It is again that week of the year when many in the nation are out deer hunting. Hopefully, our Pond Boss readers are very careful about how they shoot, field dress, butcher, and prepare their venison.
I violated my own rule yesterday when I sampled someone's venison that I thought might be questionable. I didn't get extremely sick, but I sure was uncomfortable for several hours. I still don't feel real vigorous today. I have to believe it was from improperly cleaned and smoked venison.
I took a bite, and was immediately put off by rancid fat that had not been trimmed out of the smoked piece I sampled. I should have spit it out, but I didn't. Besides the rancid fat, I have to believe that it had been gut-shot, or the stomach/intestines, or bladder, had been pierced during cleaning -- and not properly cleaned out and disinfected.
To me, this is why so many people say they don't like venison.
Deer are easy to clean and butcher. If you don't know how, find a friend who is willing to teach you. There are also a lot of really good videos on U-Tube and elsewhere on the Internet.
Field dress them immediately. Cool them immediately. Get them down to less than 40 degrees as soon as possible. Hang them when you skin them, so that you can keep all dirt and hair away from the meat.
When butchering, cut all of the fat out of them -- it turns rancid very quickly -- whether chilled, or even frozen. De-bone them completely. Even the bone marrow will turn rancid and ruin the meat. Again, don't let them get above 40 degrees until you are cooking them.
Good luck this week. Remember, the does and very young bucks provide the best meat. If you want a trophy, think hard before pulling the trigger on anything less than a really big 8-point buck. Let him survive another season.
Just my crazy opinions.
Ken
What I like to do is to let others do the hunting, cleaning, and the like.
Then, I just do the eating.
It is again that week of the year when many in the nation are out deer hunting. Hopefully, our Pond Boss readers are very careful about how they shoot, field dress, butcher, and prepare their venison.
I violated my own rule yesterday when I sampled someone's venison that I thought might be questionable. I didn't get extremely sick, but I sure was uncomfortable for several hours. I still don't feel real vigorous today. I have to believe it was from improperly cleaned and smoked venison.
I took a bite, and was immediately put off by rancid fat that had not been trimmed out of the smoked piece I sampled. I should have spit it out, but I didn't. Besides the rancid fat, I have to believe that it had been gut-shot, or the stomach/intestines, or bladder, had been pierced during cleaning -- and not properly cleaned out and disinfected.
To me, this is why so many people say they don't like venison.
Deer are easy to clean and butcher. If you don't know how, find a friend who is willing to teach you. There are also a lot of really good videos on U-Tube and elsewhere on the Internet.
Field dress them immediately. Cool them immediately. Get them down to less than 40 degrees as soon as possible. Hang them when you skin them, so that you can keep all dirt and hair away from the meat.
When butchering, cut all of the fat out of them -- it turns rancid very quickly -- whether chilled, or even frozen. De-bone them completely. Even the bone marrow will turn rancid and ruin the meat. Again, don't let them get above 40 degrees until you are cooking them.
Good luck this week. Remember, the does and very young bucks provide the best meat. If you want a trophy, think hard before pulling the trigger on anything less than a really big 8-point buck. Let him survive another season.
Just my crazy opinions.
Ken
All good points, Cat. I studied various methods and gleaned the best practices before I did my first deer. When people say that vension tastes gamy, the sirens go off in my head.
Cooling is very important particularly in the South. Its good to have some ice with to cool the body cavity. We also use water to wash out the blood in the field. It's a little bit of work to do it right, but the results are well worth it.
Two people make the job a little easier as well.
Jerry (the mad Sniper)
I shoot them and field dress them properly... I don't have the equipment nor the space to property butcher a deer so I take mine to a trusted processor. Costs a bit of money, but the product is well worth it to me.
Process about 4-6 every year and do it myself. I just took the one from IL to the processor since so big and not paying by the pound and to cape out for mount. Good advice cat. I qtr mine and leave on ice for several days after day two cut all bones away a let it bleed again and drain. I do not like the gamey taste and most have no idea it is deer when they come try some at my house.
