Deer Processing Tips to yield good venison.

[tortoise]

So my advice is aim for does and hang em for a week or two. I'd take a 90 lb doe over a 150lb buck any day

A yearling fawn (well, 2 of them because they're so small) is the best venison we've had! And a doe that hadn't been bred was delicious - insanely fatty! 1" - 2" thick coating of hard fat on her! That was a lot more work to process, but the extra yield of fat for winter chicken supplement was welcome.

DH will harvest a deer with a limp or take out a weak one, more for euthanasia than for herd management. One year he got a doe with an obvious limp. She had a previously broken, poorly healed leg that was shorter than her other legs. Poor thing! Around here, if you use a tag to put an animal out of misery (like one with an infected arrow wound from archery season), DNR takes the animal and gives you a new tag. At least it has been that wasy. Hunting regulations change frequently, seems like every season.

But that aside, if he has a choice, he'll aim for a smaller younger deer.

 

[Beekissed]

I have never heard the brine idea... That's odd. We do sometimes grind venison and fatty ground pork together- it is a good mix and does cut the gaminess.

A young buck in rut is one thing, but an older buck in rut is gamey. My husband has been butchering deer his entire life, and the older bucks taste distinctively more like a buck in rut smells, lol. Not pleasant.

I was wondering if he's touching the hocks with his hands during his gutting process or even using the knife he cuts the hocks off with to further gut or skin the deer? The hormonal secretions from those hocks can taint the meat pretty quickly if it comes in contact with the carcass.

 

[NH Homesteader]

He has been cutting deer, pigs, everything since he was a little kid and he knows exactly what he's doing. Old bucks taste like old bucks. If you cut a tenderloin off a deer with a fresh knife before cutting anything else off an old buck, and fry it up, it tastes like a gamey buck.

 

[baymule]

Old bucks, the really old ones with an antler spread that gives trophy hunters wet pants, are gamy. I processed one that the meat stunk. I did everything the right way, but the meat stunk. I made spicy sausage and the gamy stink didn't matter any more.

We like fried deer steak. I cut the meat into steaks, package and freeze. When I cook them, I pound the meat to jelly with a metal meat mallet. That deer meat ain't got a chance to be tough up against me and my meat mallet.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

My former husband (can't call him dh, lol) killed one of those trophy bucks one time. Deer didn't even have all his teeth, lol. Not tasty at all... nope...not at all! But his mount was purty! Maybe he woulda been one to benefit from brining?

 

[NH Homesteader]

The gamiest bucks, we grind with fatty ground pork and make sausage. DH tries not to get those big old trophy bucks, but sometimes it's all that snows up! Never brined anything but turkey (which is delicious) but that sounds like one to try it on! Lol

 

[baymule]

A neighbor gave us a deer carcass last year, because they don't like deer meat. They had skinned, gutted, quartered and packed it in ice! Darn tooting we'll take that deer! I beat some steaks one evening with my mallet, seasoned and floured it up and fried it. He stopped by and we gave him a piece. He loved it and took a piece to his wife. I said, there goes our supply of deer meat. LOL

Some people have never had good deer meat like Beekissed said. I guess they just don't know how to cook it. I know my neighbors know how to treat the meat, once killed, but they sure like deer meat now!

 

[NH Homesteader]

It is hard to cook, if you're not used to it. Honestly I mostly make stews and chilis out of it, occasionally fry some up but I don't like it as much that way.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I used to fry up the tenderloins...that's some pretty darn tasty eating there. But - I've gotta admit you sure can't beat venison chili...it just lends a depth of flavor that I think is lacking in factory beef.

 

[baymule]

I make chili too, but we love us some fried deer steak!