# Anyone Process their own Deer meat? Need help.



## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

I recently inherited a small electric meat grinder and I think I am going to try my hand at making my own ground meat. For those of you who process your own, do you buy beef/pork fat from the grocery stores or do they just give it away? Anything other than the deer meat and beef/pork fat you are putting into your ground, such as salt, pepper, spices, etc? Do you simply grind the deer meat first and then add the percentage of fat you want and then put it all back through the grinder again to mix it? Do you trim away every bit of deer fat and tendons away from the deer meat before grinding? 

I am not looking for anyone's secret family/business recipes or anything like that. Just looking for a little guidance before I screw up 50 pounds of perfectly good deer meat. :thumbup: Thanks!


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## Sequoiha (Sep 28, 2007)

Hey, Will, give me a call and ill tell you how i do mine,, i have been doing mine for over 25 years.


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## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

Will do Kenny; thanks!!


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## Reelfun27 (Oct 4, 2007)

*Processing your own deer meat!!*

I use wright bacon ends or boston butt as my additive. I use A C Leggs spices. I have used Academy's Fiesta Venision deer spices. I don't care for it. I would stick to A C Leggs spices.. I alternate grinding deer meat and additive and mix together with spices before second grind. I use a large grinding plate.
I use LEM bags with stuffing funnel. These bags are ok, but for longer than six months storage use vacuum sealer storage bags. Before grinding, trim fat and tendons as much as possible. A small amount of fat and tendons is ok.


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## Reelfun27 (Oct 4, 2007)

*How do you process your deer???*

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f48/how-do-you-process-your-deer-26042/


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## drifterfisher (Oct 9, 2009)

I just made about 150#'s up last night.I just use premade sausage,and cheap hamburger 60/40 60% deer the rest what ever your making.


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## BuckWild (Oct 2, 2007)

When doing burger, I tend to peel all of the fat and most of the silverskin from the meat before grinding. Some muscles, you just grind the silverskin, like the hocks and shoulders. It's next to impossible to get it all. I do remove any fat I can see. Then I grind the meat once with a large plate, then grind the appropriate amount of beef fat 10-20%(i like 10) with the large plate. then mix it all and grind it with the small plate once. Package and freeze. Sausage is done the same way, but you use pork butts, like 60deer/40pork. The beef fat you can usually get from the grocery store, sometimes it's free, others is may be .30 a pound or so. Just call the morning before or so, and talk to the meat person, they will save whatever you want them to from their trimmings. A note on grinding the fat: if you have less than a 1hp grinder, do the fat in handfulls the first time followed up by grinding meat in between handfuls. The fat butters up the inside of the screw and it will bind up on you if it gets too full. the meat in between helps keep this to a minimum. It's fun to do and you know what meat you get back and how it was handled.


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## tyler0421 (Jan 10, 2008)

Anyone ever done summer sausage? If so any recipes?


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Link below is a great place to start
www.lemproducts.com


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## helo_hunter (Oct 2, 2007)

I just grind the meat. I add olive oil to the pan when I am cooking the burger. Great for chili, soups, spagetti, etc.

To make grinding easier, I take all the fat and silver off I can, freeze the meat, thaw it about half way and put the partly frozen meat into the grinder. Otherwise, my electric grinder tends to clog with the connective (silver) tissue.


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## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

Thanks everyone for the tips. Wish me luck!


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## FishnLane (Oct 1, 2007)

Ramma J, I go to Winn Dixie in the morning time. they will give me 1/2 pork and 1/2 beef fat/scraps. I got lots more scraps than needed as need to sort thru it. but FREE!!! I would trim and use 1/2-- 1/2 pork/beef along with the venison.


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## Joraca (Dec 29, 2007)

tyler0421 said:


> Anyone ever done summer sausage? If so any recipes?


My daughter and I made up 12 lbs 2 weeks ago with this recipe

http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Venison/elk mettwurst smoked summer sausage

and it is almost all gone.

I used casings, more garlic and black pepper than called for in the recipe, and cool smoked the sausage for a couple of hours with mesquite chips. I then brought the internal sausage temperature up to about 160 F in an oven. I keep it refrigerated in gallon bags.

I got my casings at the butcher shop on the corner of Lillian and Fairfield.

