Meat processors - experiences ?

So, I have decided I think this will be the year I'm going to take a crack at bagging my first deer. After many years of shooting, I did some digging around and found that there is 625 acres (Belt Woods NEA) available near me for shotgun hunting when it's in season. In the event I actually take one (going for a January hunt) have any of you used either Clint's Cut's in Mt. Airy or Ray Hitchcock in Severn ? They appear to be the closest to me. I'm looking quality wise - not necessarily the cheapest.

Thanks for any opinions or advice in advance !

I just picked up some jerky and baloney from Clint’s on Saturday from a deer I dropped off two weeks ago. I’ve been happy with everything we’ve taken him.
Hitchcock’s doesn’t give you your own deer back. (At least not if you get baloney, jerky, etc.)
I am very picky about the way I handle wild game and fish. I don’t want a guy’s deer that’s been in the back of his pickup truck for most of the day.

I’ve used M&G up towards Westminster (too far for where you are hunting) and they are great. As near as I can tell and from what I’ve been told, it is individual processing for everything. They package well (all the cuts are vacuum sealed, ground is well bagged with no air in the package). Pretty fast. Usually 1 1/2 weeks in their busy season, less than a week in their not busy season. Open 24 hours. Only 20 minutes from my house is why I use them.

They make a great Country sausage. Makes great breakfast paddies.

The only way to ensure quality is to do it all yourself. No one is going to treat your meat as good as you will. There are tons of examples on youtube. After several years of practice I get a whole early season dear in the freezer/aging fridge within 2 hours of taking a shot. Here is everything you need to start. It is very very rewarding to do it yourself. You can even let it hang in unheated space for several days in january.

https://www.amazon.com/Havalon-Piranta-EDGE-Orange-Handle-additional/dp/B0064GNZYM

Victorinox Swiss Army 6 Inch Fibrox Pro Boning Knife with Flexible Blade
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QCNJ3C

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife, 8-Inch Chef's FFP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2

Stanton Trading 799-30 18 by 30 by 1/2-Inch Cutting Board
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032AM0LW

HME Products Game Hanging Gambrel with Leg Lock
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XJB8OC

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer GM710-000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016C4KJS0/

----
Total $299.26

geda said:

The only way to ensure quality is to do it all yourself. No one is going to treat your meat as good as you will. There are tons of examples on youtube. After several years of practice I get a whole early season dear in the freezer/aging fridge within 2 hours of taking a shot. Here is everything you need to start. It is very very rewarding to do it yourself. You can even let it hang in unheated space for several days in january.

https://www.amazon.com/Havalon-Piranta-EDGE-Orange-Handle-additional/dp/B0064GNZYM

Victorinox Swiss Army 6 Inch Fibrox Pro Boning Knife with Flexible Blade
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QCNJ3C

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife, 8-Inch Chef's FFP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2

Stanton Trading 799-30 18 by 30 by 1/2-Inch Cutting Board
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032AM0LW

HME Products Game Hanging Gambrel with Leg Lock
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XJB8OC

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer GM710-000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016C4KJS0/

----
Total $299.26

Click to expand...

If you want to do bag sealing on the cheap there is the water displacement method, aka using a tub of water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrZPLF0ezw8

+1 on doing it yourself. Its part of the process for me, and I consider it as important as doing the sitting and the killing.

As has been said, there's plenty of info out there on how to do it. I don't kill enough deer to be very efficient at it, but I know that I get a lot more meat out of my deer by doing it myself.

Even more important than getting the most out of your meat, is getting better cuts. A butcher makes money based on efficiency and speed, and to do that, he's going to use a saw and cut through everything. You'll get much more enjoyable venison by 'dissecting' the deer and taking some time to remove the silver/tendons, etc.

geda has a good list, but I just use an old lockback and some kitchen knives. The only other thing I'd add is a good sharpener - I like the double sided DMT diamond sharpeners - about $20 I think. I got some large cutting boards from Costco a few years ago and just put the meat in ziplocs and squeeze out the air.

