Processing your own deer does not have to be hard. When you take a deer to a meat processor, do you really know what you’re getting back? Is it even your own deer, and how was it handled after you dropped it off?
By processing your own deer, all those worries are washed away. Field & Stream has put together 10 tips to make processing your own deer easier.
1. Torch the hair. No matter how careful you are while skinning, some hair will end up on the meat. You can waste time picking it off with your fingers, or get down to business by burning it off using a quick pass of the butane torch.
2. Sharpen knives before (and during). When helping friends cut meat, I don’t know how many time I’ve been handed a dull blade. That’s one of the reasons I travel with my own knife roll. I start every butchering session by running each knife over a hone, then use a steel throughout the process to maintain the sharpest edge.
3. Buy a big box of gloves. A box of 100 food-safe nitrile gloves will cost you about $10 and save your fingers in the process. They grip cold meat better and keep fingers warmer. Plus, anytime you need to grab something you can strip off the dirty pair, do work, then put on a clean pair… [continued]
Putting these 10 tips to use will make the job of processing deer and other big game animals easier and more enjoyable.
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Photo: Field & Stream