Joraca


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Will, let me tell ya, this coming from someone who processed, with the help of my wife, 19-20 deer with a small deni meat grinder, upgrade! If you decide you like doin it after this one, it is well worth the upgrade to a lem, or similar, belive me,lol, well worth it. 

I mix my burger after thoroughly going through it, skin and hair removale, small grind and foodsaver bags! If doin sausage, cut your meat and fat, into small cubes or what ever grinds best in your grinder, mix it in a large bowl beforw grinding with your seasoning. Grind it after mixing. If you want it to look perfect like the stuff in the 1lb tube at the store ad about 1/2 cup of water to 10lbs of sausage and hand mix in with the ground up sausage, mix by hand before packaging. 

Tip on grinding, cold as possible, I freeze mine for half an hour or a little more, seems to grind better.

Summer sausage, whole nother thread, or just give me a call, lol

Good luck Will!


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## Stressless (Oct 2, 2007)

Grouper

 

Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 987 










I and my brother have been butchering our own for about 20 years now. 

WE NEVER add any processed fat (beef or pork) to the burger. I have question for the masses - why do you/would you add fat to venison? It seems counter productive.... 

Just trying to learn if I missed something. We make burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, anything you can make store bought burger out of we make out of 100% trimmed and lean venison. Which is Soooooo much better for you.

Thanks for any insight.
Stressless


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## redfishguy83 (Aug 14, 2009)

This my 2nd year processing upgraded to a LEM #8 it is heck of alot different than a hand grinder! I am still tinkering with the pork/beef fat ratio. Going to try and make my own summer sausage hope it works out!!!


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

"WE NEVER add any processed fat (beef or pork) to the burger. I have question for the masses - why do you/would you add fat to venison?"

I will not speak for everyone but I have done my own processing for about 15 years. The main reason I do it myself is that I enjoy it - AND - I know that I am eating my deer, and not one that some guy rode around in the back of a truck for three days. To answer the above question, I dont add any processed fat to mine - only natural fat from beef or pork. It makes it cook better and adds a ton of flavor - which turns it into something the wife and kids will eat, without it - they wont eat it and it's not as good to me. I guess I'm not going for "healthy" if I was I would drop all meat.


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## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

jaster said:


> Will, let me tell ya, this coming from someone who processed, with the help of my wife, 19-20 deer with a small deni meat grinder, upgrade! If you decide you like doin it after this one, it is well worth the upgrade to a lem, or similar, belive me,lol, well worth it.


Yea, I haven't processed the first bit yet, but just after watching a handful of youtube videos, I feel like my grinder is too small for the task!  I am going to tackle one deer with this grinder and re-evaluate my position on self processing after that! :laughing:

Thanks for the tips Jason! By the way, that wall and slide worked great! I'll PM you a pic of the finished project. Thanks again!!


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## KoolKat49 (Nov 3, 2011)

I grind it up and freeze in pound or so portions then add reg burger, sausage spices etc when ready to cook it. Makes very simple and my girls eat it this way. Makes me want to cook some up now...


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## Reelfun27 (Oct 4, 2007)

Here is your grinder!!! Grinds 600 lbs an hour.

Order foot controls http://www.ssccontrols.com/homepage-lightduty.htm


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## DLo (Oct 2, 2007)

Reelfun...what are you using for a motor? Did you salvage it out of something or buy it specifically for grinding?


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## [email protected] (Oct 4, 2007)

my brother and i have been doing ours for several years now. a good free standing kitchen mix and bought a grinder attatchment. then to grocery outlet and get bacon ends. grind and mix well ..........holy sh*t very good and easy to do.


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## Reelfun27 (Oct 4, 2007)

I bought 1/2 horse power 1700 rpm from Harbor freight and run it for 110. I had someone give me a motor for another grinder. Ideally I would want farm duty low rpms. Normally the motor is fine as long as you keep the cutting blade sharp and calibrated correctly. I use c-clamps to hold my grinder in place. I notice a grinder like that at tractor supply the other day for 79.00..


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## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

Update on my first meat processing experience: To sum it up - Meat Processing equipment for sale! :no: Nahh, it wasn't that bad, but I certainly won't be giving any local processors a run for their money anytime soon. If I had to guess, I prolly discarded more meat than I should have in the "trimming" part of the process. I just wanted to be sure I didn't grind in something I shouldn't of. I didn't have any luch obtaining fat trimmings from the grocery stores, so I simply made one of my favorites - Bacon Burger - using store bought bacon as my additive. Attached is couple pics of the "process".


