First time cleaning my own deer

[smokinq13]

So i got a buck yesterday! Not a monster but i hunt for the freezer

Buddy came over and helped me clean it up ourselves, saved me a trip and 100 bucks! My question is, i got all the meat cut up and separated into gallon bags, how long should i leave it in the fridge before freezing or since its cut up go ahead and freeze it??

Heres my break down list:

Everything is good to freeze except for the burger i gotta grind up still but i was wondering if i should like it age a little in the fridge or is that only for whole chucks of meat?

 

[Ringer]

I adopted my process from a long time butcher. He did what he called bleeding the meat. He filled a cooler 1/2 way with ice then laid the meat on top. He drained the water and added ice as needed for 2 weeks. Then process as you wish. You want to try to avoid it swimming around in the melted runoff is all.

I have one my son shot that is getting cut today. It's been in the cooler for 2 weeks.

Bled and aged venison tastes far better than bloody fresh to me.

 

[smokin peachey]

Congratulations on your kill. Looks like a PA buck where are you from? I would put the roast in the freezer now. Personally I like to let the deer hang at least a week but that’s hard to do when the weather isn’t cooler.

 

[smokinq13]

I adopted my process from a long time butcher. He did what he called bleeding the meat. He filled a cooler 1/2 way with ice then laid the meat on top. He drained the water and added ice as needed for 2 weeks. Then process as you wish. You want to try to avoid it swimming around in the melted runoff is all.

I have one my son shot that is getting cut today. It's been in the cooler for 2 weeks.

Bled and aged venison tastes far better than bloody fresh to me.

Need to get a cooler of that size!

 

[smokinq13]

Congratulations on your kill. Looks like a PA buck where are you from? I would put the roast in the freezer now.

Oh its a pa buck for sure! About an hour south of Harrisburg, so you say to put the roasts in the freezer now, should i do the steaks as well?

 

[JLeonard]

Congrats! Our season kicks off pretty soon down here in Mississippi. My 13yo keeps the freezer full for us. I just do the cooking now. LOL. Look forward to seeing what you turn out with yours.
Jim

 

[mcokevin]

Not the biggest rack but nice and symmetrical, smooth antlers without any deformations. No shame in a four point that feeds the family!

I don't hunt anymore but when I was a kid the whole family hunted - dad, mom, me, and my two brothers. We would regularly butcher all our own deer. We lived in a pretty well-off suburb but were by no means rich ourselves. We definitely have redneck roots, and had neighbors call the cops a couple of times because we had dead deer hanging from our back deck in a nice neighborhood. Of course, this being Western PA the cops were mostly hunters too, so they'd show up to "investigate", say "nice deer" and head out.

Between archery, rifle, and muzzleloader we'd fill the freezers and feed ourselves most of the year on venison on a good year.

One thing we did that I liked is we did our ground meat 50/50 venison/beef. Took some of the gamey bite out of it. My mom got real good at cooking the steaks and other cuts.

 

[Brokenhandle]

In years when it's too warm to hang our deer, which seems like almost always anymore we just soak our meat in salted ice water, usually change water once then rinse off, pat dry, and freeze in ziploc bags. Once froze we then vac pak for longer storage.
Congrats on the hunt! And the antlers don't really matter... they don't taste very good anyway!

Ryan

 

[smokin peachey]

Oh its a pa buck for sure! About an hour south of Harrisburg, so you say to put the roasts in the freezer now, should i do the steaks as well?

I would put the steaks in the freezer also. Do you have them vacuum sealed or just ziplock?

 

[smokinq13]

Not the biggest rack but nice and symmetrical, smooth antlers without any deformations. No shame in a four point that feeds the family!

I don't hunt anymore but when I was a kid the whole family hunted - dad, mom, me, and my two brothers. We would regularly butcher all our own deer. We lived in a pretty well-off suburb but were by no means rich ourselves. We definitely have redneck roots, and had neighbors call the cops a couple of times because we had dead deer hanging from our back deck in a nice neighborhood. Of course, this being Western PA the cops were mostly hunters too, so they'd show up to "investigate", say "nice deer" and head out.

