OK I have a question for you ladies and gents. I have been hunting deer for about 6 years and I have never butchered my own deer. I am from IL and I am driving out to Wyoming for my first elk hunt. I am going to quarter the elk out and bring it home in coolers. I want to do my own butchering and I can only find 5 mins videos on youtube. I was hoping someone here could help me out and tell me where I can look to learn how to butcher the elk and what meats come which part. Thanks in advanced for any help! Good luck to all the hunters out there this year!!
Butchering My own ELK
- Thread starter smccrory
- Start date
Sapper.dawg
New member
I did mine, with exactly your same experience. I saw this book recently, and it looks like a great resource: http://westernhunter.net/products/meat-and-field-care-book
Make sure you keep the eye of round medallions, they cooked up fast, and were very tender for a quick weeknight meal. Also consider keeping the ribs whole - I have really enjoyed cooking whole rib slabs.
Make sure you keep the eye of round medallions, they cooked up fast, and were very tender for a quick weeknight meal. Also consider keeping the ribs whole - I have really enjoyed cooking whole rib slabs.
I have always butchered my own elk. For me the backstraps and tenderloins are steaks. The round muscle of the hind quarter makes a couple roasts each. I also make roasts out of the neck meat and shanks. The rest is burger. Pretty simple really. I kind of enjoy butchering/processing my game meat, but I'm always glad when the last package of elk meat is wrapped and in the freezer. I would guess there are videos on youtube that may be more specific. Good luck on the hunt.
ida homer
Well-known member
Piece of cake. No reason to pay anyone to cut and wrap steaks, roasts or stew meat for you. All the loose meat and stuff gets turned into burger, so call around and find someone that will grind it for cheap if you don't have access to one.
I've only used a butcher if I want salami, jerky or specialty stuff done, which isn't very often. If you have the time I know some guys enjoy doing that themselves too. All of this will save yah $300+ on an elk depending on what you want.
I've only used a butcher if I want salami, jerky or specialty stuff done, which isn't very often. If you have the time I know some guys enjoy doing that themselves too. All of this will save yah $300+ on an elk depending on what you want.
Use the money you would save on processing fees and get yourself a good grinder
https://vimeo.com/34615004
Here's a good video
https://vimeo.com/34615004
Here's a good video
If your wife has a KitchenAide mixer, they make a grinding attachment. There's more than a few here that disagree with me that they are "good", but I've put a lot of meat through ours over the years with no complaints.
Jamen
Well-known member
When I shot my elk in 2013 we got lucky and the landowner used his tractor and loaded it in my pickup. That being said we took it to the meat market gutted they cut wrap and froze it all for $250. That was a no brainer for me to do that.
I know a cow may be a bit different than an elk as far as their muscle make up. But there are plenty of diagrams out there that explain where certain steaks come from on an animal and how to cut them. It may not be an exact match to an elk but it will give you an idea of where to start.
I have used the kitchen aid mixer grinders many times and has worked well for me but I have never ran big batches through it. Not sure how it would hold up doing an entire elk at one time.
I know a cow may be a bit different than an elk as far as their muscle make up. But there are plenty of diagrams out there that explain where certain steaks come from on an animal and how to cut them. It may not be an exact match to an elk but it will give you an idea of where to start.
I have used the kitchen aid mixer grinders many times and has worked well for me but I have never ran big batches through it. Not sure how it would hold up doing an entire elk at one time.
Hind site is 20/20 but it would have been easier if you would have started on some whitetail. Essentially they are the same thing just smaller which makes it easier. Keep watching as many youtube videos out there. Randy posted this one a few days ago. This should help a lot if you are just looking at getting them quartered. There are a handful of them out there like this. The only thing I will say about watching on youtbue and doing it in the field is you don't have the video playing to help you watch it.
[video=youtube;Ny5z3kJWbn8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny5z3kJWbn8&list=PLLdxutimd-JucEFczP4LgCS75Lt7caIMm&index=1[/video]
[video=youtube;Ny5z3kJWbn8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny5z3kJWbn8&list=PLLdxutimd-JucEFczP4LgCS75Lt7caIMm&index=1[/video]
airlocksniffer
Member
I only remember taking a deer to a processor one time as a kid. We got this tiny box of meat back and my dad said never again. I find processing my game relaxing. I can clean it up really well (I'm particular about removing as much sinew and silver skin) and make the packages exactly the size I want. Yeah, it's slow for me (about 2 full days for an elk) but worth it IMHO. I can also take the time and get as much off as possible, while a commercial outfit is going for speed. I would consider doing a processor if it was really hot and I was out of state.
pre6422hornet
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 21, 2015
- Messages
- 525
I haven't paid for any type of processing since probably 2002 or 2003.
Backstraps and loins are steaks.
Neck meat is roasts
Rear quarters are cut into steaks and few roasts
The rest is ground into burger.
