder years ago. It's worth it. Faster grind, better grind (KA I found it necessary to do a double grind).

 

[backyardtndeer]

Cooler works just fine, just be sure to drain off any water often. For a grinder, a 1/2 HP commercial would be the minimum I would get. Been doing ours for over 20 years, the most time consuming part is trimming. I wish I had a better table setup than thank kitchen counter.

 

[Savage]

I've used the kitchen aid mixer attachment, but still have to trim 100% of the silver skin. No one else has this problem?

 

[killingtime 41]

Cooler works just fine, just be sure to drain off any water often. For a grinder, a 1/2 HP commercial would be the minimum I would get. Been doing ours for over 20 years, the most time consuming part is trimming. I wish I had a better table setup than thank kitchen counter.

Trick is to loosen the drain plug on the cooler. Not take it off completely and it'll drain by the time you get home from work

 

[Grandslam11]

in the aging process, the meat isn't supposed to freeze, correct? You are essentially allowing the meat to break back down from where rigor mortis set in?

I have real a lot about the silver skin but haven't actually seen it. Is there a certain set of muscle groups that have more than others or is it all spread out throughout?

For those that don't age, can I just shoot it, dress it, hang it, skin it, debone it, then grind it?

 

[hammer33]

Aging the meat tenderizes it and develops flavor. Some argue that wet aging with ice in a cooler soaks some flavor away. Since that is the only option I have its what I have always used with excellent results. You can eat it immediately after killing/ processing but it will tend to be much tougher.

For your first deer, I would skip the grinding and use most all the meat as roasts/steaks and make stew meat out of the odds and ends. Ground deer meat will be much dryer than beef/pork/lamb with a dry coarse texture. To make burgers you will need to add beef or pork fat or it will be like making sawdust patties. See what cuts and recipes you like best. Then decide if you want/need a grinder.
For us, we eat most of the deer as steaks. Hams are split into muscle groups and frozen. Then defrosted and sliced into steaks. Backstraps are grilled, shoulders are either stew meat or dog food if shot out. Neck and shanks are slow cooked Osso Bucco style. Any other bits are either stew meat or put in the dog food scrap pot.

 

[MickThompson]

in the aging process, the meat isn't supposed to freeze, correct? You are essentially allowing the meat to break back down from where rigor mortis set in?

I have real a lot about the silver skin but haven't actually seen it. Is there a certain set of muscle groups that have more than others or is it all spread out throughout?

For those that don't age, can I just shoot it, dress it, hang it, skin it, debone it, then grind it?

Silver skin is the sinew- tendons and ligaments. For the most part it lays of the surface of the muscle and is easily filleted off. Every muscle has some on it. The biggest example is probably the sheet of it that runs the length of the backstrap

 

[Grandslam11]

For your first deer, I would skip the grinding and use most all the meat as roasts/steaks and make stew meat out of the odds and ends. Ground deer meat will be much dryer than beef/pork/lamb with a dry coarse texture. To make burgers you will need to add beef or pork fat or it will be like making sawdust patties. See what cuts and recipes you like best. Then decide if you want/need a grinder.

Interesting. I honestly just planned on grinding up the entire deer, other than backstraps and tenderloins.

 

[MickThompson]

Interesting. I honestly just planned on grinding up the entire deer, other than backstraps and tenderloins.

I grind what I know I want ground but we eat a lot of venison in roasts/primal cuts too. One thing I know- I can always cut or grind later, but I can't put the pieces back together.

 

[Omega]

in the aging process, the meat isn't supposed to freeze, correct? You are essentially allowing the meat to break back down from where rigor mortis set in?

I have real a lot about the silver skin but haven't actually seen it. Is there a certain set of muscle groups that have more than others or is it all spread out throughout?

For those that don't age, can I just shoot it, dress it, hang it, skin it, debone it, then grind it?

Right, best temp is above 32 but below 40, I try for 36 or so. Backstrap and tenderloins do not need aging, so no issue doing it all the same day, and if you are going to grind it all, then aging isn't really necessary, it helps tenderize the primal cuts, and make it a taste a little better, though that is highly debated (I think it does).

This is silver skin.

I filet it like a fish

Try to get it as close as possible but you can filet again face down to get the rest of the red meat off, and throw it into your grind pile.

 

[Grandslam11]

Thanks Omega.

 

[mike243]

While most manufacturers recommend using meat at 28-32 I have never read where they recommend freezing the grinder heads, I can say use the tool to tighten the lock ring before use and trim the majority of the silver skin, never had dry meat from any deer beef pork ect, have had lean in all of it, small batches will always turn out better than large imo, its easier to keep meat in the proper temp range while you handle it, also grinding when you need it will keep it in the best possible form to prevent moisture being pulled out. Yes that happens no matter how it is frozen, when the meat is ground/broken into small pieces it is easier for the moisture to be wicked to the exterior of the package

 

[AT Hiker]

If you are starting out by only cutting steaks from backstraps n tenderloins, I wouldn't concern myself with aging.
Slap the backstraps on a cooling sheet that people use for cooling cookies, then place it in a container to catch drippings.
Keep in fridge for a few days until it shows signs of drying, then cut into thirds and freeze.

