The Handout for the Deer Butchering Class

Venison Processing Instructions

Note: Weather permitting, it is best to let your deer hang for a few days before processing, as long as the temperatures remain around or just above the freezing point (but below 40 degrees F) to assure the most tender meat. You will most likely not able to do so if you get your deer before the end of November.

1. Hang the deer up by the head. Skin it by cutting the connective tissue between the hide and the meat. Pull the skin all the way off. As you are removing the hide from the front and back legs, cut them off at the knees.

Note: Because of the risk of Chronic Wasting Disease in our area, we avoid sawing through any bones, cutting all the desired meat off the bones instead. Also, trim away the fat, as it has a distinctly game-y flavor. Put the fat in a mesh bag and hang it from a tree to serve as suet for wild birds. Alternatively, keep it frozen in a garage in a covered bucket to use as dog or cat food.

2. Remove the back legs first. You should be able to cut through the joint connecting the leg with the carcass with knife. Remove the leg muscles one by one by cutting the connective tissue holding them together. Avoid cutting into the meat as much as you can. Trim the connective tissue around each muscle as much as you can if making steaks. The largest muscles from the back leg are large enough to be cut into steaks of ¾ inch. Smaller muscles can be used for stew or stir-fry. I usually do not cube the muscles to be used in stews or remove the connective tissue around them, as all of this can be done just before cooking and after the meat has been thawed out. Any chunks that look good but are not big enough for a steak can be added to the stew pile. The smaller muscles yet can be ground.

Note: Ground venison can be successfully substituted for ground beef in chili, lasagna, pasta sauces, or any other dish where ground meat is mixed with a large amount of sauce or vegetables. You can use it in burgers or a meat loaf, but this usually requires the addition of ground pork (for meat loaf), or beef (for burgers), where you can use two parts venison to one part other meat (or, if you prefer, go 50/50). You can also add a little milk to the meat mixture to make it fatter.

3. Remove the front legs and separate them into muscles as above. Bigger muscles from the front legs may be reserved for stew, while smaller pieces are best ground. We do not usually remove any connective tissue before grinding. You may even choose to grind all of the meat from the front leg, especially if you are going to make sausage that year.

4. Remove the loins (also known as backstreps) from along the back. Those are among the most tender cuts from a deer carcass. They can be cut crosswise into several pieces to be grilled whole, or you can cut them into delicious (and very tender) butterfly steaks. (The butterflying technique will be demonstrated during the class).

5. Remove the inner loins from the inside of the carcass (there will be two of them). These are the ultimate delicacy to come off a deer. They can be wrapped in bacon (or not) and grilled whole.

Note: You may not want to grill your venison beyond medium-rare, as it tends to be somewhat tougher than beef.

6. The wide, thin “sheet” of meat from the outside of the ribcage can be used for making jerky.

7. Wrap the meat into 1 to 1.5 lb packages. Start by wrapping the meat tightly into Saran wrap, then into freezer paper (make sure the waxed side is on the inside of the package). Secure with the masking tape, since it is able to withstand freezing temperatures without coming undone. Alternatively, you can use a vacuum sealer to seal the meat (vacuum sealers come with their own special bags). If you do so, you do not need to use freezer paper. Don’t forget to label your meat, indicating what cut is in the package and the year it was butchered. A sharpie works great for this. This is a good job for kids!

8. Thus wrapped, venison will keep in a deep freezer for 9-12 months, but may suffer a freezer burn if you attempt to keep it that long in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator.

9. You will now be left with a carcass (ribcage). Don’t throw it away! Tie it to a tree to serve as suet for wild birds. Woodpeckers and nuthatches especially enjoy those. I recommend tying the carcass down to avoid it being dragged away by dogs, among other things. The birds will pick it clean by spring.