Good meat processor

[GJMauro12]

I use:

 

Two grinders

20' stainless table

meat scale-

cutting boards

meat paper/ vacuum sealer

knives

meat tubs

tape

 

I think that's about it other than any ingredients you might want to use to mix into the meat depending on what you are making.

 

you really only need a grinder, knives paper and tape to get the job done good enough.

 

I am definitely no professional but when I seen the bill on two elk at the processor I have been slowly learning more and more about it. I know how to find and cut out all the different meats off of a quarter but I haven't learned the names of them yet.

[out4blood]

I plan on doing my own. I've done deer in the past, but never ground anything. How serious of a grinder should I have?

[cmbbulldog]

So, are there any good meat processors in Phoenix?

[AZHUNTER05]

You guys need a copy of the outdoorsmans resource guide! They list all the butchers, archery shops, gun shops, and basically all the information a hunter could need in every unit in the state. It' a sweet magazine and they are a sponsor of this site.

[AZHUNTER05]

You guys need a copy of the outdoorsmans resource guide! They list all the butchers, archery shops, gun shops, and basically all the information a hunter could need in every unit in the state. It' a sweet magazine and they are a sponsor of this site.

[zukicrazy]

928-310-8934 best place we found over the years and like most they wont steal your meat hes right off the 17 in campverde.

[zukicrazy]

(So, are there any good meat processors in PhoenixIn phx ) I found one on central ave north of broadway nice people.

[TOBY]

DIY is great. Now do you have a place to keep 4 quarters of an elk or a completely boned out elk cold? For the price of a few elk processings you build a nice walk-in to hang your meat in. Then all you have to worry about is cooling off your meat from up north to home. Those fancy pre built sheds you see all over would be a great start. No permit required because its moveable. Use one corner for the walk in and the rest for processing and storage. Anyway forschner makes great boning,skinning and steak cutting knives. I use them for my field knives also. A good steel is a plus also. Once you learn to break down an animal properly they are the same from a javelina to a buffalo. As for processors I am partial to Thrushs. They are a little west of wickenburg. Let me tell you one thing about processors...I cut game for 8 years as a second job and trust me...nobody steals game meat for their own freezer. Are there crappy processors that give you someone elses meat or leave more on the bone than you would you betcha. Now on the other side if you bring half the forest still stuck to your animal after you shot it in the butt twice and then both shoulders and one round in the guts to make sure you have ruined it completely and wonder why you don't have as much meat as you think...don't blame the guy cutting it. Good field prep and cool meat will produce good results even if you cut it wrong it will be taken care of properly. All hunters should have to take a field prep course after a hunter safety course so they don't waste what they are shooting. Let me add one more thing.....bacon. My grind for hamburgers only I grind up some good bacon with it. All my other grind I use beef fat. One more random thing..if you are gong to do your own game invest in a chain glove for processing so you don't have to worry about cutting yourself.

[GJMauro12]

I plan on doing my own. I've done deer in the past, but never ground anything. How serious of a grinder should I have?

 

just pulled out the boxes on mine.

 

the first one I bought was a

 

Cabellas heavy duty meat grinder

400 watt/ 120 volt/ 3.5 amp

1-2 lbs meat per minute

 

my newest one is an

 

Open Country

400 Watt/1.75 HP

5+ lbs meat per minute

 

I like the open country a lot more.

[goinhuntn]

While I will agree processing your animal is great. Most guys do not have the equipment, or a place at home to do it. My wife doesn't really like the fact that I hunt, but she knows its what I love so she doesn't say much. She is not a big meat eater, but my kids love it with that being said if I plopped down elk quarters down on my kitchen counters, and started cutting them up that would start a war I don't to get into. So I found a great processor CASEY'S in Flagstaff (worth the drive for sure) prices are great. If you want basic cuts, sausage or whatever you want he will do it

[Lv2hnt]

Nick Paul up in Winslow has done several elk for me (Nick has long-time ties with the O'Haco ranch in 4A). NEVER an issue --- and VERY REASONABLE on what he charges! You can reach him at: (928)587-5122 ...

[awatson]

+1 on doing it yourself. Anyone could do this. I had a book the first time, but there are plenty of DIY videos on Youtube these days.

 

For me, it's like a portion of the hunt; if I let someone else do it, I almost feel like I've missed out. There is nothing more satisfying than processing my own meat. I know exactly how it's handled, I know it's mine, and not mixed with others, and I know I get 100% of it.

