# Anybody "roll your own" (butchering)?



## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

I usually do it in the driveway behind my truck. I hang a tarp between me and the neighbors on one side. Their nice people who don't need to see such things. The rest of the neighborhood gives my house a wife berth when passing by...


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

De-boning and packaging back straps tonight. If you're wondering, two front shoulders of a fair to middlin' sized deer make about 15/16 pounds of stew and/or burger meat...


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## DHower08 (Nov 20, 2015)

Yup. I've never paid to have a deer done. most of them get done in the garage but have done them right in the drive way before or hanging on the back patio. If one of the neighbors don't like it theirs many other directions they can look instead of in my yard


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

After a week of aging


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I process most of my deer at home. Take a whole front shoulder, season it, wrap in heavy foil, place on a cookie sheet, and cook whole for about 4 hours at 325 degrees. The meat falls off the bone and is delicious.


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

Luckily I have a heated garage with a drain in the center of the floor but if it’s cold enough they hang in the back yard till it’s butchering time.


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## fishmeister (Jul 29, 2004)

I got tired of wondering who’s deer I was getting back from the butcher.


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## UNCLEMIKE (Jul 23, 2014)

Muddy said:


> I process most of my deer at home. Take a whole front shoulder, season it, wrap in heavy foil, place on a cookie sheet, and cook whole for about 4 hours at 325 degrees. The meat falls off the bone and is delicious.


Sounds interesting. What spices do you use?


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## ya13ya03 (Sep 21, 2010)

Always butcher my own. Started out as a meat hunter and it saved a lot of money to just do it myself. Now it's just what I prefer. I don't see how a butcher shop could do as good a job for what you pay them. Probably the reason most say they don't like deer meat. My cuts are back straps, tenderloin, stew meat, roasts and the rest goes to the grinder. To me the butchering process is part of the hunt. My wife grew up this way. So I do most my trimming and grinding right at the kitchen table after I've taken the meat off the carcass in the garage. Between me and my kids we get 4-5 a year. I've made sausage and jerky before. I'd like to make my own smokies this year. That's the one thing I pay for. I usually get one batch of smokies made each year. My local butcher place let's my bring loose meat and it's alot cheaper. Me and my boys been butchering deer ever since they were 4-5 years old. They've been able to do the whole process themselves since about 12. That's the punishment if they shoot a little one. They're a lot more picky on what they shoot now so they don't get stuck butchering by themselves.


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## Buckeye33 (May 18, 2021)

I always do. I give most of it away so no sense making it even more expensive.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

I do take one to a reputable processor for packaging each season. Some people are squeamish about meat not being wrapped in plastic with "Krogers" stamped on it. Cut and vacuum sealed looks nice to non hunters. I can get around that when grinding my own by using those nifty store bought plastic bags. I just usually write something professional sounding on them. I'm on my last box of bags tho'. I bought all Dicks had when they went all attack mode on people who hunt and fish and had everything marked down drastically. 
De-boning hind quarters and getting a ham ready to be professionally smoked.


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## Junebug2320 (Apr 23, 2010)

Same with us. We Do it ourselves. Tired of finding hair in the meat. Also seeing a pile of deer stacked up in the 60 degree weather was not pleasant. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bowhunter1487 (Aug 13, 2014)

I really struggle to fathom many legit reasons why anyone wouldn't. I've had to have one processed when I had to travel for work the next morning, that's it. I was not at all happy with the cuts I got. Even for the turds that think all deer meat is good for is jerky and sausage, that stuff is relatively easy and wayyyy cheaper to diy.

I hunt in the mountains of PA so most of what I shoot I quarter and pack out. Age it in my fridge for 3-10 days to let rigor pass and find a few hours to cut and wrap. Have a doe waiting for me now and hopefully I'll add a buck by tomorrow. Lot of close calls just haven't sealed the deal.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

UNCLEMIKE said:


> Sounds interesting. What spices do you use?