Between archery, rifle, and muzzleloader we'd fill the freezers and feed ourselves most of the year on venison on a good year.

One thing we did that I liked is we did our ground meat 50/50 venison/beef. Took some of the gamey bite out of it. My mom got real good at cooking the steaks and other cuts.

It's actually a 5 point... that's the smaller one we can get legally as adults

 

[mcokevin]

And the antlers don't really matter... they don't taste very good anyway!

Speak for yourself...

1.5 hours per pound at 225 with some hickory....

 

[mcokevin]

It's actually a 5 point... that's the smaller one we can get legally as adults

Ah, I see that fifth point now! Blended in earlier.

 

[smokinq13]

I would put the steaks in the freezer also. Do you have them vacuum sealed or just ziplock?

Will be vaccumed correct

 

[chew2475]

So i got a buck yesterday! Not a monster but i hunt for the freezerView attachment 513971

Buddy came over and helped me clean it up ourselves, saved me a trip and 100 bucks! My question is, i got all the meat cut up and separated into gallon bags, how long should i leave it in the fridge before freezing or since its cut up go ahead and freeze it??

Heres my break down list:
View attachment 513972
Everything is good to freeze except for the burger i gotta grind up still but i was wondering if i should like it age a little in the fridge or is that only for whole chucks of meat?

Congrats on the deer. I grew up with my dad hanging them for a few days after gutting them. Since I have been on my own I have found that I gut, skin, and break them down in one day. Larger pieces in the freezer (vac sealed) that same day. Chunks that I cut up for stew or grind for burger I typically cut up and grind the next day and then vac seal and freeze. I have noticed none of the so called gamey taste and my boys prefer venison burgers over beef burgers now. I also find a warm deer is much easier to skin than one that has hung for a few days.

 

[smokinq13]

Congrats on the deer. I grew up with my dad hanging them for a few days after gutting them. Since I have been on my own I have found that I gut, skin, and break them down in one day. Larger pieces in the freezer (vac sealed) that same day. Chunks that I cut up for stew or grind for burger I typically cut up and grind the next day and then vac seal and freeze. I have noticed none of the so called gamey taste and my boys prefer venison burgers over beef burgers now. I also find a warm deer is much easier to skin than one that has hung for a few days.

See I'm heard 50/50, that some same hanging in a cooler makes it so much easier, then the other side says the opposite, being that i don't have a cooler or walkin we did it up yesterday all at once

 

[indaswamp]

I personally am not a fan of 'bleeding out' deer meat. Bled out deer meat to me tastes bland and flavorless....I like the taste of deer meat. I like to get it frozen as quickly as I can. You can freeze the meat for grind meat if you want and do it later. This is what we do for our big processing day where we will process the meat from 10-20 deer and 1-5 hogs. Anywhere between 3-700# of meat.
Just be sure to trim all the meat for grind and remove all the fat. That is where the off taste in deer meat comes from.

 

[smokinq13]

I personally am not a fan of 'bleeding out' deer meat. Bled out deer meat to me tastes bland and flavorless....I like the taste of deer meat. I like to get it frozen as quickly as I can. You can freeze the meat for grind meat if you want and do it later. This is what we do for our big processing day where we will process the meat from 10-20 deer and 1-5 hogs. Anywhere between 3-700# of meat.
Just be sure to trim all the meat for grind and remove all the fat. That is where the off taste in deer meat comes from.

I like that idea, i might have to consider that

 

[Brokenhandle]

Never thought about it earlier... but I hope ya saved the heart!

Ryan

 

[smokinq13]

Never thought about it earlier... but I hope ya saved the heart!

Ryan

I did not, i want to get to the point where i save as much as i can, but i just can't get myself up to the point yet, one step at a time

 

[Winterrider]

We try and let hang for about 3 days if weather permits. If close to freeze temps we leave hide on while hanging , A little warmer and we pull the coats off them. Have had to cut up immediately because of freezing temps, leave in totes in fridge or cold shop floor for couple days, wash meat , separate, and freeze.