 

[Billboy]

I have a 1/2hp Cabelas grinder. I usually get my cubed meat just to the point of freezing. I add about 10% of the fattest bacon you can find (also frozen and diced into fine pieces). I keep the grinder parts in the freezer until I'm ready to use. This makes mixing the lean/fat grind after the first run much easier. 2nd run thru the grinder mixes everything even better. I do have a dedicated fridge just for my deer so I can skin/quarter and then finish processing at my leisure. I don't intentionally leave it there to age, but it is usually several days before I get to it. Everything else I just cut into steaks, roasts, and stew.

 

[Omega]

If you are starting out by only cutting steaks from backstraps n tenderloins, I wouldn't concern myself with aging.
Slap the backstraps on a cooling sheet that people use for cooling cookies, then place it in a container to catch drippings.
Keep in fridge for a few days until it shows signs of drying, then cut into thirds and freeze.

Sounds like aging to me. You can cut those off the deer, slice into steaks, wrap, or vacuum seal, and freeze, no need to do any of that if not worried about aging. I age mine, not so much to tenderize or for taste, but because by the time I get the deer in the cooler, I am whooped. But have in the past just did as described above, and even threw some into a pan right off the deer with no noticeable difference.

My LEM grinder came with an attachment, a tenderizer that makes a piece of steak like chicken fried steak (don't remember the technical name), which am not a fan of, but it does tenderize a steak from the rump which makes aging unnecessary, but I do not like the consistency of that kind of process. The new attachment can make jerky, now that I would use the hell out of, even though jerky from ground venison is great.

 

[AT Hiker]

Sounds like aging to me. You can cut those off the deer, slice into steaks, wrap, or vacuum seal, and freeze, no need to do any of that if not worried about aging….

Depends, as in most cases it's the details that matter.

After death muscle fibers contract and the process of rigor starts. Typically a minimum of 24 hours is needed for this process to complete and 72 hours is ideal. This simply brings the meat "tenderness" back to normal. Aging longer will allow enzymatic aging to start taking place, and this changes flavor profile and tenderness.

Sometimes backstraps don't need to go through rigor but more often than not it will make a difference. It's basic meat science.

Plus allowing the fluids to seep out for a couple days will make for nicer packaging and thawing.
Slicing into steaks also increases surface area which could be an issue if freezer burn ever set in. It also limits you to steaks. That's why I prefer to leave backstraps in bigger pieces. Steaks for dinner? No problem. Pam seared and whole roasted backstraps? No problem.

 

[Omega]

Depends, as in most cases it's the details that matter.

After death muscle fibers contract and the process of rigor starts. Typically a minimum of 24 hours is needed for this process to complete and 72 hours is ideal. This simply brings the meat "tenderness" back to normal. Aging longer will allow enzymatic aging to start taking place, and this changes flavor profile and tenderness.

Sometimes backstraps don't need to go through rigor but more often than not it will make a difference. It's basic meat science.

Plus allowing the fluids to seep out for a couple days will make for nicer packaging and thawing.
Slicing into steaks also increases surface area which could be an issue if freezer burn ever set in. It also limits you to steaks. That's why I prefer to leave backstraps in bigger pieces. Steaks for dinner? No problem. Pam seared and whole roasted backstraps? No problem.

Oh, I know all that, but in all my years I have never had a bad backstrap, even slicing it off the deer and throwing it on the grill. Other muscles, yea, some can be tuff if not aged, but never the backstrap, tenderloins or heart. I normally decide during the processing on how I want to cook it, so can cut into steaks and not worry about it. Vacuum sealing it takes care of the freezer burn issue, but even before then I would wrap with saran wrap getting as much air out as possible, then freezer paper. Had venison last 5 years (am always losing a piece in the freezer) doing it like that with no freezer burn.

 

[AT Hiker]

Oh, I know all that, but in all my years I have never had a bad backstrap, even slicing it off the deer and throwing it on the grill. Other muscles, yea, some can be tuff if not aged, but never the backstrap, tenderloins or heart. I normally decide during the processing on how I want to cook it, so can cut into steaks and not worry about it. Vacuum sealing it takes care of the freezer burn issue, but even before then I would wrap with saran wrap getting as much air out as possible, then freezer paper. Had venison last 5 years (am always losing a piece in the freezer) doing it like that with no freezer burn.

Im envious of you for never having to experience a tough backstrap or having a vacuum seal bag leak.