Ever tried venison sausage with jalapenos and cheddar? That's some good stuff.
Greg does what we do. Several friends and I normally process up to about 10 deer per year for our elderly neighbors.
I usually prepare about 50-60 lbs., for our family home use.
We hoist and spread the deer's hind legs with a tractor front-end loader, or we hoist it in my barn's cold room. We strip the cape to the ears.
We usually take out the tenderloin first if no feces or urine entered the body cavity. If the neck is in good condition, we take it as three pieces of "brisket" -- two sides and the bottom.
We split off the the two shoulders, and strip out the backstrap. Finally, we split off the two hind quarters.
We usually don't do anything with the ribs -- very little meat, and way too much fat that turns rancid very quickly.
We don't always have time to finish butchering immediately, so like Greg, we put it on ice in big coolers or refrigerators.
We use fish fillet knives to remove all the meat from the bones. We remove at least 95% of the fat and membranes before grinding or vacuum sealing. About 10-15% of the muscle meat becomes ground meat. The rest, like blade roasts, flank, sirloin, round, and shanks get vacuum packed whole. All are boneless, and most are fat/membrane free.
I've got a batch snack-stick and summer-sausage meat curing/fermenting as I write this. It was mixed 2/3 venison and 1/3 pork shoulder. It will get stuffed and smoked on Wednesday.
No jalapenos -- but I do add 2 tablespoons of red pepper flakes per five pounds of meat.
No cheddar -- I haven't yet figured out how to keep it from melting and draining to the bottom of the hung sausages in the smoker! I recently heard of "high temperature" cheese for this purpose -- but I really need to check it out before using it.
Good hunting -- good eating,
Ken
Then we take all the fat
I have to say that I don't care for venison. Everytime I tell someone that it's just not my thing, they insist on having me try it, prepared "their" way. Then they bring it out, invariably in the form of some type of processed meat: salami, summer sausage, etc.
Or, they assure me that I can't tell it from beef in their meatloaf. Then I try it, and hey, it's not bad. Alright! venison is pretty good! But wait, then I find out that it's mixed half and half with ground beef, or pork sausage. Well duh, Then I'm not really eating venison, am I? If it has to be disguised with a ton of spices, or mixed with grain fed beef to be palatable, then what gives?
Then I saw a ray of hope in Ken's post, about the cuts that get packaged whole. Ken are you saying that you eat the "steaks" unadulterated, by themselves? If I set an 8oz angus filet on the grill, next to a venison filet, would it taste as good? Is there hope for me?
There's 4 things that help or hinder the taste of venison:
1) What the deer was eating (corn/beans or browse)
2) The condition of it when it was shot (running or calmly grazing).
3) Was it a bang flop or did it take a while to expire
4) How well was the deer taken care of after the kill
Ken, look at Lem Products. They have a high temp cheese.
Sprkplug, no, if deer is just flopped on the grill next to a piece of beef, it won't taste the same, or as good. Deer don't have fat marbled thru the meat, so it's very lean and dry. I hated deer when Mom cooked it - all she knew to do is cook meats well done. It was like eating a piece of shoe leather that was dipped in balsam/hemlock. Dry and not too tasty. Dad hunted deer in the North woods and they didn't eat so well, and tasted like what they were eating. I've since learned that those deer either end up as all sausage, or I give them to relatives who live in that area and know how to cook them.
The deer here are much better tasting, and you cook them medium rare.
I don't have the time to butcher my own deer for the table, so after a long search I found a processor that is 10 miles away. He fills up fast, so if I don't have a deer or 2 to take to him during early archery season, I talk to him and find out when he's got an opening, and then shoot one. (doe) I'll cut up my own deer to take to another guy who only makes sausage and hams, you have to take him deboned/cleaned meat. If you take him meat that is bloodshot, full of hair or has fat on it, he refuses to take it and won't take ANY meat that you bring him after that - you're cut off as a customer. He only works from Oct 1 thru Jan 15th., and he's good at what he does.
