From: keith@clodii.columbiasc.NCR.COM (Keith Boyd)
Newsgroups: rec.hunting
Subject: Re: Meat Processing; was Recommended Hunting Videos
Date: 30 Jul 92 15:27:18 GMT
Organization: NCR E&M Columbia SC
Originator: hunting@osnome.che.wisc.edu

In article <1992Jul28.000531.17065@doug.cae.wisc.edu> X005CB@tamvm1.tamu.edu (Chris Barnes) writes:
>In article <1992Jul24.094457.16681@doug.cae.wisc.edu>
>     keith@clodII.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM (Keith Boyd) writes:
> 
>>    To do it right you need a large cooler to hang a carcass
>>for 2 or 3 days.
> 
> 
>Ya know, I've heard this before, but I have never let one hang.  I
>have yet to be able to tell a difference between my unhung deer, and
>a friends' that did hang.  Your platatte may give different milage....
>

Actually, you don't *really* need to let hang it hang for so long.
This does allow the blood to drain more thoroughly but you can pretty
much accomplish the same by soaking the meat in plain water in the
fridge over night before actually cooking it to "drain it". (After the
meat has been frozen and stored for x amount of time although this
will work on fresh venison too).

 
> 
>>Secondly, you need a band saw, slicer, and a cuber
>>along with other equipment which cost money.
> 
>Gee, I must be missing something.  The only equipment I use is:
>   my fishing filet knife,
>   a large butcher knife,
>   a large chopping board
>   a hand-crank meat grinder (cost=~35 at Service Merchandise).
> 

By all means, one can do a fair job with just the basic tools. But,
what do you see when you walk into a real butcher shop? An electric
meat grinder, slicer, cuber, band saw, and knifes galore. Don't forget
it is usually 40 degrees in there too. This makes a difference 'cause
down here when the deer season opens on Aug. 15 (lower half of state)
the temperature will average 98 degrees in the afternon which means if
you cut it outside, you end up chasing flies off more than anything and
risk the meat spoiling. 

 
>With this equipment, I get steaks, roasts, jerky, stew meat, ham-
>burger, and chili meat (no beans!).  If I were to use my jig saw, I
>suppose I could get ribs for barbaqueing, but that would use most of
>the meat I use for jerkey.
> 

Good for you. 

 
> 
>>The time needed to cut and wrap one
>>animal is anywhere from a couple of hours to 1/2 day or more. It
>>depends on how big it is and how quick you are at processing.
> 
>A couple of hours?  Man are you fast!  ;-)  (of course, I start the
>clock running when you start to remove the cape).  Granted it does
>take a long time, and if you're hunting away from home, that time may
>not be available.
> 

Actually, I am not too good at processing a deer and it would take me
a while to do one. The people who do mine for me can process it in thirty
minutes from start to finish once they get to it. But now I have no 
trouble dressing out a deer which usually takes me just 30-40 minutes.
 
> 
>>Since
>>hunting is popular here, there are numerous places that will do this
>>for you for a fee, of course. The guy who does mine will usually
>>charge about $18 to do one deer. This is everything including cutting
>>it to my specs, wrapping it, and marking the packages.
> 
>I wonder how much of the meat he kept for himself.....I have yet to
>find a butcher, that at the very least, was as careful as I am at
>working to get every scrap of meat.  And I've heard of quite a few that
>were down-right dishonest.  But then again, most of the packers around
>here are a bit higher than $18  (around $40-$50).  And if you want
>the meat mixed with pork (for breakfast sausage ?), you also pay for
>the pork/spices used.
>

They keep none of the meat themselves. The same people have been doing
mine for years and I know I can trust them. They have a gold mine to
lose if they start scr*wing their customers. I figure they process an
average of 500 deer a season. That is $9K a year in cash side business.
I have heard of one or two other processors that are a bit unscrupulous
and tend to keep an occasional choice cut for themselves. It happens 
in every business. (Rotten apple in the barrel thing, you know)

 
>I don't mean to suggest that processing is something that is for
>everyone, or everytime.  But I believe that it isn't something that
>most people even consider doing; and it really should be.
> 

Probably so, Chris. 
 
>      ----------------------------------------------
>Chris Barnes            |
>x005cb@tamvm1.tamu.edu  |  Only 40 more days until the start of
>(409) 846-3273 (home)   |           hunting season (in Texas)
>(409) 845-8454 (work)   |

Keith...


-- 
| Keith M. Boyd  (NCR MCPD Cola.) | Nothing could be finer than huntin' and  |
| 3325 Platt Springs Rd.          |    and fishin' in South Carolina! -Me-   | 
| West Cola., S.C. 29170 | GO GAMECOCKS!   |   keith.boyd@columbiasc.NCR.COM |
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