I have cut up around 25 deer thus far. The first few I took to a butcher and was not satisfied and found it very expensive. Then I watched a few being done and decided to help myself.
After the deer is skinned I like to peel off the flanks. This becomes grind for hamburger and sausage. Then I take out the back straps from the bottom of the neck up to the hind quarter. They range from 30-40" long. I remove the silver skin and clean them up until they look good. Then I cut in half and vacuum seal. Some people also like to butterfly this cut. I then remove the tenderloins from underneath. These usually get eaten same day.
I now take the front quarters off. I save 1 roast/2-3 steaks from each quarter and the rest goes into hamburger. My family loves hamburger. You can make alot of diff dishes with hamburger so it's versatile.
The next to come off is the rear quarters. These get cut into large chunk muscle groups and vacuum sealed. This leaves me the flexibility to later cut into steaks, kabobs, etc.
I finish with removing the neck meat which ends up into hamburger as well. I then pick away small amounts of meat from the carcass. I really pick 'em clean. I do not save the ribs.
All cuts go into a cooler on ice and sit for at least 24 hrs. Better to have a spare refrig to control the temp in the 37-39 degree range. All told it takes me about 4.5 hours/deer.
After the deer is skinned I like to peel off the flanks. This becomes grind for hamburger and sausage. Then I take out the back straps from the bottom of the neck up to the hind quarter. They range from 30-40" long. I remove the silver skin and clean them up until they look good. Then I cut in half and vacuum seal. Some people also like to butterfly this cut. I then remove the tenderloins from underneath. These usually get eaten same day.
I now take the front quarters off. I save 1 roast/2-3 steaks from each quarter and the rest goes into hamburger. My family loves hamburger. You can make alot of diff dishes with hamburger so it's versatile.
The next to come off is the rear quarters. These get cut into large chunk muscle groups and vacuum sealed. This leaves me the flexibility to later cut into steaks, kabobs, etc.
I finish with removing the neck meat which ends up into hamburger as well. I then pick away small amounts of meat from the carcass. I really pick 'em clean. I do not save the ribs.
All cuts go into a cooler on ice and sit for at least 24 hrs. Better to have a spare refrig to control the temp in the 37-39 degree range. All told it takes me about 4.5 hours/deer.