Cut your own venison?
Feb 12, 2009 13:22:18 GMT -5
Post by Buckrub on Feb 12, 2009 13:22:18 GMT -5
I have never taken my backstraps to a butcher. I do them. I have a shrinkwrap machine. If you don't have one, get one. I'd recommend not getting the cheapo Walmart type. They work fine, but only about a year. I have the Cabela's Game Saver (?) Turbo Pro (or some such name, close to that......about $280.00) and it works perfectly.
This is a topic dear to my heart because several guys at our camp are going to go in together and get one of these:
www.lemproducts.com/category/grinders
and grind all our meat at camp. Then I'll use my shrink wrapper and we'll freeze it (assuming our old freezer at camp holds up). Sometimes we leave camp 10 days after shooting a deer, so it's always an issue to keep meat fresh long enough to get to the butcher. This way it'll be frozen and we should make it the 2 hour trip home and get it in the home freezer. Plus, we are all paying between $50 and $100 to just grind up four deer quarters. So our one time purchase of this grinder will eliminate that, long term.
My son has one of the small LEM Grinders and uses it on 3-7 deer a year. He does it alone. He says it is work, for sure, but not the worst thing in the world.......and what comes out looks professional. I think the worst part is deboning and cutting meat into small enough chunks to get down the grinder hole.
As to skinning, I've used the Ozark method a lot. It is much easier when deer is hung head up. My father in law used to skin them this way, then turn them around AFTER skinning and cut them up while head down. Lots of work. We just hang ours heads down, making this method a bit tedious. But probably no more so than just working down the skin with a knife. If you are young and strong, you don't need the walnut or golf ball, just get it started and get a hold and JERK........but me and Ben ain't young and strong and it takes me forever now.
I know one thing I've ALWAYS wanted and never had.....one of those chain pulley hoist jobbies. A cheap one is about $60. That way I could pull the deer up alone, and also move it up and down as I worked on it. When I have to get on my knees to finish, that's the hard part on the old back.
This is a topic dear to my heart because several guys at our camp are going to go in together and get one of these:
www.lemproducts.com/category/grinders
and grind all our meat at camp. Then I'll use my shrink wrapper and we'll freeze it (assuming our old freezer at camp holds up). Sometimes we leave camp 10 days after shooting a deer, so it's always an issue to keep meat fresh long enough to get to the butcher. This way it'll be frozen and we should make it the 2 hour trip home and get it in the home freezer. Plus, we are all paying between $50 and $100 to just grind up four deer quarters. So our one time purchase of this grinder will eliminate that, long term.
My son has one of the small LEM Grinders and uses it on 3-7 deer a year. He does it alone. He says it is work, for sure, but not the worst thing in the world.......and what comes out looks professional. I think the worst part is deboning and cutting meat into small enough chunks to get down the grinder hole.
As to skinning, I've used the Ozark method a lot. It is much easier when deer is hung head up. My father in law used to skin them this way, then turn them around AFTER skinning and cut them up while head down. Lots of work. We just hang ours heads down, making this method a bit tedious. But probably no more so than just working down the skin with a knife. If you are young and strong, you don't need the walnut or golf ball, just get it started and get a hold and JERK........but me and Ben ain't young and strong and it takes me forever now.
I know one thing I've ALWAYS wanted and never had.....one of those chain pulley hoist jobbies. A cheap one is about $60. That way I could pull the deer up alone, and also move it up and down as I worked on it. When I have to get on my knees to finish, that's the hard part on the old back.