That depends on the day, I do it differently every time. My favorite is probably rubbed down with A-1 sauce, garlic, and pepper. I did one a couple weeks ago with lemon pepper and garlic. Some times all do them with chipotle seasoning. Always leave the fat on the shoulder to cook down and add moisture to the meat. It cooks down and help to dissolve the sinew. Once it's all cooked down it all becomes very tender and edible, there is basically no waste. It can then be chopped or pulled to use in a multitude of ways. I often just eat it as is There's an old myth out there that deer fat does not taste good-this is absolutely false. I always leave as much fat as I can on my roasts and quarters to add more moisture and delicious flavor to the meat.


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

_There's an old myth out there that deer fat does not taste good-this is absolutely false. I always leave as much fat as I can on my roasts and quarters to add more moisture and delicious flavor to the meat.😦_

Blech!!! Bacon is what you need...


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## Tree_Beard (Jan 13, 2021)

Rolled my own for real! Always do it myself. I'm 2 deer in for this season and we are pretty good on steaks, so a lot of deer #2 went for smoked summer sausages. Grind with about 30% pork shoulder and season how I like it. I've learned to use Prague powder instead of Morton tenderquick for much better results. We hand roll the meat and smoke it for an hour or two, then finish in the oven. NO casings! Just pack and go. Once cool, I've got a good store of them in the freezer.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Tree_Beard said:


> View attachment 479073
> 
> Rolled my own for real! Always do it myself. I'm 2 deer in for this season and we are pretty good on steaks, so a lot of deer #2 went for smoked summer sausages. Grind with about 30% pork shoulder and season how I like it. I've learned to use Prague powder instead of Morton tenderquick for much better results. We hand roll the meat and smoke it for an hour or two, then finish in the oven. NO casings! Just pack and go. Once cool, I've got a good store of them in the freezer.


Looks great TB!
Can you please share your smoker and oven temps.?
And how long in the oven...or what internal meat temp are you looking for when finished in oven?
Thanks!

Like most here...have processed my own for years.
But If'n I did have one done...it would be done at Steves Meats on Stout Rd in Logan Ohio.
Very clean place...deer are done individually...meat is vac sealed...and If'n you drop a deer off, it's kept in a meat cooler until processed.


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## Tree_Beard (Jan 13, 2021)

I use a homemade charcoal smoker and don't follow the temps in it very close, just trying to get them warmed and exposed to a bunch of hickory smoke. When I put them in the oven, it's at 225-250 degrees until internal temp is 130 to no more than 150. 

The Prague powder and spices get mixed in water and blended into the meat. Then I roll up and pack the logs and let them cure in the fridge or a cooler for a day. They go in the smoker cold, which seems to help the smoke kind of condense on the meat better.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Tree_Beard said:


> I use a homemade charcoal smoker and don't follow the temps in it very close, just trying to get them warmed and exposed to a bunch of hickory smoke. When I put them in the oven, it's at 225-250 degrees until internal temp is 130 to no more than 150.
> 
> The Prague powder and spices get mixed in water and blended into the meat. Then I roll up and pack the logs and let them cure in the fridge or a cooler for a day. They go in the smoker cold, which seems to help the smoke kind of condense on the meat better.


Thank you!
Last year made some caseless 'slim Jim' size sticks as well as jerky from grinds the same way.
They turned out great. Not to dry...or wet.
Will surely be trying your recipe this year.
Thanks again...


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## excalman (May 24, 2013)

Steve meats in logan is the best. I used him for over 20 years. I have bought beef and pork from him also. He place is very clean . Steve is great to deal with. He has after hours drop off too.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

excalman said:


> Steve meats in logan is the best. I used him for over 20 years. I have bought beef and pork from him also. He place is very clean . Steve is great to deal with. He has after hours drop off too.


Yea...he's a top notch guy that runs a top notch business for sure.


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## basslovers (Apr 26, 2016)

Remove the hide and head and made the cuts on-site, then deboned and cut up back at home.


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