DIY Deer Processing

I have it setup with a winch and can elevate the deer so I don't have to bend over. Saves my back. I keep a tote under the deer so i can just drop the undesirable prts as I cut them off. By the time I am done, the meat is in lugs and the carcass is broken down in the tote. A strong grinder is important. You can get a good 1hp grinder for under $300 on Amazon. I bought one off ebay 20yrs ago for $250. I am still using it today. The advantage is that you don't have to clean the meat up nearly as much. It saves a ton of time. Get a couple meat lugs. I bought a cheap Sawzall to avoid using my good Dewalt. I also have a 1000 ft roll freezer paper and a tape dispenser. I have never had freezer burn using freezer paper. I have eaten venison lost in the freezer for 8 years and couldn't tell the difference between it and a deer I killed that year.
 
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Grandslam11 said:
Next year my goal is to process my own deer. I have watched youtube videos and have read some on it but thought id ask here too. I really want to do it, just to learn. Not at all wanting to do it as a business. Just know the art and help out some neighbors along the way. I probably wouldn't do 4-5 deer per year, if that. I would honestly ground up most of it, other than the backstrap and tenderloin. My questions:

1. For that low of #s, what is the smallest size grinder you would buy?
2. I have a vacuum seal machine, so I wouldn't need that
3. For aging, I wouldn't want to buy a separate refrigerator, is using a cooler with ice ok? I know I would have to keep the meat from touching the melt and keep it drained well, and I do have a place I could hang one if the weather was cool enough.
4. What am I missing/ overthinking?
5. Am i out of mind? We also raise meat sheep so once I know how to process a deer, Id like to try one of them as well.
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A really large bowl or plastic meat tub is handy too. You can get a meat tub for 12-15 bucks at bass pro or just use a big storage tote (one that fits under a bed). I've found this to be useful for me anyhow. Good luck!
 
peytoncreekhunter said:
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.
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X2 on the kitchenaid attahcments. They work great!
 
Grandslam11 said:
Are you freezing the meat and using a saw to get your steaks cut properly? Or just a sharp knife after aging?
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Just a sharp knife, before freezing. Only time I partially freeze is when I do jerky, my meat slicer works much better if the meat is slightly frozen, about the consistency of a cooked ham. I just use the same technique as when I filet fish, except I leave it much thicker, around 3/4"-1" Here is the knife I use to process, it was only $17.40 when I bought it now about $32. It usually remains pretty sharp throughout the entire deer and only touch up before the next one, sometime in the middle if I feel it dragging any.

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Lots of good advice given from others.

A good grinder (my buddy and I split a #8 LEM). We used to run the ground through twice, first with coarse then fine grinding plates. We bought a dual head coarse/fine grind attachment that does both in one grinding pass, that is SO much faster and better, but I really didn't mind the old way.

Meat tubs (4 of them are handy if doing multiple deer)

A couple of good knives

A good table. Mine is a foldout that has a plastic top that's easy to wash and disinfect.

A couple of cutting boards

Whatever you choose to tie the ends of your ground meat bags. We use a tape dispenser instead of crimp-type rings

I quit using vacuum sealers for my steaks, and double wrap in commercial Saran-type wrap, then butcher paper. We never have freezer burn with that method.
 


A lot of great comments and seems most items have been covered!
I own a Hobart commercial tenderizer but also have the Weston table top manual one posted above that is VERY handy and a lot easier to clean/handle.
I also buy a lot of my materials from Waltons and have had great service from them.
Couple things I didn't see posted but may have missed....a quality knife sharpener or get familiar with a stone and strop. You mentioned grinding, most grinders come with a stuffing horn or can purchase seperately. If you want to step it up a notch and be more productive I'd suggest a manual stuffer!
Can get them from a 5lb to as big as you want to go.....from there you can explore a wide range of processing options, summer sausage, snak stiks, brats...etc etc.
We just processed 3 hogs into whole hog sausage. Had enough help to run two (3 man) crews sacking sausage. We could stuff 4 sacks to the grinder stuffing 1. Would have been a long day stuffing 450 lb of sausage with just the grinder!!
With the tenderizer, I portion out my muscle cuts within the hams then in turn cut steaks and run them through 1-2 times depending on preference for steaks on the grill!! Just don't slice them to thin, once ran through the tenderizer they will thin out and almost double in size. Tenderized minute steaks are sure hard to beat with some fried taters, homemade biscuits, milk gravy and cold sweet tea!! Lol
 
My best advice
2 man job
Minimum 3/4 hp
2" feed tube

Foot pedal

Bags with clamp. You vacuum seal all that you'll be there all night.

Bone deer and put in heavy black bags to freeze.

After season watch for ground beef to go on sale if you want some fat. Beef or pork fat has gotten expensive.

