Front Quarters \u2013 Burger, Jerky, Stew meat, Shoulder blade roasts (elk only)<\/p>\n
Hind Quarters \u2013 Steaks and Roasts<\/p>\n
Backstraps \u2013 Roasts or Steaks<\/p>\n
Rib Meat \u2013 Burger<\/p>\n
Tenderloins \u2013 Keep Whole (see Wild Game Marinade<\/a> post for details on how to prepare)<\/p>\n All trimmings go into the burger tote.When working on both front and hind quarters I generally cut up a manageable sized chunk of meat at a time, separating out steaks, roasts, burger trimmings, stew\/jerky meat, and scraps.<\/p>\n For the backstraps (prime rib), I cut them into 6-8\u201d roasts so I can grill them whole with a meat thermometer (again, see Wild Game Marinade<\/span><\/a>\u00a0post).\u00a0 Neck meat, rib meat, and clean red meat trimmings will all go into burger. For the best tasting burger, trim away all fat and most of the thick gristle\/sinew.<\/p>\n Unlike beef fat, venison (deer & elk) fat has a strong flavor most people don\u2019t care for. The good news is that unlike beef, deer and elk deer store fat around organs and in single layers on top of the muscles under the skin. This makes it relatively easy to remove during processing.<\/p>\n So, as you begin making progress you\u2019ll start to fill bowls or totes with steaks and burger meat. It\u2019s important to keep your meat cold as you work. You can use a spare refrigerator or a cooler partially filled with ice. I like to place my steaks on a cookie sheet so I can easily move them from coolers or my spare fridge.<\/p>\n Grinding Burger<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Grinding is a simple process but there are some key things to consider before running your hard-earned game through a meat grinder.<\/p>\n First, wild game is very lean and lower in fat and cholesterol than beef \u2013 by a long shot! And because venison is so lean it needs some fat to help hold patties together during cooking. But, you don\u2019t want to add just any fat or suet to your burger. And there is nothing in stone that says you have to add fat to your ground venison. Some people like to grind a portion of their burger coarse with no fat added. This is excellent way to prepare wild game for chili, spaghetti sauces, etc.<\/p>\n Wrapping Meat \u2013 The Final Critical Step<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \ufeff\ufeffI used to use a black Sharpie to write on all the finished packages of meat but that was time consuming. About 15 years ago I had some rubbers stamps made for all the cuts I typically process: Hind Qtr Steaks, Backstrap, Tenderloin, Burger, Jerky Meat, Shoulder Roast, Hind Qtr Roast. I have stamps for Elk, Deer and Bear, and I also bought a date stamp because I like to mark each package with the harvest date.<\/p>\n
\neats wrapping meat and burger in Stretch-Tite (Costco) food film and a high-quality, wax or plastic-backed butcher paper. The mess, fuss, and expense of the vacuum sealer when dealing with a whole elk is not worth it to me.<\/div>\n
\n-Tom<\/div>\n