After butchering, I typically have 5-7 pounds of meat that is ready for the grinder (maybe less). The rest is basically steaks and roasts. If I could kill more deer, I'd probably grind more, and invest in a good grinder (for the 5-7 pounds of burger I end up with, I just use the Kitchen Aide). Especially after seeing some of ArcheryRob's sausage pics this year...

I also often keep the hide - typically just dried with salt, but this year I'm going to try to tan them.

^ try a piranta knife and you’ll be amazed. It’s like you’re performing surgery on the deer.

geda said:

The only way to ensure quality is to do it all yourself. No one is going to treat your meat as good as you will....

Click to expand...

Agreed.

Just have to remove ALL bone, fat and sinew, which most butchers will not do.

Another thing they do is try to make steaks and roasts like beef cuts from many of the parts that just don't lend themselves to anything but grinding. Any hidden fat or bone cooked with the venison will taint the flavor, so any steak or roast without careful trimming won't be as good as it could have been. Honestly, I usually don't like to eat anyone else's venison because of the way it is usually mishandled.

Good luck trying to tell anyone that hanging a deer and intentionally or unintentionally "ageing the meat" damages the flavor... It does. I like to get the animal heat out of a carcass as soon as I can. I field dress the deer as soon as I can approach it. As soon as I can get the hide off of it and break it into chunks resembling quarters, it goes into plastic bags and into the ice, usually within a couple hours of being on the hoof. Goes from being on ice straight to the cutting board and the absolute worst part of doing it myself anymore is the cold meat and my knuckles, but I know it's fresh and clean.

Another consideration is the cost. The processing fee for a decent size deer is what these days? $90? $100? I don't know, but every dollar spent on processing adds directly to the bottom line. a $90 fee on a 120# dressed weight deer means your processing fee is getting close to about $2/pound... Smaller deer cost more per pound. I can butcher a 120# deer by myself over the course of two evenings after work and with help, we can easily do it in one evening. I can do smaller, good eating deer (70-80# dressed yearling) in one evening.

I have owned a commercial grinder for many years and that thing has more than paid for itself...much more. I don't add much foreign fat to deer, and don't see a great need for it, but most butchers so overload ground venison with beef or pork fat that it doesn't even taste like deer any more.

Learn to sharpen a knife and get yourself a couple REAL knives. If the knife doesn't shave the hair from your arm, it's not sharp enough to even get started. If the blade doesn't hold up for an hour of cutting, it's either a bad knife, not being sharpened properly or being misused. Get a couple good cutting boards and don't cut bone, plates or countertops with it.

I couldn't picture turning my deer over to someone else as long as I can still do it myself.

Clint's Cuts is good, but E Shell is right...butchers are expensive.

pbharvey said:

I just picked up some jerky and baloney from Clint’s on Saturday from a deer I dropped off two weeks ago. I’ve been happy with everything we’ve taken him.
Hitchcock’s doesn’t give you your own deer back. (At least not if you get baloney, jerky, etc.)
I am very picky about the way I handle wild game and fish. I don’t want a guy’s deer that’s been in the back of his pickup truck for most of the day.

Click to expand...

If you think you’re getting your own deer back from any butcher when you get baloney and sausage your fooling yourself. The logistics of keeping each deer separate while making those products is virtually impossible.

I do my own and don’t make any sausage or baloney until the end of the season when I have enough to make a bunch at one time from all the deer I killed

My issue is I have zero choice. My wife just plain won’t let me process it myself. Maybe some day, but she isn’t relenting any day soon. So I stick with the processor I know does a good job. If it is a person’s FIRST time hunting a deer, my suggestion is do NOT process it yourself. Just another layer of daunting. If remotely inclined and you are allowed to, do the second one.

Unless you have someone willing to help who had done it before. Otherwise one more thing on your mind to worry about.

My advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

For cost, unless M&G upped their rates, they are $75 base cost. Plus extra for specialty product. For the $75 you get steaks, roast, backstrap/tenderloin and ground back. Ground is packaged in air tight ground meat bags and the rest is vacuum sealed. They date it (as of last season). Which is nice if you are like me and might have a few packages left over from last season by the time you are tossing another deer in the freezer.

