[vern96]

Trying to save some $$$, I am going to try my hand at cutting up my first deer tomorrow.

I am going to make 100% of my venison into sausage and snack stix. That being said, my question is how clean of fat and "silver skin" does the meat need to be?

Also, should I soak the meat in cold water as I do the de-boning?

Thanks-

 

[JDA]

Just do the best you can, but I wouldn't spend forever on it because the grinder will chew up most anything you feed it. You might be more meticulous if using a hand crank grinder, but if you're using a decent sized electric one they do a great job without clogging. I'd be more concerned about fat than silverskin, fat will give it an "off" taste.

 

[zap]

I make mine into steaks, some are pretty small. But they cook great in my George Foreman grill. That being said, I generally cut off all the silver skin. Some meat stays with it but all the scraps from a deer that I dont use gets bagged and frozen for my doggie. And I mean all. My sons job it to take all the useful meat off the bones for scraps. We butcher together and he enjoys it. The dog likes it also.
I would grind some burger but dont have a grinder, and my buddy who has a good one moved this year.


marty

 

[nmubowyer]

i use a filet knife to get under the silver skin, and trim it off,hand powered grinders work better than power grinders unless u spend alot of money on a grinder

 

[cabotvt]

I too would say no silver skin and for fat I would not use the deer fat. I would use pork fat to grease the skids. Have fun, it is great for the whole family and saves big bucks.

 

[Johndel]

This guy is a little hard to understand. But butchers a mean deer. Very helpful youtube series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tudP...01AA5C23B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

 

[zap]

i use a filet knife to get under the silver skin, and trim it off,hand powered grinders work better than power grinders unless u spend alot of money on a grinder

How much for a good hand grinder?

mary

 

[Hoosierflogger]

I try to get 100% of the fat off.
For some reason deer fat will cause a rancid flavor.
I also try to get 100% of the silverskin off, but I don't think it is all that necessary to do so, I am just very picky about my deer meat, which is why I do it myself.

 

[brn2bwild]

should I soak the meat in cold water as I do the de-boning?

-

No.

 

[mn5503]

Remove every last speck of fat/tallow. A tiny bit of that nasty stuff goes a long way in ruining otherwise tasty veni.

 

[vern96]

.

Good info all !!

I have a commercial grade 1.5HP grinder so I think that I won't spend too much time trimming silver, but definately will remove fat.

Some of my sausage work!!

 

[Hoosierflogger]

How much for a good hand grinder?

mary

Do you have any Rural King or farm and fleet stores where you are?

Rural king here has them for about $59.00 for a big one.
They are kinda crappy (Chinese) but they get the job done.

My wife has a kitchenaid stand mixer, and I bought the grinder attachment for it fo $69.00 at Macys. It has ground up probably 25 deer in its day.
My dad has a small commercial grinder that was about $400 several years ago, and he says my kitchenaid does a better job.

 

[zap]

Do you have any Rural King or farm and fleet stores where you are?

Rural king here has them for about $59.00 for a big one.
They are kinda crappy (Chinese) but they get the job done.

My wife has a kitchenaid stand mixer, and I bought the grinder attachment for it fo $69.00 at Macys. It has ground up probably 25 deer in its day.
My dad has a small commercial grinder that was about $400 several years ago, and he says my kitchenaid does a better job.

Thanks for the info.

marty

 

[JJHACK]

If you buy a hand grinder you will not likely ever use it a second time. I have learned two very valuable lessons in my life.

1) if you cannot tie knots like a sailor, then buy cheap rope, tie lots of knots and use a knife to undo it.

2) if you cannot figure out how to butcher meat, buy a really good grinder. You can make a lot of meals with ground meat.

Okay not a Lesson, but more an observation. Buy some cheap pork cuts at walmart and grind them up with the deer. The pork will make the venison stick together better when making patties, and adds just enough fat so it will sizzle rather then burn. Also it makes awesome meatloaf!

Whether or not you remove all the silver skin depends entirely on the power of your grinder. Mine will accept chunks the size of an orange as fast as I can feed them in. I usually regrind a second time. Between grinds I will always pull of the blade and the cutting disk and remove the silver skin which will be wrapped around the spindle of the knife blade right behind the cutting die.

The grinder will remove the silver for you if it has enough power. The cheap little home owner versions will bog down and stall. The 1.5 HP and up grinders will pull the meat out of your hand when you feed it in!

A good grinder bought one time will last you forever and after a few deer it's cheaper then the cost to process every year. It's been a great investment for me. All my buddies borrow it now as well!

Most important for me...... I know the field care I made the effort on is the meat I have. Having a butcher process your meat you never know who's meat you're getting or how they cared for it.

 

[ruffme]

Remove every last speck of fat/tallow. A tiny bit of that nasty stuff goes a long way in ruining otherwise tasty veni.

Ditto!
I spend about twice as much time getting the silver skin and fat off as I do actual butchering.

Another thing...the silver skin tends to wrap around the cutting blades and shaft of the grinder, making it necessary to take apart and clean if it gets bad.

My 2cents....if your gonna spend the time making sausage, etc.....start with a good meat.

 

[Ray.Klefstad]

Remove every last speck of fat/tallow. A tiny bit of that nasty stuff goes a long way in ruining otherwise tasty veni.

I agree 100% - get off all the fat and silverskin if you want it to be its best.

Ray

 

[nmubowyer]

cabelas has hand grinders for 40 bucks, i paid 25 for mine on sale in the bargain cave

 

[zap]

cabelas has hand grinders for 40 bucks, i paid 25 for mine on sale in the bargain cave

Thats the only part of the Cabela store that I can afford to shop in.

marty

 

[rkswyo]

I was taught to make summer sausage, etc by a guy that did it for a living. He claimed you needed to leave some of the silver skin/ sinew in the meat because the collegen helped hold the sausage together. I have tried it both ways and he was right! There is no difference in taste, just a better end result. The fat is a different matter, clean it all out that you can.

 

[Charlie Tango]

I get most of the fat and silverskin off, but not all. the grinder will chop it up just fine and when you mix it in with pork and seasoning you will never know that there is deer fat in it (unless you leave all the silver skin and fat).