Is that how you do it? Seems unsanitary to me. Plus, is that grissle and......

[Chucklej1]

Silver fat gonna make it taste bad? Neighbor shoots buck. Comes to get me to help him hang it up. He field dresses it in the field. Brings it home. I notice that the butthole is still intact with some nice little deer turds still in it. I have always been told and read that you remove this when you field dress it. It was nearing about 65 degrees in his garage before he starts cutting. He gives me a hind quarter(it was a Healthy 8 pointer so it was a good size hunk of meat.) He tells me to soak it in Salt water for a while cause it helps get a lot of the blood out. I do and it does for the most part. He leaves me to trim the fat and make what cuts I want(Roasts, steaks, cubed for soups) and I start. I have heard and read as well that you need to trim all the grissle and fat off. Is this true? Working with a pretty shady knife I go to work. I trim here and there. By the time I'm done I don't have much meat left. 2 decent size roasts and about 4 steaks. I threw all the trimmings in a garbage bag. I guess is what I'm saying is there seemed to be more waste then there should have been. Any help with any of this would be appreciated.

 

[countertop]

yes, you need to get the poop chute out (and all the poop). I usually keep hot water on hand to help clean the knife, and a sharpening stone to make the job easier. Keep that blade razor sharp - it helps get rid of fat and silver skin (and you want to get rid of it)

I would have kept the trimmings - use them to make chili and stew and burger and sausage and what not.

 

[Chucklej1]

Maybe gristle is not the right word to explain it. It was a really tough string like substance that ran thru the meat. I cut the on both sides of it and it would be a little strip left and not much of anything useful it seemed.

 

[pbearperry]

I think that deer fat tastes pretty bad myself.Thats why we really trim the meat good.I also add beef fat with the meat to make venison hamburg.

 

[Myles]

Ah, that's known as silver skin. It's a thin membrane that covers certain muscles. Very tough and inedible.

If you feel that you're wasting good venison, perhaps pick up a book on butchering meat? There are more wrong ways to cut than right ones. Butchered incorrectly, the meat will be tougher than it should, and you will not have the most economical cuts. Imagine if beef or pork were just hacked up any which way.

As far as fecal matter still inside the carcass, I'd be concerned. That is the number one way that E. Coli is spread in beef, through improper sanitation during butchering. The entire abdominal cavity should be cleared in the field.

 

[Husker1911]

When you cook the venison, it's important to remember that it's naturally more red colored than beef. (Hope that makes sense.) Should you cook it to the same color as your choice of beef doneness, you'll have far overcooked it and it will be tough and tasteless. Like beef, the rarer you cook it the more tender it will be.

Good luck!

 

[rcmodel]

Beware the metatarsal glands on the outside of a bucks hind legs.

The scent they secrete during rut will contaminate the whole deer carcass with foul smelling musk if you don't get rid of the legs and clean everything well before finishing the butchering.

 

[buck460XVR]

my recommendations to anyone learning to butcher deer. Yes..... get rid of all the fat and silverskin. Put in in the freezer before cuttin' it up to firm it up. Makes it easier to cut steaks and it will keep it from getting mushy as you work with it. I always cut all the rind off the quarters before cutting them up. Whether you hang it in a cooler, or a cold garage, this is the outer most 1/8th inch or so of meat that generally dries out before you cut it up. Removing this will take off the membrane that lies between the meat and the skin, removes the dried meat(which can promote a strong taste) and will remove any contamination from urine, feces, glands, dirt and handling. Wash your knives and hands often to prevent further contamination of the interior as you cut thru it.

There tends be a lot of waste.....don't keep something that you really don't want to eat. One small piece of bad tallow, a hunk of tendons or blood meat will ruin the whole batch of burger.

 

[moosehunt]

Let me preface my comments by stating that I have been involved in the meat business for 40+ years, from little one man (me) facilities to the largest beef plants in the country. I've both butchered (that is the removal of internal organs, head, hide from carcass) and cut a LOT of meat--beef, pork, lamb, plus many, many deer, elk, moose, etc. OK. Now, when one butchers the deer--what many of you refer to as field dressing--along with all the viscera, the bung is to be removed. Very important. I think everyone understands that. As to hanging and cutting deer (remember, the hide was removed in the butchering), the best meat will be produced if one procedes exactly as if it were a beef or a lamb, the point being that the external fat and membranes are NOT removed! If the fat is very excessive (thick), one might trim it down thinner, but not off. If that is removed, the cooked product WILL be dry--the biggest complaint heard about game meat. Leave it on until you eat it. If you don't want to eat the fat, then don't! Lots of folks don't eat the fat on beef or lamb or pork, but it is not removed prior to preparation, just left on the plate. If the membranes are too chewy for you, then don't eat 'em, but leave them on the meat until cooked. I know this is contrary to what a lot of folks think they should do--but try it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! And as to soaking in salt water, that isn't done with beef or lamb or pork and shouldn't be done with venison. It just removes water from the meat, making it dry. Good luck to you!

 

[Husker1911]

the best meat will be produced if one procedes exactly as if it were a beef or a lamb, the point being that the external fat and membranes are NOT removed!

Moosehunt, thanks for your input and expertise. Question: I've always been told venison fat imparts off flavors to the meat. In your experience, is that false? Thanks!

 

[rcmodel]

I think a lot of the off-taste or gamy taste folks complain about depends on the primary food source.

Colorado deer have a distinct Pinion Pine flavor that I didn't find especially good.

Corn & bean fed Kansas deer on the otherhand! MMMMmmmmmm!

 

[buck460XVR]

Venison tallow has a higher melting point than beef or pork tallow, thus is tends to coagulate while the meat is still lukewarm and does not mix well for gravies and broths. It will also harden on your lips and your dinner plate like Vaseline. Deer tallow/fat is not marbled into the meat like beef so it does not tend to add flavor or moisture to the meat even when left on and cooked with it. Most venison is dry because folks tend to overcook it. Cooking beef well done will make it dry and tough also, no matter how much marbling is in the meat. Since I like my beef and pork lean, I also trim all the fat of those cuts also.