My life is already over scheduled with too little free time. So I’d like to process deer myself, but I’ll admit I am not too annoyed my wife won’t let me. I hardly have enough time to hunt, let alone put a few hours in to processing it when I am done. I do want to start doing it eventually, but I’ve got 3 young kids. My time is rarely my own.

geda said:

The only way to ensure quality is to do it all yourself. No one is going to treat your meat as good as you will. There are tons of examples on youtube. After several years of practice I get a whole early season dear in the freezer/aging fridge within 2 hours of taking a shot. Here is everything you need to start. It is very very rewarding to do it yourself. You can even let it hang in unheated space for several days in january.

https://www.amazon.com/Havalon-Piranta-EDGE-Orange-Handle-additional/dp/B0064GNZYM

Victorinox Swiss Army 6 Inch Fibrox Pro Boning Knife with Flexible Blade
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QCNJ3C

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife, 8-Inch Chef's FFP
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2

Stanton Trading 799-30 18 by 30 by 1/2-Inch Cutting Board
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032AM0LW

HME Products Game Hanging Gambrel with Leg Lock
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XJB8OC

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer GM710-000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016C4KJS0/

----
Total $299.26

Click to expand...

In your equipment & pricing list you forgot to include your freezer / “aging” fridge that can accommodate an entire deer. Is this a walk-in fridge to hang the whole deer? The $300 tools are doable for most, but the September or early to mid October deer needs to be on ice quickly, and a lack of a big dedicated “aging” freezer is one big item that might keep most folks from processing their own. At least it keeps me from doing it until it gets cold enough to work it outside. I used to cut my own, now my time just isn’t nearly as plentiful (also sadly now I just don’t FEEL LIKE doing it). You are correct though, it’s satisfying knowing you got everything out of the deer you could.

AlBeight said:

In your equipment & pricing list you forgot to include your freezer / “aging” fridge that can accommodate an entire deer. Is this a walk-in fridge to hang the whole deer? The $300 tools are doable for most, but the September or early to mid October deer needs to be on ice quickly, and a lack of a big dedicated “aging” freezer is one big item that might keep most folks from processing their own. At least it keeps me from doing it until it gets cold enough to work it outside. I used to cut my own, now my time just isn’t nearly as plentiful (also sadly now I just don’t FEEL LIKE doing it). You are correct though, it’s satisfying knowing you got everything out of the deer you could.

Click to expand...

My first deer ever I quartered with large pocket knife, then put it in 2 normal sized coolers with ice, which most people have already. The next day I deboned in a apartment kitchen with crap knifes and fit everything into an apartment freezer/fridge. I think I may have borrowed my mothers kitchen aid grinder attachment a few days later. Starting off you dont need much. An average maryland 3 year old doe takes up about a case of beer volume wise when completely deboned. The stuff on my list is what I wish that I had the first time, it would have been much less frustrating experience.

Eventually you realize that you never want to buy meat at the store again. That is when you spend to upgrade to several chest freezers, large grinder, large dehydrator, etc. With the right tools and a little stream lined experience I have no problem processing 2 deer in the morning, and two more at night. Long day, but worth it.

I forgot to say anything about costs. Fawn is hands down the best eating, period. But is crazy expensive if you are paying a fixed price. Everything is easier and faster on a smaller deer, but sometimes you only get 20lbs of meat total. I know people that only target large old deer for this reason. Their loss.

Venison Shoulder!!! Out of this world good!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPmAYmDgrwk

geda said:

My first deer ever I quartered with large pocket knife, then put it in 2 normal sized coolers with ice, which most people have already. The next day I deboned in a apartment kitchen with crap knifes and fit everything into an apartment freezer/fridge. I think I may have borrowed my mothers kitchen aid grinder attachment a few days later. Starting off you dont need much. An average maryland 3 year old doe takes up about a case of beer volume wise when completely deboned. The stuff on my list is what I wish that I had the first time, it would have been much less frustrating experience.

Eventually you realize that you never want to buy meat at the store again. That is when you spend to upgrade to several chest freezers, large grinder, large dehydrator, etc. With the right tools and a little stream lined experience I have no problem processing 2 deer in the morning, and two more at night. Long day, but worth it.