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Looks good, but I bet that little grinder was givin it all she had! Just as a refrance, I ground 13lbs last night and had em packaged in less than 10 minutes, #12 lem and a big vacume sealer. 
Those little ones do fine for one a year or so, but man a big one makes life easy. I got some snack sticks curing in the fridge, ready for the smomer tonight.

So we havin a pff get tovether for bacon burgers this weekend Will? Lol.


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## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

Man, I love to, but between my little grinder and my ultra picky meat trimming, I barely made enough to feed the family!  If I continue this, i'll definitely invest in a larger grinder. You gotta show me sometime how you doin those snack stacks.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Jk man, I know how the trimming is. My wife will watch me like a hawk, no har no little speck of black, no slimmy stuff, no tough white stuff nothin, lol. I got 13lbs of burger, and 8lbs worth of jerky and snack sticks out of my hams and what was left of the shoulders after the .270 did its job on em. I did Summer Sausage last year amd taste was awesome, but fat was way to much, tryin my first small batch os snack sticks with no fat, we will see how it goes. Sittin on the porch smellin the smoke and watchin repo man. Let ya know how it goes.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Not to high jack your thread, but here is a close up of my snaxk sticks!


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## Rammer Jammer (Oct 1, 2007)

Looks good!! Are your snack stick pretty much the same as the standard link sausage, but with smaller casings? If my burger ends up being edible, I am going to try link sausage next.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Sausage are a whole new experience, lol. You get one and wanna do it, ice it ang give me a call, I will lend you my past experiences with it! 

I used a snack stick seasoning from the BPS. turns out it was the same seasoning I use with my jerky. They absorbed just the right amount of smoke thugh. I am impressed with how they turned out but could just be me, lol. I have experimented with Brats, good uns too, Brekfast maple sausage, and last year Summer Sausage. All was edible, Summer sausage had good flavor but I used too much fat. Brats are awesome, would recomend them to anybody. Maple Breakfast sausage, OMG! Slap your momma and Grandma good. I start with the packet from BPS. Then add my own touches.

Snack sticks I used the 21 mm casings, but next time I will try the 19 mm cassings. Bigger smoker is on the wish list for next year, lol. Summer sausage and snack sticks are cologen cassings, Brats and breakfast links are either hog or sheep casings. Hopoing me or my son bag one or two more this year, got some other new things to try!


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## bama1973 (Sep 21, 2008)

Take to processor. Lot less time and you know its done right.


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

bama1973 said:


> Take to processor. Lot less time and you know its done right.


 Yep, done right, with everybody elses poo shot deer and crap meat. Not every one takes the amount of care you would if you did it yourself. I am very particular with what my family and I eat. I have heard stories of the way things are done at some proccesers. I am not refering to local ones, just in general! I figure if I do 2 deer my self with the makings as follow:

Two deer deboned, and ready to grind, approximately 80 lbs of meat.

20 lbs burger. My cost $.00 Their cost $ $25
10 lbs sausage My cost $5.00 Theirs $ $15
10 lbs Bratwurst My cost $4.00 Theirs $ $20
10 lbs breakfast links $ 6.00 $ $20
10 lbs summer sausage $ 8.00 $ $25
10 lbs steaks $ .00 $ $10
10 lbs roasts $ .00 $ $10

My cost About $25 Theirs atleast $125

I am only assuming, because I have never paid to have one done. But If you kil 4 a year, you could buy a pretty good grinder one year and a smoker and stuffer the next. I have no problems with processors, but I just like it my way. Plus it is very rewarding knowing no one has ever touched what you are about to eat except yourself, and God!


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## drifterfisher (Oct 9, 2009)

jaster said:


> Yep, done right, with everybody elses poo shot deer and crap meat. Not every one takes the amount of care you would if you did it yourself. I am very particular with what my family and I eat. I have heard stories of the way things are done at some proccesers. I am not refering to local ones, just in general! I figure if I do 2 deer my self with the makings as follow:
> 
> Two deer deboned, and ready to grind, approximately 80 lbs of meat.
> 
> ...


+1! I do all of my own,turns out great.My brother had three done at once by a big outfit in AL,last year and the meat gave everyone who ate it the runs.


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