Whats your meat preperation set up for deer?

vapour_trail

Just wondering what kind of a set up do people have for deer when preparing the meat? Ive been told that a small container with a preparation table and freezer or fridge. I have a large work shop that I can put a deep freeze or a big fridge in but its not too clean for meat preparation. Just wondering what way yous have your set up ?

TriggerPL

vapour_trail wrote: »

Just wondering what kind of a set up do people have for deer when preparing the meat? Ive been told that a small container with a preparation table and freezer or fridge. I have a large work shop that I can put a deep freeze or a big fridge in but its not too clean for meat preparation. Just wondering what way yous have your set up ?

Lucky enought to have a family slaughter house so have all the mod cons , electric hoist , chill, deep freeze ,

Down fall is if you out shooting with mates , u end up doing all the skinning for everyone ! :-)

wexfordman2

Built my own cold room last year, approx 5x5, used to be a sauna :-) but gets more use as a cold room. Have a small room/space outside it for skinning etc, and got hold of a lovely butchers block a few months back, so really starting to take shape now.

Purchased a black and decker reciprocating saw and have used that on my last carcass instead of butchers saw, and makes a huge difference for someone like myself who wouldn't be the best at butchering etc, allows me to make a very clean job of halving the carcass

cookimonster

Believe me when I say that most domestic kitchens would not pass a health inspectors inspection. There's plenty a garage, work shop and garden shed being used for carcass preparation. Once you have no obvious sources of contamination such a open sewage drains, chemicals and you can clean and disinfect an area, then work away.
Once you get the grollock right and out of the way the biggest potential source of contamination is the hide. After that if your working in a clean environment you next potential problem is temp control. Get the carcass broken into its main components quickly and back into fridge. Cold meat is easier to process.
Once your deeling with haunches, long loins, shoulders etc bring them into the house for finer butchery , its no different than handling the family roast on a Sunday.
If you trawl back you'll see some of my other posts recommending the seaming of large joints into small joints and the removal of the straps from neck to rump. The only time I use a saw is to separate the two hind legs from the body just above the hips and then to divide the two legs by sawing the pelvis bone. After that every thing is removed with a boning knife. Don't waste time and effort on chops.
Long post, but I love my butchery its very therapeutic.......

dodderangler

TriggerPL wrote: »

Lucky enought to have a family slaughter house so have all the mod cons , electric hoist , chill, deep freeze ,

Down fall is if you out shooting with mates , u end up doing all the skinning for everyone ! :-)

Boll0x that mate. My theory is whoever kills it can skin

TriggerPL

dodderangler wrote: »

Boll0x that mate. My theory is whoever kills it can skin

Lad I'd be looking at them with 4 heads , watching them ripping and pulling but there will be a few lessons this yea I tell ya

Lyssa

Himself usually does skinning and rough butchering in the shed, then meat comes into kitchen to me, I clean it up and/or mince some of it, bag and freeze....

dodderangler

TriggerPL wrote: »

Lad I'd be looking at them with 4 heads , watching them ripping and pulling but there will be a few lessons this yea I tell ya

I took a mate of mine shooting and he shot a rabbit so told him I'd show him how to skin it
We had 3 rabbits so I skinned one and he watched me then done his one and says to me is that the way you always do it
I said no. And showed him my way
Basically made and hole on the skin on its back and put my two middle fingers in and pulled away from each other
Rabbit was skinned in matter of seconds.
He was looking at me like I had 4 heads.

vapour_trail

So a workshop would do fine if you have a good clean table and its well dis infected? Might be able to get my hands on a sheet of stainless steel at the right price. Will have to invest in a proper deep freeze and a coca cola fridge or something like that. I shoot a lot of rabbit and pigeons and Im getting back into stalking after 12 years away from it.

Either I do my butchering in the shed or I get a divorce.. I have been warned

One shot on kill

Go for the divorce lad. At least you know you can survive that.

noeleire

vapour_trail wrote: »

So a workshop would do fine if you have a good clean table and its well dis infected? Might be able to get my hands on a sheet of stainless steel at the right price. Will have to invest in a proper deep freeze and a coca cola fridge or something like that. I shoot a lot of rabbit and pigeons and Im getting back into stalking after 12 years away from it.

Either I do my butchering in the shed or I get a divorce.. I have been warned

I would go with the shed once its clean and you have plenty of room to work with a good size strong table try and buy i large chopping board for your cutting dont use a stainless steel as this will only blunt your knife after a few mins a chest freezer and a coke fridge are the best for hanging your meat and storage after butchering it . I would try and get a butcher or somebody that has experince with meat to show you what are best for stakes and what joints are used for roasts and take your time ...