Now like 1 pointer, I have used my Kitchen Aide ( yes it is mine...not hers
) grinder attachment for every animal since I got in in 2005. If I remember correctly that equals 17 big game animals ( whitetails, elk, and antlope). I don't throw any extra fat into my burger, nor do I grind any silverskin, gristle, fat, etc.. from the animal. It is pure meat. Yes this takes extra time and effort, but I can't stand eating a meatball and hitting fat or gristle. The grinder works exceptionally well for this. The only down side is the attachment can heat up, so I only grind for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, but in that time I can grind almost 3-4 gallons in that time. We only use burger for tacos, spaghetti, meatballs, etc.. so I am not worried about anything other than grinding it up.
I commend you on your efforts to do this and you can PM me anytime with questions. I learned by trial and error basically. Not many you tube vids back then.
I then use a Foodsaver to vacuum seal everything. I have went through 4 Foodsavers in that time!
Backstraps and loins are steaks.
Neck meat is roasts
Rear quarters are cut into steaks and few roasts
The rest is ground into burger.
Now like 1 pointer, I have used my Kitchen Aide ( yes it is mine...not hers
) grinder attachment for every animal since I got in in 2005. If I remember correctly that equals 17 big game animals ( whitetails, elk, and antlope). I don't throw any extra fat into my burger, nor do I grind any silverskin, gristle, fat, etc.. from the animal. It is pure meat. Yes this takes extra time and effort, but I can't stand eating a meatball and hitting fat or gristle. The grinder works exceptionally well for this. The only down side is the attachment can heat up, so I only grind for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, but in that time I can grind almost 3-4 gallons in that time. We only use burger for tacos, spaghetti, meatballs, etc.. so I am not worried about anything other than grinding it up. I commend you on your efforts to do this and you can PM me anytime with questions. I learned by trial and error basically. Not many you tube vids back then.
I then use a Foodsaver to vacuum seal everything. I have went through 4 Foodsavers in that time!
smarandr
Well-known member
Rinella devoted a whole episode recently to butchering. I'm sure you can find it (and buy it) on his website: themeateater.com
Jamen
Well-known member
Here is a basic chart that breaks down which parts of the animal are what types of meat and what you can do with them.
RobG
Well-known member
Lots of deer butchering videos last time I checked. Cuts are the same, but larger.
I don't mind doing it myself. I started doing it for a few reason costs. They charge 75 dollars a deer. I am shooting 4-5 a year. At that cost I might as well just buy beef. The bigger reason is I am an anal prick and I don't like others touching my stuff, not to mention I am about 80% positive you don't get all your own stuff back.
The biggest downside for me is typically time. When the weather is right it is ok but when it is hot out I feel like it is a mad rush to get the thing put up quickly. For me I typically hunt Fridays through Sunday. Then if you get one Sunday night you have to work the rest of the week so you are rushing to get the animal diced up.
When it is hot out I try to get it boned out and in the fridge, then I spend a night later in the week getting all the meat broken down. If the weather is right I will leave it hang and do it as I have time. I am only doing whitetails here in Iowa so I know is different for a larger animal, probably escalates is more if the weather is hot.
jryoung
Well-known member
Good diagram, just done ever ground shanks. Ever.
JR..maybe he likes ground gristle burger instead of Oso Bucco?
I usually have packets of 2-5lbs of what I call grind and I put it through my mom's old Universal hand grinder and make burger or chili grind as needed.
I had 2 elk ground by a butcher the last 2 yrs along with neighbors meat that I had broken down.Their choice and $,not mine.
I'll be doing my own as the burger I have now is good,but not nearly as good as homemade.Like it was over ground.
I usually have packets of 2-5lbs of what I call grind and I put it through my mom's old Universal hand grinder and make burger or chili grind as needed.
I had 2 elk ground by a butcher the last 2 yrs along with neighbors meat that I had broken down.Their choice and $,not mine.
I'll be doing my own as the burger I have now is good,but not nearly as good as homemade.Like it was over ground.
Jamen
Well-known member
I grind the shank meat into jerky. As far as Oso Bucco I am not a fan of wild game bones (ribs) I will do occasionally. We do all of our own processing minus that elk I shot. We make our own sausage and jerky/pepper sticks. I cant wait to use the new smoker I built this year for sausage should be able to do a few hundred rings in it no problem. It just takes time to learn the cuts of meat. When I was a chef I wrecked a few steaks learning how to cut them. Just keep practicing at it. Or if you got friends who do their own take a few cold ones over and watch and learn and help out. That is where I learned how to do it my dad use to do it every fall people brought their deer into him.
airlocksniffer
Member
I used to just grind my shanks but did some oso bucco this year with my cow. I will never grind the shanks again. Braised for 4 hours was something magical. Bonus is the slug of marrow in the bones. Blade roasts and neck roast are also some things I'm getting into that used to just go in the grinder.
Brad Daniel
Member
You guys are missing the boat on the shank meat. Cut it into one inch cubes as is, brown, dump in a cast iron Dutch oven with some broth in the oven all day about 200-220.