I forgot to say anything about costs. Fawn is hands down the best eating, period. But is crazy expensive if you are paying a fixed price. Everything is easier and faster on a smaller deer, but sometimes you only get 20lbs of meat total. I know people that only target large old deer for this reason. Their loss.

Venison Shoulder!!! Out of this world good!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPmAYmDgrwk

Click to expand...

Yeah, that process sounds vaguely familiar too . I always wished a real butcher would teach me how to make the real store-bought meat cuts. I just separated all the muscles into steak-sized cuts and roasts, then ground the rest, only the butterfly cuts off the backstrap ever looked right to anyone. Always loved the meat. Too many other things to do now, plus my butcher is awesome (& I am not).

I hate butterflied back strap. Butchers do that because they are lazy. Throw the back strap on the cutting board silverskin down and fillet it off like a fish skin. The silver skin tendon joining the butterfly is horribly chewy.

Most butchers that butterfly it also do it thin and then you can only sear it or it will get tough quick. Deer is always better medium at most cooked unless is a wet cooked environment.

To the OP, If you want to get someone to butcher your deer have a plan first on how you will use it. You can have them separate the hams into muscle groups for 6 roasts, cut out back straps and grind the rest. Or separate out shoulder roasts also. Ground deer can be mixed with 20% pork fat or 50-50 with 73% ground beef to make deer burgers that will not burn easily. If you don't many butchers will freeze and slice the hind legs as large steaks with the bone in and this is a poor choice of processed deer IMO. Deer is not a very good substitute for beef steak on the grill. Having the plan on how the butcher is to do it will make things much easier for you.

Archeryrob said:

I hate butterflied back strap.

Click to expand...

+1 to that. No way to cook it anywhere near as good as cooking one whole.

Clark W. Griswold said:

If you think you’re getting your own deer back from any butcher when you get baloney and sausage your fooling yourself. The logistics of keeping each deer separate while making those products is virtually impossible.

Click to expand...

Yep, sad but true.

lazarus said:

My issue is I have zero choice....

Click to expand...

I would say that this narrows your choices to "which processor?".

Hitchcock is nearby and I've known Ray & Sandy for 40 years. Good people. Sandy's sausage is excellent, but I don't know if they are any better than anyone else or what their prices are these days.

AlBeight said:

In your equipment & pricing list you forgot to include your freezer / “aging” fridge that can accommodate an entire deer...

Click to expand...

We used to kill beef every year and had a cold box to age that. Although we hung some deer, we found that aging deer does not provide the same benefit and usually makes it strong tasting, much as aging beef enhances flavor. I like venison, but not with enhanced gaminess.

I've been processing them myself for 45 years and found that deer hung to age don't eat as well as one that goes on ice "right now". This used to be difficult, due to check-in procedures formerly requiring the whole deer be brought in. Now, with phone check-in, we can kill the deer and dress it immediately as usual and move it close to the truck, but then we can hang, skin and quarter it, and have that rascal on ice within minutes or hours of being killed.

The whole issue with processing deer is that it looks like a skinny cow and many folks are conditioned to treat it like beef. This starts with hanging and goes on to steaks cut with the bone in and fat margins, roasts cut with bone or fat inside, small cuts ground without removing fat and connective tissue, then on home for some overcooking. It's really not beef at all and needs to be treated differently almost every step of the way.

AlBeight said:

Yeah, that process sounds vaguely familiar too . I always wished a real butcher would teach me how to make the real store-bought meat cuts. I just separated all the muscles into steak-sized cuts and roasts, then ground the rest, only the butterfly cuts off the backstrap ever looked right to anyone. Always loved the meat. Too many other things to do now, plus my butcher is awesome (& I am not).

Click to expand...

Seriously, you don't want your deer cut like beef.

It's not going to "look right" if you are expecting cuts of beef.

What you are doing is fine, but as posted above, I've skip butterflying the backstraps.

I butchered my first deer ever last year. Wasn't that hard, but I did have a barn to hang it.

I'm planning to try a local processor this season just to see how they do it different. I've been given good personal recommendations for a local guy who's shop is 4 minutes from where I hunt.

I've used Clint's for years and have never been disappointed.