Do-It-Yourself Butcher???

[cdwester]

Hey guys,

My butcher just jacked up the price on me and I'm starting to think I might do it myself from here on out. That being said I don't have meat grinder right now or anything else I might need and don't know anything about them.

Anyone an opinion on a good one or other essential equipment ? Even a couple good tips or tricks would be appreciated.

[bdog]

Hey guys,

My butcher just jacked up the price on me and I'm starting to think I might do it myself from here on out. That being said I don't have meat grinder right now or anything else I might need and don't know anything about them.

Anyone an opinion on a good one or other essential equipment ? Even a couple good tips or tricks would be appreciated.

Google deboning/butchering a deer, lots of info, as far as grinding your own, just bring in the cuttings you want ground and let them do that part for you, how often will you use a grinder, cheap ones don't last, good ones are not cheap, my deer burgers, I prefer to have them mixed with beef, not pork

[Carnivorous]

I butcher my own. I use a bass pro LEM 1/3hp. Works great for small batches.

Debone all meat no bone fragments on my meat thanks anyway...

Neck = ground
Shoulders=ground
Back straps= steaks
Inner loins= steaks
Back hams separate the muscle groups = steaks roast and ground.

YouTube is your best friend...

[rein1]

I started a few yrs ago butchering my own deer, The butchers in my area is getting ridiculous with the cost plus they keep the hide and make more cash.. Try deboning your own deer and have your local butcher grind up your hamburger.. If you decide to buy a grinder go big .. IMO

[gerald strine]

No grinder is necessary with great detail to trimming any and all silver skin and white color off the meat, the front quarters, rib cage and all the meat trimmings that are normally ground I call stew meat.
It is used for Stirfrys , pepper steak, venison and broccoli in gravy over egg noodles, chili, burrito's and of course stew ect, ect, ect.
takes a long time to butcher properly but well worth the trouble for the long term benefits.

[Normous]

You will find it much more rewarding to do it yourself.

I taught myself from a old B&W 30 page booklet that I found at a garage sale for 10 cents, it was called "Deer from Field to Freezer".

Using simple instructions and photos from this booklet I learned everything I needed to know and more.

Today Google is most likely your best teacher if you don't have a mentor to show you.

[Patcon]

For those of you that process yourself, how long does it take from field dressing to all done and packaged?
A local meat market does mine for $60, don't even dress it. They clean and hang them as soon as I drag it off the truck...

[tcwild]

I butcher all of my deer, BUT I do take the grind meat to butcher shop to have hamburger done. They grind it add 20% angus fat and wrap it for about .40 a lb. They do a great job and I'm not fooling with it for that money.

[rayman]

I got tired of the shenanigans with the meat guys. Not getting back same deer, getting back less than i brought in, not doing it the way I wanted, or just messing it up.

Ordered a 1 horse grinder and haven't looked back.

Go on website for Indiana butcher supply. Look at what they have and call to talk to them and they will set you up. Don't go cheap. Also strongly suggest you get a ground meat packing kit with plenty of bags.

[maple]

Since my favourite butcher went out of business a few years ago, I've tried a bunch of others. None were to my satisfaction, so, I do it myself now.

De-boning, cutting and packaging a deer by myself takes pretty much a day. Sausage and ground extra time.

Got a grinder and sausage stuffer to boot. I freeze all the trimmings when cutting and make ground/sausage/smoked summer sausage later in the winter.

If you have the time, it's a money saver. If not, find a butcher you like and stick to him/her.

[automated11]

I have butchered all of my deer for the past 7-8 years and the meat quality is way better than the previous butcher shops. I can now butcher a deer in about 1.5-2 hrs without grinding. Add another 1/2 hr for grinding after the cube meat is in the fridge over night. Everyone who eats the deer I butcher race over how it tastes. I would definitely give it a try.

[deadeer]

Totally agree to do it yourself. I have done easily over a hundred. As said, watch some you tube vids, or ask around for someone local to let you watch. It is not hard at all, first few will be awkward, but knowing you re getting your own meat will be worth every minute. I now break down a whole deer in about an hour, wife holds and marks the bags, and my 6yo boy runs the meat thru the grinder and I mix in the spices. We just did a doe I got. Including skinning, I started at 10am, and we were washing up after cleaning and putting everything away at 1pm!

[Flecha]

We do all our own butchering. Not a big deal but it is a big time investment if you want really good meat. And THAT is the reason we do our own - it guarantees the quality of what we eat. We know exactly what we are making from field to table, we have full control over the aging, and we have almost zero waste.

One of these days we're going to buy a pro grinder. We've been using wife's grandmother's hand crank, clamp on little grinder. What the heck... it gives me a workout

[jleatherman]

The hams take me the longest to butcher if I am wanting pretty steaks cuts. Takes time to separate the muscle groups and only certain ones make for good steak cuts. Others are better for slow cooker/stews/burger etc.
I just debone the shoulders and neck for the grinder and an electric filet knife for the back straps. Its fast and good for slicing into steaks but leaving the tough outer silver skin behind on the cutting board.

[farm3rbrian]

Outdoor Edge has a video series that goes through all the details of butchering large game. I have watched them a number of times and they are excellent and are worth checking out.