I'll either aim for a heart/lung shot that bleeds them out pretty quickly, or a neck/high shoulder shot that drops them right there. I'll field dress them as soon as I can, being very careful not to make a hole in anything that I'm not supposed to, and wash them out quick. The tenderloin and backstraps are for the table, the hindquarters are for hams and the rest is for sausage/deer sticks.
I believe in having respect for the animals that we hunt, and that includes being a proficient marksman to ensure a quick, humane kill.
I'm not a big fan of venison. However, marinated in the right stuff, I really like it.
Given a choice, I will eat the sausage IF done by a good German sausage butcher. We go through a lot of that.
You can't argue taste, but I am a purist when it comes to meat; no A1 or any of that stuff. If it can't stand alone, I don't want it.
My first brush with venison was tentative. I had heard all that gamey stuff bidness. That all traces back to poor cleaning, prep, or cooking. Also, venison has a much shorter cook time.
Anyhoo, I prefer venison to beef and pork. It's very lean and tasty, no marinade needed.
Scott, that's what I figured. A quick, clean takedown is paramount, whether it be a deer in the woods, or an angus heifer in the feedlot of the processor's. If you're planning on eating it, you need to drop it properly and humanely.
I was just wondering if anyone ate, and enjoyed, deer by itself, without it being turned into something else first. When we used to take our own beef in, I couldn't wait to eat it, and looked forward to it. I hear folks say that about deer, but then I find out it was turned into sausage, or mixed with ground beef. To me, that's using the deer as a "filler", like adding breadcrumbs, or oats to a meatloaf. If I have to disguise the flavor to get it down, then it's probably not meat that my tastebuds would approve of.
On the other hand, were I to try deer MY way, then I would treat it like beef. The spoils of my hunt could be carried out slung over my shoulder, and would probably have milk on it's lips. And no, my family's situation certainly doesn't require that I rush out and take one, so I won't be doing that. I was just wondering if anyone here enjoyed the taste of deer steak, and if so, how they prepared it.
Sniper, now you're talking my language. So you eat, and enjoy venison cuts? If you're going to eat deer in that manner, is there a size of deer you prefer to shoot? As I stated, I tend to believe that a trophy wall hanger would not be my animal of choice for the table. I find that applies to most any animal, especially wild game.
I need to try some YOUNG deer steaks. I don't need 50 lbs. of summer sausage.
sprkplg how many attempts have you had? It might just be the next one the guy really knows his stuff. I grind myself and never add anything to it. I only cut off fat and membranes on shoulder nto process. Cooked whole in the crockpot it falls apart you pickout the bone and membranes and I would challenge you to tell it is deer when poured over rice with the carrots and potatoes. I know I'm just like your buddies.
I hear you thou I have been in camp and they cook it to death. As mentieond with no fat you gotta go medium rare. If someone says cook mine well done I tell them you might want to eat something else.
I cook the entire backstrap on the grill wrapped in bacon it is hard to beat. Is it better than a "nice" filet probably not. However it is really good about as helathy as you can on meat with high protein and low fat and I know since i prepared how it was treated. You can get a good cut of meat from the market or the next be so full of fat I hate it.
SNiper I think well prepared Vension is like bass it does not really have too much taste just nice and tender if cooked well. So I like to spice it up with whatever depending on preference of guest or my fancy that night.
Greg you could be right, in that I've never had deer that was processed properly, or cooked in the appropriate manner. After all, I've eaten, and enjoyed, most of the other wild game that Indiana offers. It just kills me that I've never had "good" venison.
For the most part, this is the land of giant deer, and cast iron skillets. I'm not sure that those two make the best combination.
