Butchering poll- what do you do?

[Rank Amateur]

So what do you do with your game animals?

[Hooker]

I spend the time and effort to butcher my own animals. I take a lot of effort to care for my animal in the field to ensure quality meat on the table. I can't guarantee that if I take it in and chance getting someone else's animal back.

[Hunt'nFish]

I totally agree w/ Hooker.
When I butcher my own, I KNOW what I get.
I bone it all, no saws.
And when I grind my own meat I can make it as lean as I want, or I can add beef suiet if I want.
I cut as many steaks as I can, and cube or jerk what I can't make a steak out of (tough muscles), and burger the rest. No waste. Neck meat and all.

My grinder is a second hand Oster.
Hunt'nFish

[arlie]

I butcher my own and use to grind my own hamburger but found it was nice to have Gene's meat market in Lyons grind, add fat and double shrink wrap the burger in 1 1/2lb packages. When I bone the rest I simply cut meat into meal size chunks and then cut into steaks or whatever when I thaw the package. No I'm not lazy, you can cut a nice straight steak when meat is still frosty and you are not limited to a cut you made before you froze the meat.

[sliverpicker]

I pretty much echo what Arlie said, cut and wrap my own deer and elk. Sometimes grind my own burger, sometimes have it done. The tenderoins don't make it to the freezer, but the backstrap and other steak material get cut into chunks to be sliced when thawing out.

The last couple of years I've been using the meat we used to use for roasts and tougher cut's of steak for crockpot stew and swiss steak. Makes for a great wintertime Sunday meal!

sp

[skein]

Yep, I cut my own but haven't started grinding yet. I keep looking at those grinders and sausage stuffers in Cabela's and figure one day I'll make the plunge.

Good tip on not cutting the steaks first. I'll try that on some this year. And I'm like you guys, no meat saws and bone dust; I completely bone it out, and there's no wondering who's animal I got back from the butcher either. Truth is, no butcher is going to take the time and care with my meat that I do.

Besides, I kinda enjoy it. We relive the hunt and let our mouths water at the thought of all the delicious meals we're gonna have. It sort of completes the hunt.

Skein

[traks44]

I take my elk to a local retired butcher for $150. He cuts it up into whatever I want for that price and will even season the sausage and everything. He does it in less than a day and I get my own meat and everything. Well worth the price if you ask me!

[baltz526]

a new cut i tried this year, is to cut two inch thick steaks out of the best section of the backstrap, by sawing through the spine and leaving the bone in, washing all the bone dust off. best cut of deer meat i have ever had.i got 5 steaks cut this way out of a 3 year old muledeer the rest was boned out and half go's to the grinder half into steaks.

[StevenB]

After the local butcher started asking .50 per pound to grind cleaned meat I got serious about finding a deal on a meat grinder.

I learned the ones that did over 5 pounds a minute could be found at under $400 used but they were well over 100 pounds.

Ended up with one the next size down. It's over 50lbs and can double grind 60 lbs of elk in about 30 minutes.

The cost of having my elk and deer gound (with no suet) was costing over $50 a year plus the driving time/logistics/costs.

Works great for making cat food out of the meat that is a little too gritty too.

SB

[ehunter]

We do own most of the time, always the deer. We archery hunt and getting a elk into a cooler is critical for us so we usally drop the elk off at least the last couple of years.
We cut out the back straps and the tender loin. My brother has a commerical grinder and we make our own hamburger. So to clarify we cut and wrap our self's when ever we can.

I prefer to get my meat so we can trim and clean it and we know what we get. Another tip when we get sausge made we freeze the meat until about January that way when we take it in we know that we are only getting our meat and not a mix of somebody elses.

[Wreckless]

I've done my own, but I now take mine to a very small operation near Forest Grove, they do GREAT work and I KNOW I get my animal. They found my 460gr. Muzzle loader bullet low in the neck :grin:

50 cents a pound to GRIND!!!??? My place charges .15. If they ever shut down I'd still take mine to The Meating Place or do it myself.



Happy Thankgiving!!!

[Rank Amateur]

I guess I should have slit out those questions, the percentages are kinda weird! Interesting to see how many do their own. Yep, I'm in that category too.

[Chesapeake]

I cut and grind all my own game. Get the supplies for the sasauge and brauts at Northwest Butcher supply in Clackamas. We have a walk in cooler, 3/4 horse #12 grinder, and 60 quart Hobart mixer with #12 grinder atachment. It is a labor of love and a big part of the hunting and gathering tradition of my family to take it from field to table.

For the guys using beef suet/tallow: Call your local butcher a week before you grind and have him keep all the fat trimmings for you. They usualy charge a little for this(.75 or so per lb.). This is the fat trimmed off loins, T-bones, New York strip, and such. It will give your burger and sausage a much better flavor and texture than suet. Trust me, do it once and you will never go back.

[HntnFsh]

Another thing I like to do is add pork suett instead of beef.Or go get some of those boxes of bacon bits and peices.Add those to your grind.Good stuff.
I wouldnt do all the burger with the bacon though.Maybe just a small percentage.15-20 lbs say.

[StevenB]

I do the pork blend too. Have added hard deer fat to no ill effect but over all I grind it with no fat at all. Try it. If you need the meat to stick together fat does that but so does olive oil and raw eggs, Better for you too.
SB

[ehunter]

My brother made some hamburger ground up with ice? Not sure what the water does but it is very lean and stays together when cooked. Why ice?? Has anyone else ever heard of this?

[StickFish]

I have Otto's do mine and they have done a great job for me over the years. I do give Jerry some very specific instructions that are always followed to T.

The sirloins I have cut into steaks 1" thick and vacuum packed - gives me the option on a nice steak or an easy piece to cube for stew or whatever. Next year I've been asked by the Misses to roast those so she can do some roast methods and slow cook stuff. They will still be vacuum packed.

Round Steak I don't care for so that becomes burger/sausage/jerk meat depending on my mood when I take the animal in. I also ask them to vacuum pack the burger I do not like the tube burger method as the tubes are messy when you thaw them.

On to my backstrap - I have those roasted into chucks that will feed 4 and vacuum packed - gives me several options when I get to cooking them - my latest is to cook them on the grill as one piece than carve into nice thick steaks, secret spices and all - here is a pic from elk camp this year



I used to butcher my own but just don't have the time anymore with my other activities - also once an old hunting partner who is very festidious about his meat told me about Otto's I was sold (you have no idea what I mean about festidious - this guy is off the chart). I do miss that back ache after 12 hours at the table and the smell of the burning motor in the Foodsaver - I'm surprised it still works.

Burger - I do not want anything added to my Elk burger - Deer burger I have them add some pork sausage - ne need fo suet. I like it ground fine as well.

If you got the time or if I had the time I'd probably still be doing my own - but I'm very happy with the results and you should hear what Jerry at Otto's says if you ask if you get your own back - "Dirt and all - you bet!" We don't take him any dirt - but he does turn some meat away due to poor condition - seen that while I dropped mine off one day - those poor hunters - you should have seen their face - I think I heard them say they were going to Gartners next.

[alaskan]

I like ot do my own, I always did my own Elk and Deer, but now that we live in condo, and withthe size of a moose, we end up taking it in. It was almost $300 this year, with a bit of sausage and pepper stick added in to the normal cut/wrap. A bit hard to swallow, butwhat can I do.

[Rank Amateur]

Oh, my aching back! Finally got it done today, grind tomorrow. I have done the bacon grind too, need to add quite a bit, was pretty good, I have heard it will not keep as long though.