Completely free healthy meat!

ryseryse_2004

12 years ago

We butchered our first deer a few days ago. We had googled how-to videos so (sort of) knew what we were doing. Skinning was so simple. I was surprised that I was able to do something I never thought I could do and actually enjoyed doing it!

We watched one video "boning a deer in 8 minutes". Yeah, right. Ours took two hours. The video we learned from was a four part series and made it easy. We did the second one this morning after my husband got it last night. It was frozen solid so we learned the lesson to skin a deer while warm if at all possible. First one was was much simpler.

No more paying to have our deer processed!

We have enough acreage that we don't have to pay for the tags so we have a freezer full of steaks, chops, roasts and meat to grind. Even have two fine livers to make dog treats from.

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Comments (12)

bellsmom
12 years ago
Congratulations!
I certainly envy you the opportunity and experience, as well as the meat.
I know you will enjoy some mighty fine dining!
debrak2008
12 years ago
I'm hoping my DH comes home with a deer tomorrow. So far its been a tough season. It would be my DH's dream to have enough of his own land to hunt on. Deer meat is good lean meat. DH also butchers his own. Uses my food processor meat grinder attachment for hamburger.

Enjoy!
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malna
12 years ago
Enjoy your venison! Lots of hands-on hard work but so worth it.
annie1992
12 years ago
I agree, it is so worth it. Congratulations on doing it yourself. It's actually very satisfying to know you have that skill, isn't it?

I just got a new recipe for venison potstickers from Chef Eric Villegas, who now owns and runs Michigan Venison. Yes, indeed, you can finally buy wild venison (not the farm raised stuff) on line, go figure. Anyway, his website has that recipe and it sounds really good, so maybe next week. More likely after Thanksgiving.

Several members of the family have gotten deer this year but somehow not much of the venison has trickled down to me yet. I guess I'll have to hint a bit harder or send Elery out. Right now it's rifle season but after that it's muzzle loaders, and he has one of those.

Annie
kitchendetective
12 years ago
Down here tags are necessary no matter how large the acreage you own. And they vary according to BLM or not, crossbow season, juvenile hunter season, buck, rifle, doe, etc. Takes a friend, a lifelong hunter and a butcher by trade, about 10 minutes to field dress a deer. 8 minutes sounds pretty remarkable! Our car was hit by a doe last week. We are overrun by deer this year. I understand the car body shops are doing a brisk business. I have venison chili--my first pot ever--simmering right now.

ed. to add, no, we are not eating the one that hit us, just in case anyone is wondering.

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Nov 24, 13 at 11:44
malna
12 years ago
Wow, Annie, I just looked up Michigan Venison. I really had no idea we have such a gold mine in our freezer. Just the ground meat we have is "worth" almost $400.

Cracked me up about the "whole deer" special price of $385. 33 pounds of meat (but they generously add 5 pounds of bones to the offer). Our second deer weighed in at 61 pounds of meat (not counting the bones in the stock pot and the trimmings for dog food) after butchering, and he wasn't a particularly big buck.
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
12 years ago
The two bucks we got (one large/one small) probably gave us about 60# of meat but I didn't weigh it. Also, we have to register every deer we get and they send us tags free of charge each year.

They need to keep a count each season.
annie1992
12 years ago
LOL, Malna, I didn't realize I had a goldmine in the pasture either, until I saw grassfed beef at Whole Foods for $15.00 a pound! I didn't know my Blue Slate turkey was worth $129.00 either, until I checked Local Harvest. (grin)

Many people really like venison but do not hunt, plus now it's being touted as very heart healthy, so I'm assuming some people are going to pay that.

Actually, in my family we're bare bones hunters but I know a lot of people who will spend several hundred dollars for a gun, buy their tags, their hunting "gear", clothing, a tree stand, bait, take a couple of days off work, it could easily cost them $400.00, so maybe they are the ones who buy the stuff.

Makayla's doe produced 38 pounds of venison, my nephew's was smaller, another nephew got a big buck that weighed a lot more. You get what you get, I guess.

Here it's like pulling teeth to get farm permits, although Dave's father got 18 of them. You still have to pay for them, though, they aren't free.

Anyway, Michigan Venison has some good recipes, which is why I checked there. They are also going to give lessons, I guess, on field dressing, cutting and packaging your own venison. That's a good idea, many younger people don't or haven't hunted, so they'd be starting from the beginning unless they have a family member to teach them.

Annie
kitchendetective
12 years ago
Emeril Lagasse's Venison Chili is too spicy for me, I discovered, but DH loves it. Just an FYI.

RR,
It's interesting that the tag procedures are so different. You have to purchase them in advance here, and you might not even succeed in getting a deer!
ryseryse_2004
Original Author
12 years ago
In IL, if you have 40 acres or more, you can hunt on your land free. They send us more tags than we ever use. Yes, the equipment is expensive - deer stands, camo clothing, cross bow, shotguns, ammo as well as little stuff that adds up like hand and toe warmers.

But, these costs are averaged out for us over 50 years, so we don't count it.
debrak2008
12 years ago
I just wanted to say it is nice to be able to have conversations about hunting and eating and cooking venison without being called barbarians, animal haters, etc.
kitchendetective
12 years ago
Agreed.

So, little did I know, Annie posted Elery's recipe a few days ago on another thread and I am pasting it here, in the hopes she doesn't mind:

Elery's Hot Dog Sauce

1 lb. ground beef or venison
2 tbls oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3/4 cup flat beer (open and let it sit if necessary)
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 Teaspoons oregano
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes (or less, if you're a wuss like me)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Saute onion in oil in a 2-quart pot until soft, about five minutes. Keep stirring to make sure they donÃ¢ÂÂt burn.

Add meat and cook until completely brown, then break it up by mashing with a potato masher. This breaks the pieces into small chunks which won't fall off the bun.

Add chili powder, oregano, chili flakes, cumin (if using), salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Add beer and water.
Simmer on low heat for approximately one hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve over hot dogs or just put it on a bun like sloppy joes.

OK, now the changes. We use the oil because our grass fed beef is so lean it sticks to the pan, as does venison if not mixed with pork or other fat. If your meat is fattier, you might not need the oil at all.

Elery likes to add more dried chili flakes, his preference is a big heaping spoonful but if he does that the kids in the family can't eat it. I can't either, LOL.

ed note: I may be more of a wuss than Annie, but I will try this one next.

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Nov 24, 13 at 11:41

Completely free healthy meat!

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