I learned from my uncle when I was still too little to see onto the butchering table. I was always thrilled when he called and told me he got a deer. I would get to go help him and it was always exciting to me. Best part was I would go home with some summer sausage and steaks. We still process almost all of our own deer. Occasionally in early season when it’s warm and I can’t let them hang for a few days I’ll drop them off at the local deer processor. It’s only $65 to skin process and pack. For that price it’s pretty easy to drop them off. But when it’s colder I’ll always do my own, I can let them hang a few days until I have the time to process. The only thing I haven’t mastered yet is really good summer sausage and ring bologna. Still working on getting that right.
Ok, if I get a deer processed into just normal cuts and ground I’ll use Dumas. They are really good and not expensive. The ring bologna and sticks are amazing from Dons custom meats in waynesburg though. That’s what I and trying to learn how to make. Once I master that part I’ll stop taking deer to Dons
Same here but i haven't even tried yet. Dialed in my sausage making last season and want to try summer sausage and bologna next.
Took 45 lbs of de-boned and cleaned venison to the butcher today to be made into sausage but I kept about 7-8 lbs and made my own for the first time. Pretty easy and it turned out great. I will be doing more of my own in the future. This was the second batch.
I have been doing my own venison plus a few elk for over 40 years now. To fussy about what I put in the freezer and to cheap to pay to have it done. My wife now has more than a few diet issues so I make up some tube steaks for her that we can take when we camp, etc. 60% venison, 40% grass feed beef and much of the seasoning from her herb garden. I also make my own sausage so it will fit on a Ritz cracker with cheese and a cold beverage, Oh my. The pic is the tube steaks in the smoker so they are pre cooked so she can eat them cold if she needs to. They are way better warm! Cutting my deer is very personal to me.
Did my Muzzleloader deer yesterday morning. Actually had pulled all the hind quarter meat, straps and front shoulders off earlier in the week. Did the final cleaning and packaging yesterday. I give most of it away. Not a bad deal for the recipient if I do say so myself. Getting vacuum packed and meticulously cleaned venison.
I have done a lot of deer myself and a lot were sent to a trusted processor. Always depended on how demanding the work schedule was. I have made my own sausage, some link but mostly breakfast style and it has always turned out well. I process my deer into tenderloins, back strap butter fly steaks and burger/sausage. I don't care for deer roasts (elk or moose maybe) so I steak any large muscle masses and then cube them. Sometimes I cube them twice. Work a bunch of flour, salt and pepper into the cube steak and chicken fry them. Great with gravy for breakfast or dinner! I am completely in tune with all who feel a satisfaction from personally tending to the deer from field to freezer to table.
I made some killer venison and pork sausage last weekend. I cold smoke 1 lbs of ground pork and 1 lb of ground venison for about 1 hour. Added salt, garlic powder, red pepper, black pepper and stuffed in a casing. Cooked in the oven at 215 for about 3 hours.
Since I grew up on a rual farm where we butchered our own pigs steers and all the chickens we could eat it was just another anamial to butcher when my brother and I started deer hunting. I fell skinning As quick as possiable after the kill is best. Back in the 1970's I bought a Burkel Meat saw and a cheap grinder. The old antique hand crank job my mom use still works that cheap thing is long gone and for gotten. I did modify mom grinder buy attacking a cord less drill to it. I like pork but that is how I like it as pork so my venison is pure 100% venison. I make my own summer sauage also but it isn't in a caseing. there are 100's of recipes on the net on how to make it and isn't all that hard. Worst part is running out before a new batch is finished and having to wait 24 hours for the seasonings to meld together before bakeing. Al
I ate way too much venison as a kid, don't really care for it today. But beings we're overrun with the woods rats, I try to take a few out every year. We can most of it. Fast easy meal, throw a jar in a cast iron skillet with some taters, onions and peppers, we eat that a lot out at the cabin. With 9 dogs, no problem getting rid of the bones and scraps. Use the brains for tanning coon and muskrats as well.
We process all of ours. Think I did 12 last year with a couple of friends. Nothing like venison cheesesteaks! We also process all of our own chicken, pork, and beef as well. We make our own sausage and scrapple too. As a general rule, I don't do store meat.
When you said scrapple I knew you had to be close to me. Rapple Scrapple is made in the next town down from me... we have the apple scrapple festival each fall. I never realized scrapple is a regional food, you leave MD/PA/NJ no one knows what it is... kinda like Pork Roll.
Never had scrapple, but I am sure I would like it. Between my son who hunts regularly and I, we typically have 2-4 deer to process per year. We can/jar about 24 pints, wrap the back straps for grilling, neck and top rounds are for roasting. All the rest gets made into Italian sausage for spaghetti, lasagna, breakfast hash, etc..