I've helped butcher many a deer, but I've never seen the process as involved as what Ken described. That could be part of the problem.
I'll hit the guys up that are hunting on me, and let them know I wouldn't mind a couple GOOD cuts from a young deer, if they can get the visions of antlers out of their heads. Then I'll try preparing it in a manner that doesn't involve a blue haze floating eyeball high over the stove.
Problem for me is that I was raised on steaks and other beef that was well done. I have a very strong aversion to rare or even close to bloody.
We eat a lot of venison. Seldom do I ever have a vension steak, but then I seldom have a beef steak or pork chop. For lunch today I've got left over goulosh made with venison. As a side dish at a neighborhood luncheon on Sunday, my wife made a casserole of wild rice, brown rice, barley, mushrooms and ground venison. In the crockpot we make something like pepper steak -- thick slices in a thick brown gravy with hot peppers, mild peppers and onions. We make a lot of chilli, stews, and soups with venison. Shanks slowly simmered in a tomato sauce that includes rosemary and redwine are incredibly delicious. Tough cuts cooked in the pressure cooker make great BBQ, or excellent pot roast with potatoes and carrots. And, as many of you know, I make a pretty tasty pastrami. Tomorrow I'll smoke a batch of snack sticks and summer sausage that should last at least through the weekend.
Ok thanks I'm getting hungry now and 3 hours til lunch.
Ken, you surely do have a handle on how to best utilize a deer. Sniper mentioned earlier that he prefers venison over beef and pork. If all other aspects were equal, would venison be your choice of meat also? I'm only asking because I wonder if I'm missing out on something here.
Let's put it this way. If I were a patron at the best steakhouse in the country, and they served beef and venison filets, same price, based on my experiences with venison I'm going with beef and never looking back. Which would you choose? Obviously, everyone's taste is different, but if you would still choose venison over beef then I feel that I haven't experienced the best that deer meat has to offer, and need to give it another chance.
If, on the other hand, venison is desireable mostly because of it's easy availability, and low costs when processed at home, then taste is not the primary factor in choosing it over beef, and I'm better off sticking with my angus. I'm still going to try and obtain some venison steaks and give it a shot, I'm just trying to find someone who really enjoys deer, to gain some insight into it's preparation.
Just like in beef, there are variables depending on the animals diet, age, its handling, etc. And, of course, knowledge of how to properly prepare it.
A couple of years ago I shot a 6.5 year old buck that field dressed at 165 pounds. That's an old giant by Texas standards. I had the whole thing ground and used it in spaghetti(meatballs), enchiladas, and chili. With those kinds of spices, it is indistinguishable.
The elk that Nate took is my favorite type of meat. I've shot several and never had an angus steak of that quality. Old bulls and young cows are all the same.
Gotta admit that sometimes the meat is a sideline to my hunting. I kill nothing that I don't eat. Well, maybe if it is a problem animal like a rattlesnake around the house, I'll skip the table fare.
Dave you need to go to some of your TX high fence operations. Axis and Fallow Deer are out of this world tender.
I've heard that. However, behind the fence, I consider them as livestock. There's an operation just down the road from me. They come to the fence when the kids walk up to them.
I just can't do that.
Sprkplug, I just take butterflied backstraps, coat them with Uncle Al's orig or mild cajun seasoning that has garlic powder sprinkled in it and pan fry them in olive oil until they are pink inside. In another pan I cook up a bunch of mushrooms.
I'd probably vote for the venison at the restraunt.
I rarely buy beef, and it's been years since I've bought a beef steak at the store. I really like using ground venison in my spagetti, and I have no fillers or extra fat added to the ground venison.
Sprkplug, I just take butterflied backstraps, coat them with Uncle Al's orig or mild cajun seasoning that has garlic powder sprinkled in it and pan fry them in olive oil until they are pink inside. In another pan I cook up a bunch of mushrooms.
I'd probably vote for the venison at the restraunt.
