Making An Animal Into Meat

[Idaho Dave]

we usually butcher and process our own meat unless we have too much to deal with. last year between the 5 licensed hunters in the house we took 3 deer and 2 elk with on one week. sent one deer and one elk into get it done by a "pro". did the rest at home and did as good a job as we got back from the butcher. Made our own jerky and for the first time I tried a couple sausage recipies. I think spices and supplies we spent about 60-80 bucks to do it ourselves with 2 deer and one big elk. the butcher cost over 300 for the smaller elk and the one deer, he did put beef fat in with the deer burger which was nice and we couldnt do at home. but we saved and froze all the bones, tendones etc for the dog and cats to chew on all winter.

[andrew cochran]

How fast can you guys clean and totally skin a squirrel?

[mitch_mckee]

Originally Posted by andrew cochran

How fast can you guys clean and totally skin a squirrel?

10 minutes.

[Coeloptera]

It's been a while, but I still remember how to do rabbits, small pig, and mid-sized deer (mule deer) too. Though I always had help with the deer.

It also helps that I had some practice for a few years on humans too. it's not quite the same when you're a mortician, obviously, but on the rare occasion we had partial autopsies done and had to remove the remaining viscera. If you can do it in one mass without cutting them open it makes it a lot easier to get them into the bucket of cavity fluid.

I will say my cuts of meat weren't the neatest in the world. Never did take any effort to memorize the precise ones you want to make. Little hacky sometimes. So long as muscle was coming off bone and joints were separating, I was happy. I was always good about getting the viscera out cleanly, though.

Anyone else just really love how rabbits go, though? Hang them, a few shallow cuts through the skin, a firm pull and off it comes like a sock!

Never did squirrels. Is there a point? How much meat can you get off of one, anyway?

- Coeloptera

[squirrelbaster]

god mae them into meat for us.....we just have to clean & dress them....

[jtuck]

I can skin and gut a squirrel in about 3 minutes. My grandpa could do it in about 1.5 minutes. There is a little joint right at the base of the tail. If you make a small cut (but not all the way through), grab the tail and hind feet and pull in opposite directions, half of the the skin will come off all the way to the head and front feet. Then make a small cut where the other half of the skin stayed on the squirrel (should be right on the breastbone) then grab that skin and the head and pull. Cut off the head, feet, and tail, gut it and you're done. If you do it right, there won't be any hair on the meat either.

[Girlgun]

Originally Posted by HARDERTR

...."a country boy can survive..."

... here here! (and yea, a country girl too!) We field dress the deer my husband shoots, but I can't cut em into steaks because I don't have the right saws. If neatness didn't matter, I could hack it up though. I do all the small stuff: chickens, pheasant, etc. It's easier to use shears (like you prune or trim hooves w/) to crack em open so you can gut em easier. My husband used to always do that because his hands weren't small enough to get inside the cavity. Now, we do it routinely because we butterfly em when we cook em anyway. Especially if we grill em.
I take deer and lamb to a butcher nearby who is cheap and quarters em or cuts em into steaks etc. The kids all learn to do everything we do. But yea, we could do everything here, no problem. Only reason we use the butcher guy is he has those neat little saws and grinders and such. he's fast and he's cheap. I can quarter a lamb for $20.
This is a skill I think everyone should know. A few generations ago, every woman knew how to do this. people didn't buy chops in cellophane and styrofoam. And every piece of the chicken was used: remember fried gizzards, soup from the neck, etc?

[andrew cochran]

Originally Posted by Coeloptera

It's been a while, but I still remember how to do rabbits, small pig, and mid-sized deer (mule deer) too. Though I always had help with the deer.

It also helps that I had some practice for a few years on humans too. it's not quite the same when you're a mortician, obviously, but on the rare occasion we had partial autopsies done and had to remove the remaining viscera. If you can do it in one mass without cutting them open it makes it a lot easier to get them into the bucket of cavity fluid.

I will say my cuts of meat weren't the neatest in the world. Never did take any effort to memorize the precise ones you want to make. Little hacky sometimes. So long as muscle was coming off bone and joints were separating, I was happy. I was always good about getting the viscera out cleanly, though.

Anyone else just really love how rabbits go, though? Hang them, a few shallow cuts through the skin, a firm pull and off it comes like a sock!

Never did squirrels. Is there a point? How much meat can you get off of one, anyway?

- Coeloptera

You have obvously never had squirriel dumplings! They are good!


I can do a squirrel in 5 minutes.

[ezearln]

Used to be I could do a squirrel in just a couple moments, but to be honest it's been a long time, larger animals hogs, deer and such I can do a fair enough job. Admittedly not like a professional butcher but good enough to make some darn fine meals. The backstraps of course become the first meal from the kill absolutely unbelievably delicious!

[jtuck]

I know this off topic, but I just wanted to ask ezearln: How is your cook book coming?

[ezearln]

A lil slow luck, seems most have missed the point or haven't chimed in yet. It'll get there I'm sure. Thanks for asking!

[Wingwiper]

Dressing a Squirrel would be about 5 minutes and that would depend how cool the carcass was.

I have done 22 Chickens in 2.5 hours and that is washed and bagged and in the freezer. 18 Turkey took me almost 6 hours cuz we learned about the Chicken Plucker After we done Turkeys. My wife can de feather a Chicken in under 2 minutes with that Plucker and I can dress them almost as fast. It is the killing and washing that takes the time.

Use small, short bladed knives for the entrails and then pull the hide down and off after cutting around the legs. Use a skinning knife for the bigger game, but the hide should still come off fairly easily. Once you have done one, it is pretty simple after that.

From the time my Deer hits the ground and into the freezer is usally under 4 hours. That is including Tacking up the hide and Salting it.

EXPERIENCE is the BEST teacher when it comes to dressing an animal.

[andrew cochran]

I certainly agree with you Wingwiper!

[LEE3370]

Originally Posted by andrew cochran

I certainly agree with you Wingwiper!

I too agree.
The skin comes off pretty easy if it (squirrel, rabbit, deer) is still warm.
Really no way to learn how to do it except to do it.
I think most folks here would do OK because they are willing to try and are thinking about it.

[jtuck]

I don't cut many steaks out of my deer anymore. I cut the tenderloin in to steaks and some out of the rumps. The neck I use for roasts. Everything else I cut off the bone and most of it gets cut up in to small strips that we use for jerky, stirfry, or stew meat. Everything else gets ground up for burger, with a little beef fat thrown in to help hold it together.

[DWFan]

This might help...
Meat Charts - The Virtual Weber Bullet

[orienteeer]

i know where the supermarket keeps the veggie-burgers!

[Rob65]

My Grandad Used to soak deer steaks overnight in buttermilk to knock out the gamey taste. It works.

Robert

[scotty40]

Thanks for all the good info.

[Rex in OTZ]

This past week I had put up meat from 5 caribou, was a strech getting it done after work, lucky I did as the temprature warmed up some.