I mix mine 70/30 but honestly I don't use it for burgers just browning meat dishes and jerky. If you don't want that just do straight deer. I want burgers I buy ground beef or chuck anyway.

Catch a rainy day in late winter. Lay out 3 days before and let thaw. Once thawed finish clean up in meat and cube. Run through grinder. Then mix ground beef in and run through again. Second time you bag it. Mix it good. You going to just dive in with your hands.

You do it once you have one clean up. Make sure you keep it cool and oiled. Clean it up good.

We also buy several Boston butts and make pork sausage. Usually 30# or so. I don't like a greasy sausage but deer sausage is way too dry. I normally have $2 a lb in it.
 
Omega said:
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.
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I 2nd the saran wrap / butcher paper method. (See meateater on youtube season 6 episode 6) Except tenderloin, heart and burger, I typically don't eat most of the dear until it's been in the freezer 6+ months. I have deer 2+ yo in freezer and zero freezer burn. This year I'm starting to get into last year's deer. Call me crazy, but it seems to age in the freezer and every piece is delish!

I started processing my own deer due to lack of funds to take to a processor 18 years ago. You won't regret doing it yourself. I enjoy the processing about as much as the hunting. Except the grinder, you get all in for about $75.

Good luck and happy processing!

My setup:
Sams club knife set
Sams club big cutting board
Sams club metal or plastic tubs
Weston $100 #8 grinder
Quart freezer bags for burger
Saran wrap
Butcher paper
LEM tape dispenser
Earbuds and favorite podcast.
 
Savage said:
I've used the kitchen aid mixer attachment, but still have to trim 100% of the silver skin. No one else has this problem?
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I used the kitchen aid attachment for years. I never had to remove 100% of silverskin. I always try to remove all of the mucousy material, fat, blood veins. With the KA, I did usually double grind — a single grind seemed to leave the meat chewy — or almost like a bunch of pellets of meat — but a double grind was good

My daughter bought me a $90 grinder off Amazon last year, 1/2 hp. It is night and day better than the KA. It's way faster, it works on a single grind. Now I wish I had bought a dedicated grinder sooner.
 
I use a grinder attachment on wife's kitchen aid mixer. I cut big pieces of silver skin off but leave the small stuff. I don't age mine at all except for the time it takes to get it cut up.( I have not been able to tell the difference between aged deer and non except for losing meat cutting off all the dried stuff when aged.
Vacuum seal at home. I know every piece I eat was taken care of my me. Not Laid on the processed floor for hours or days before grinding.
 
I've done all of mine for the past 10 yrs. I used just an kitchenaid mixer attachment to grind. it finally broke this past year. Small batches, slow going. I would say DO IT once, and then add to your capabilities as you identify what you want. I would definitely start with a 6inch and 8 inch breaking knife, and a couple of BIG Cutting boards. I age in the cooler. no need for hanging. Get the ice on the bottom, get the quarters on the top. I start with the shoulders, then hit the straps/ tenders, then I attack the hams. be clean, be knife safe. It will generate a lot more enjoyment for you.
 
Grandslam11 said:
Next year my goal is to process my own deer. I have watched youtube videos and have read some on it but thought id ask here too. I really want to do it, just to learn. Not at all wanting to do it as a business. Just know the art and help out some neighbors along the way. I probably wouldn't do 4-5 deer per year, if that. I would honestly ground up most of it, other than the backstrap and tenderloin. My questions:

1. For that low of #s, what is the smallest size grinder you would buy?
2. I have a vacuum seal machine, so I wouldn't need that
3. For aging, I wouldn't want to buy a separate refrigerator, is using a cooler with ice ok? I know I would have to keep the meat from touching the melt and keep it drained well, and I do have a place I could hang one if the weather was cool enough.
4. What am I missing/ overthinking?
5. Am i out of mind? We also raise meat sheep so once I know how to process a deer, Id like to try one of them as well.
Click to expand...
Hi, I've been doing my own processing for the last 3 years. It took me a while to get everything I needed. All I can say is keep it simple. I got a stainless cutting table. Got new butchering knifes and a sawsall just for meat cutting. Got and extra frig just for meat storage. I shopped on line for a used one. Storage trays are good to have. Skin it quarter it and place in the frig. Allows you to age and butcher later. Use either butcher paper or vacuum seal works. My meat processor retired so had to do it myself. Even my wife helps with processing. Good luck.🦌
 
backyardtndeer said:
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.
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You can get one of those foldable plastic picnic tables in different sizes from Lowe's, Home Depot or academy sports. I have three the smaller one is my shooting bench the other two I use for lots of things I things. Two are rectangle 2.5' wide x 4' long/2.5' wide by 6' long and a square one that is 3.5' x 3.5'
 
Last year I had new garage built and had a walk-in coolbot cooler built into. Has been a complete game changer for convenience. As perfect an age as you could want. I can hang them up to 30 days at 33-34 degrees.

 

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