2 Whitetail processed, warning picture heavy

[cactusjack]

This year I decided to process my own deer and anything else I, or my family shoot. My 16yo daughter shot her first deer and I took a big bodied small racked forkie, to add to the 40 lbs of meat I got off of her deer, and it was a good cull buck. I worked at Smitty's at the meat counter when I was in college (24 years ago) and know a thing or two still. I bought a grinder, a sausage stuffer and other odds and ends to get it going. I have a small 6x8 walk-in cooler in my shop, so Im pretty well set up.

I put the meat in ice with salt and let it drain, until the water ran clear. Then I put it on the rack to dry. Trimmed it up. Cut and tied roasts, cut steaks out of the loin and straps. The rest into stew meat and sausage. I found a sausage recipe I thought looked interesting. It called for bacon trimmings and I added cleaned and frozen green chile. Turned out pretty dang good.

Now I need to get drawn for elk to really test my skills.

[WampusCat]

Pretty cool! Thanks for sharing.

[AZ RANGER]

Nice work. I like to process all my game myself too. I am Curious about the cooler with ice and salt. How long did you leave it in there? How much salt and does it make the meat real salty?

Looks really good.

[Adicted]

Dang good job.

[cactusjack]

basically the same way to get meat kosher but with ice. I make sure the meat never gets above 40 deg. I left it in there for 3 days. I dont want to poison my friends and family. well most of the time. When curing meat, you have to use quick cure or other curing salt. Botulism can form with out the nitrates.

[DWarcher]

Do you mind sharing that sausage recipe?

[Big Browns]

Very cool! I hope to learn how to process my own meat some day. Thanks for sharing..

[cactusjack]

here is what I used. I added the green chiles because, everything is better with green chiles. I reduced the amount of water I put in, to account for the chiles.

 

Smoky Summer Sausage - with Bacon!

This recipe makes an awsome tasting summer sausage. I mean, how many times in your life do you get to eat smoked bacon sausage? I tell you, this one is worth the time and effort. This lovely sausage recipe requires that you obtain...

• 3 pounds ground venison
• 1 pound ground bacon
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Morton Tender Quick
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder

If you don't have a meat grinder, chill the bacon until it's very hard and chop it finely. Then combine it with the rest of the ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Keep the sausage chilled in the refrigerator for 3 days (this gives time for the Tender Quick to cure the meat). Mix the meat once daily.

Stuff the raw sausage into casings and smoke slowly in your meat smoker at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. Raise the temperature to 160F and continue smoking the sausages for 3 more hours. Kick the temperature up to 180F and finish smoking the summer sausages. When they reach 155F, they are done.

Remove from the smoker and wrap in foil. Refrigerate for several days before eating. This will let the smoke flavor work its way into the middles of the sausages.

That bacon flavor in these sausages is something you have to try. I like a couple of half-inch thick slices fried along with my eggs for breakfast. That's a great way to start the day!

[ivhunter]

wow, great work sir.

[johnnie blaze]

Just for shizandgiggles..... Do you think you got the same amount of meat in return as if you were to have it commercially processed? More/less?

[cactusjack]

thats a tricky question. I trimmed all the silver skin and fat and bloodshot meat. I had about 8 lbs of trash. I had boned it all out in the field and Im pretty through. I added about 10lbs of bacon and 3-4 lbs of green chiles. There is water loss from smoking. I know all of my sausage is made from my meat. and like I told my wife, not all sausage has to have lips and buttholes in it. I put them in, but you dont have too.

 

I have not really noticed or suspected anything from any processor I have used. I know some combine meat when they make sausage.

[johnnie blaze]

I guess my next question is was it laborious?

[cactusjack]

Trimming the silver skin and fat is time consuming. Having a place to work that isn't in the kitchen is key for my situation. I kept the meat at 34deg and only had what I needed out. The buying of all the processing stuff isn't cheap.

[lonne]

Processing your own, esp. if a coues or javi, is the only way to go!!! Saves alot of money, you know exactly whose deer or javi you're getting, and doesn't take more than a few extra minutes. 2 on the other hand is a bit more work :-) Way to GO!!

 

While making sausage or anything on own is fun, if I don't have time for anything other than normal grinding and I want something special I'll take my trimmings to a processor and order some good sausage recipes they've already got

 

Lonne

[mattys281]

That's a pretty sweet set-up you've got there! My buddy I was hunting with in Nebraska this year broke my deer down for me the night we shot it and I helped as much as I could (although I kinda got the impression my clumsy hands were slowing down him & his wife more than helping). They shoot 3-5 deer per year and don't buy red meat, so they butcher all their own deer. It's pretty amazing how quickly someone knows what they're doing can process a deer. We had mine take from a whole deer that wasn't even gutted yet into steaks, roasts and piles of meat to grind within about 2 hours.