TriggerPL

Really the main thing is keep things clean , when skinning wash knife and hand regularly everything helps , if ya do ur skinning off the ground you can't really go wrong . If you could pick up a butchers chopping block ur laughing

Grizzly 45

A handy large Ash tree outside my garage with a block & tackle and spreader for skining and breaking down the carcass.Double door coke fridge for the quarterd joints.A good solid old oak table for butchering and chopping. Hose for washing down all equipment and floors...Works for me.;)

DR6.5

few pics of larder

deerhunter1

wexfordman2 wrote: »

Built my own cold room last year, approx 5x5, used to be a sauna :-) but gets more use as a cold room. Have a small room/space outside it for skinning etc, and got hold of a lovely butchers block a few months back, so really starting to take shape now.

Purchased a black and decker reciprocating saw and have used that on my last carcass instead of butchers saw, and makes a huge difference for someone like myself who wouldn't be the best at butchering etc, allows me to make a very clean job of halving the carcass

Unless you are using a stainless steel blade on that saw you could get the Galloping Jaysus:eek: or worse

FISMA

vapour_trail,
Once the deer has been properly gralloched in the field, I usually take the skin off and let it hang in the garage for a few days or weeks. If the conditions are questionable get a gauze bag and wrap well.

After curing time, I quarter in the garage and then bring it inside for the butchering.

After butchering, comes bagging and canning. All those little lean bits that are left over make great stock for canning. Here's the canner I bought. Although, not many people in Ireland are canning, don't know why.

Note: the butchering process is more of a labor of love or a learning experience.

There are plenty of butchers around that you can land the gralloched deer to that will return more meat to you than you're likely to get yourself. Additionally, they will have plenty of fat to make burgers and their vacuum packaging is professional.

To be honest, the butchering part is just not cost effective when you consider your time. If you want to keep it simple, find a butcher, land it over to them, and get back in the field!

One shot on kill

Landed a butcher for the first few to show me the ropes.

What sort of money are lads giving to butchers or how much meat.

TriggerPL

One shot on kill wrote: »

Landed a butcher for the first few to show me the ropes.

What sort of money are lads giving to butchers or how much meat.

My uncle charges €40 for the hanging , splitting , chopping up and / or burgering plus bagging of a full deer ! And unlike most what you give in is what ya get out .

I've heard lots of stories of lads only getting a carrier bag of meat back from a butcher !

Cass

FISMA wrote: »

If you want to keep it simple, find a butcher, land it over to them, and get back in the field!

Done this last season. Myself and a mate bought a fridge a vfew years ago and it packed in at the start of the season. Another mate's father owns a butcher shop so i gave it over to him and he done the work. Very handy.

One shot on kill wrote: »

What sort of money are lads giving to butchers or how much meat.

He was charging €25 for whatever way i asked for it to be done, but then he made a deal. He doesn't shoot, but loves venison. I gave him a couple of deer and he done mine for the season for free.


Looking to get a new fridge and get back at it myself. I have converted half the double garage into a prep room. Block, winch, knives, tap, table, and then a big ass oil catcher i use for under the deer when hanging. However it's not really ideal.

Ideally i'd like to convert the side of the garage (5' x 22' completely separated off the double garage while still part of the same building)) into a full time fridge, and prep area, but until i can afford it i work with what i have.

One shot on kill

Ye I have a guy here that will hang it skin and butcher it what ever way I want for 30 euro I though that was fair enough.

clivej

Big, Big difference between me doing the butchering and the professional man that knows his job. When I was cutting up a fallow I was happy with the Dunnes stores small black bag, €1, of meat. Now for €30 I get a big box of the best parts, the fillets, roasts and 4 shanks, and good box of 1/4 pounders seasoned with chilli powder.

One shot on kill

clivej wrote: »

Big, Big difference between me doing the butchering and the professional man that knows his job. When I was cutting up a fallow I was happy with the Dunnes stores small black bag, €1, of meat. Now for €30 I get a big box of the best parts, the fillets, roasts and 4 shanks, and good box of 1/4 pounders seasoned with chilli powder.

How can you go wrong to be fair.

clivej

One shot on kill wrote: »

How can you go wrong to be fair.

I'd put more in a black sack than I'd bring home, skin, bones and meat (that I couldn't butcher).

And It would take me 4 + hours to skin (near freezing temperatures outside) and butcher.
€30 is cheap to pay for more meat than I could cut and the butcher would have it done in 1/2 hour.

Now it's shoot, groloch, and transport to the butchers chiller. 2 weeks and then skin and butcher