 

I made the investment in a cheap ($100) Cabelas grinder 10 years ago and I've never looked back. I actually take a day off work when I get back, and do it while the whole family is out of the house at work/school. An elk takes me all day. Deer, maybe 2/3 of that time.

 

In the field I take elk quarters to the freezer trucks and let them cool it, and store until I go home. We have an extra fridge in the garage that I clean out prior to hunting. When I get back, all the boned out meat goes in the spare fridge, and no worries about anything spoiling.

 

You'd be surprised at how much boned out elk meat an empty full-sized fridge will hold! Easily an entire elk.

[Old Buck]

I have butchered my own game meat since the 70's. I do it with a minimum of extra equipment. I take the scrap meat to a local butcher to be ground or made into sausage. The meat tastes better and it is much cheaper than when I have used a commercial processor.

 

As has been stated proper field care is a important. Skinning and cutting the meat off the bones ASAP is a must. This past spring my hunting partner showed me a new trick on my Kaibab buffalo hunt. We skinned and boned the animal and place the clean meat in meat sacks. After hanging the meat overnight we trimmed it and place it in one gallon ziplock freezer bags. We placed the bags in an ice chest during the day and set them out on tables at night. For the trip home, snow was added to the ice chests. It arrived in SE AZ dry and cold.

 

This would be an excellent method of processing an elk on an early hunt. By adding ice rather than snow ,which usually isn't available, to the ice chest, you could cool the meat and keep it for a week in camp. I just need an early archery elk tag to give it try!

[rookiearcher09]

Well i dont think my wife would care to much about processing the meat myself. She would actually probably be okay with helping me do it. And i understand what everyone is saying about proper care in the field and the person who has kind of been my "mentor" in hunting has always preached proper care of the meat in the field. Like i said i just have more of a concern about storing it when i get home and actually going through the whole process. But the more and more i think about it i may just do it myself.

[Devil Diver Down]

DIY is great. Now do you have a place to keep 4 quarters of an elk or a completely boned out elk cold? For the price of a few elk processings you build a nice walk-in to hang your meat in. Then all you have to worry about is cooling off your meat from up north to home. Those fancy pre built sheds you see all over would be a great start. No permit required because its moveable. Use one corner for the walk in and the rest for processing and storage. Anyway forschner makes great boning,skinning and steak cutting knives. I use them for my field knives also. A good steel is a plus also. Once you learn to break down an animal properly they are the same from a javelina to a buffalo. As for processors I am partial to Thrushs. They are a little west of wickenburg. Let me tell you one thing about processors...I cut game for 8 years as a second job and trust me...nobody steals game meat for their own freezer. Are there crappy processors that give you someone elses meat or leave more on the bone than you would you betcha. Now on the other side if you bring half the forest still stuck to your animal after you shot it in the butt twice and then both shoulders and one round in the guts to make sure you have ruined it completely and wonder why you don't have as much meat as you think...don't blame the guy cutting it. Good field prep and cool meat will produce good results even if you cut it wrong it will be taken care of properly. All hunters should have to take a field prep course after a hunter safety course so they don't waste what they are shooting. Let me add one more thing.....bacon. My grind for hamburgers only I grind up some good bacon with it. All my other grind I use beef fat. One more random thing..if you are gong to do your own game invest in a chain glove for processing so you don't have to worry about cutting yourself.

This whole post is very good but I actually think the bolded area is a fantastic idea - at least an optional add-on to the course. I wonder if slaughter goats or something like that could be purchased in big numbers by AZGFD so each participant could get a crack at it. It would require more volunteers/instructors for the classes and increased fees but I think it would be well worth it for most people. I'm talking beginning to end field care - not just getting the meat off the carcass (or field dressing the traditional way), but also storage for transport. It's too valuable a resource to ruin, IMHO.

 

I've watched some videos on the gutless method and AZ Elk Society was going to have someone (IIRC, it was Mike Miller from Miller's SW Processing) demonstrate on a goat at their elk seminar last year, but they ran short on time. I planned on doing it last year if I tagged a bull, but my dad convinced me to chicken out and do it the way I grew up with. I wish I had tried it. Most processors will tell you that they can net you more meat, but when you're dealing with big animals like that I think you'll be able to manage smaller pieces like a quarter much easier and be able to keep it cleaner as a result. Just my 2¢.

 

This is a really good thread. My wife wouldn't be thrilled with me DIY at home either, plus I usually shower and jump back into work the moment I get my truck unloaded, but I would like to give it a shot and make it part of my hunt in the future.