I dropped off 178 pounds of antelope quarters and back strap. They added 10 pounds of beef fat and I got 61 pounds of summer sausage back. This seems odd to me. I have never taken in antelope before. What is your take on this issue? Thanks
Butcher problem
- Thread starter Ricochet
- Start date
tdcour
Veteran member
tdcour
Veteran member
I've heard of meat drying down a lot, but that seems a little excessive. I've never actually weighed anything I've taken in or asked them to weigh it so maybe that is normal for it to dry down that much. Bone is pretty heavy, but I don't know that it is that heavy...
tdcour
Veteran member
I also had a buddy that shot a deer with a bow and was eating some of it and bit into a piece of bullet shrapnel. He was less than impressed. He was sure he didn't get his deer back and this may be the case with you as well
packer58
Very Active Member
You will get some shrinkage from processing summer sausage and snack sticks during smoking / cooking......however you seem to have lost quite a bit of weight. Maybe someone's sampling your stuff. If I were you I would contact your butcher (acting as though you are a possible customer) and ask what the normal shrink rate would be for.... say a hundred pounds of trim.
It took them 9 weeks to get the meat back to us. I sure hope it was our meat. I think we are going try to make our own next time. Thanks for the replies
laxwyo
Very Active Member
I think it's possible to get your own steaks and hamburger back but you'd be lucky to get the same species for sausages
CrimsonArrow
Very Active Member
Againstthewind
Very Active Member
http://www.wyomingextension.org/agpubs/pubs/B565R.pdf
That does seem kindof low. There is a table in this article that goes up to 100 pounds. At 100 pounds field dressed they got 48 pounds of boneless retail cuts. It goes through how they butchered everything.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06504.html This one is a little easier to read, but the table is about the same. They got more meat off the animal than I ever have.
I am not sure that helped much, but I agree with the others it does seem a little low.
That does seem kindof low. There is a table in this article that goes up to 100 pounds. At 100 pounds field dressed they got 48 pounds of boneless retail cuts. It goes through how they butchered everything.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06504.html This one is a little easier to read, but the table is about the same. They got more meat off the animal than I ever have.
I am not sure that helped much, but I agree with the others it does seem a little low.
packer58
Very Active Member
Unfortunately for the consumer most shops will only run sticks or sausage when they have enough weight to make it worth there while. That's normally why it takes so long to get your stuff back, they are setting on yours until they get enough weight which means other customers in order to run the batch.
Making your own is a good idea, at least you know where the meat came from and you'll save quite a bit of money. Several years ago I invested in my own equipment....... grinder, slicer, meat mixer and 10# vertical stuffer along with a pretty good vacuum sealer. In fact I just ran 20# of sticks through the smoker yesterday !!!
Making your own is a good idea, at least you know where the meat came from and you'll save quite a bit of money. Several years ago I invested in my own equipment....... grinder, slicer, meat mixer and 10# vertical stuffer along with a pretty good vacuum sealer. In fact I just ran 20# of sticks through the smoker yesterday !!!
buckbull
Veteran member
- Jun 20, 2011
- 2,134
- 1,306
most of the meat processing places i'm familiar with will not just make your meat into your sausage. They mix in multiple peoples meat. Thats why I just freeze my meat and take it in April or May to get processed. Figure its less likely to be mixed in with others meat.
OregonJim
Very Active Member
Sooner or later everyone has a bad experience with a processor.
I do my best to process my own whenever I can.
A few years ago I cut and wrapped a cow elk removing all bones day one.
On day 5, Hunting buddy one took in bull qtrs with back straps and hunting buddy two took in bull qtrs minus back straps.
Hunter two got more packages of back strap from processor, than hunter one, and I had about 20 lbs more meat than either.
On another hunt, with other processor, we got 20 packages of steak, 5 roasts, and about 60 packs of burger for an entire bull.....
after complaining we ended up with a bunch of meat wrapped in different packs..... complained a bit more and ended up with about 100 lbs of steer burger.
I bet some rancher was ticked when his steer came up a bit short!!!!!!!!
I do my best to process my own whenever I can.
A few years ago I cut and wrapped a cow elk removing all bones day one.
On day 5, Hunting buddy one took in bull qtrs with back straps and hunting buddy two took in bull qtrs minus back straps.
Hunter two got more packages of back strap from processor, than hunter one, and I had about 20 lbs more meat than either.
On another hunt, with other processor, we got 20 packages of steak, 5 roasts, and about 60 packs of burger for an entire bull.....
after complaining we ended up with a bunch of meat wrapped in different packs..... complained a bit more and ended up with about 100 lbs of steer burger.
I bet some rancher was ticked when his steer came up a bit short!!!!!!!!
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Topgun 30-06
Banned
As a retired state of MI Investigator for the MI Dept. of Agriculture, I have to say that the OP and some of you got screwed royally and that's why I do my own as much as possible.
az.mountain runner
Active Member
That is one reason I cut up my own. it should have been somewhere around 50% of the total weight you took in with possible10%loss due to drying out , that would be minus 8.9 lbs my figure is 80lbs returned to you,they scraped a lot of your meat when they trimmed it.
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WapitiBob
Veteran member
When you get tired of people doing things their way, you'll do it yourself. That's really the only way to be happy with the outcome. I let the local processor grind my separated muscles because they clean their grinder after every customer. Other than that, nobody touches my game meat.
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I personally NEVER take the backstraps or tenderloins in with the rest of the meat. They both come out so easily you may as well take care of them yourself.
Deer and antelope are small enough that I process them myself. It's really not that hard, just watch someone who knows how then give it a try.
Then you can take in all the trimmings to the butcher to have whatever you want made done for you.
Deer and antelope are small enough that I process them myself. It's really not that hard, just watch someone who knows how then give it a try.
Then you can take in all the trimmings to the butcher to have whatever you want made done for you.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
Ricochet, lots of butcher shops have a 100 lb. minimum for getting your own meat back. Sounds like you were well above that.
Some of the more unscrupulous (and lazy) sausage makers will combine several customers meat to make one large batch. Looks like you may have found one. The drying proccess removes excess water...But, 188 lbs. of meat & fat shrinking down to 61 lbs.?
You may want to find a different sausage maker, IMO.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
Yep buckbull, that's my take on it. I know folks who worked at butcher shops in Wisconsin that have hunted with me. He said they take in and proccess deer that should have been placed in a dumpster. Deer with the diaphram/lungs/heart still in, just partially field dressed that had been hauled around for days. And deer that have been riddled with bullets.
That's what they mix in with your meat, the meat that you took such good care of. No thanks, I proccess my own.