I rarely buy beef, and it's been years since I've bought a beef steak at the store. I really like using ground venison in my spagetti, and I have no fillers or extra fat added to the ground venison.
There we go... someone who enjoys venison in steak form. Scott, are you comfortable preparing all deer in that fashion, or do you stick with younger does, or small bucks if you're wanting some cut into steaks? I always assumed it was like the small game I hunt, in that older = tougher, and should be ground up, or possibly pressure cooked or stewed.
Now I hear Dave say that Elk is good in a steak rather it's old or young, so perhaps I am mistaken.
For table fare I prefer deer that are YOY or 1 1/2 YO at the most. It doesn't matter when making sausage. (at least that's what I've found)
I'm more of a freezer hunter than strictly a horn hunter. BUT, I will put off shooting a buck (one buck rule here you know) until the very end of the last archery season if I know a big buck is in the area. My county doe limit is 8, my parents live in a county where the limit is 8 as well, and my sister's county is 8 too. I normally harvest a few does to give to Hunters Feeding the Hungry program.
I've had Elk a number of times, although I haven't harvested the animal myself, so I cannot say how old they were, but all were equally good.
Nate, elk is on my "to do" list for sure.
Problem for me is that I was raised on steaks and other beef that was well done. I have a very strong aversion to rare or even close to bloody.
I was raised on Gubment Cheeze, week old bread and powdered eggs! Well done or raw, meat was meat!
Seriously, I have had some pretty crappy Venison. My nephew is excellent at taking care of and preparing the critter. No shot taken unless it is right behind the ear.
For table fare I prefer deer that are YOY or 1 1/2 YO at the most. It doesn't matter when making sausage. (at least that's what I've found)
I'm more of a freezer hunter than strictly a horn hunter. BUT, I will put off shooting a buck (one buck rule here you know) until the very end of the last archery season if I know a big buck is in the area. My county doe limit is 8, my parents live in a county where the limit is 8 as well, and my sister's county is 8 too. I normally harvest a few does to give to Hunters Feeding the Hungry program.
I guess this is just one of the reasons I value Scott as a good friend. I couldn't agree more.
When I was last involved several years ago with Hunters for the Hungry as a Ruritan member, I believe we donated and helped prepare and distribute about a quarter-million pounds of venison to people in Virginia.
If you have something similar in your area, please support them if you don't want the venison yourself.
I just "turned" my sausage and snack meat mixture for the last time, before I re-grind it tomorrow morning for stuffing and smoking. I've never done illegal drugs, but the essence of the garlic and spice mixture has to come close to sniffing the white powder. If it is addictive -- so be it!!!
(To my local friends: Send more deer!!!
)
At one time Texas had more deer than any other state. Now, I hear about a bag limit of 8 per county. That's unbelievable. I get to take, statewide, 2 does and 2 bucks. One buck has to be 13+ inches wide and the other a spike. Sounds like some of you have the rats with antlers problem.
I've shot nothing this year. All does and bucks that I have seen have been too small. And they generally go nocturnal, as evidenced by my game cameras(4), about 15 minutes after the first shot is fired on opening day.
We're leaving Thursday afternoon, if possible, and I'll hunt 3 days. I have expectations of taking a big doe that I know about but the rut is on and anything is possible.
I don't hunt alone or stay out all day. A Louis L'Amour book goes along in my pack for company. Generally I come in for breakfast about 9:30 and go back out at 3:00. The cams tell me that I don't miss a lot during the middle of the day.
Our season starts the first full weekend of November and ends the first weekend of January. Then we usually get another 2 weeks to shoot does and spikes. I'm probably going to buy a crossbow this year so I can hunt during the October bow only season. My Wife really doesn't understand my need to drop another grand on something else to shoot deer with. She probably never will.
The best elk that I've ever eaten was an old bull that I took in Northern Arizona.
Hunters for the Hungry is a great program and it really does help a lot of hungry people out in VA.