Who Taught You How To Process Meat?

[ScottR]

Admittedly, with two girls under two years old I have been bringing my meat to the processor the last two years due to schedule and time, etc. With all that said I have been wanting to fine tune my craft for when I start to do this again. Who taught you how to process?

For the most part I was self taught from resources like THIS. Other things like YouTube videos we did on the gutless method helped tremendously as well.

So just curious, who taught you and how much do you do yourself?

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

My Dad taught me and I am also self taught making sausage, brats and jerky. I also don't cut roasts, just steak, bbq and ground.

I have a big commercial grinder I bought at a meat market auction. I also have a brat stuffer and sausage/burger mixer.

 

[go_deep]

Self taught, by a lot of trial and error. I do everything, had a bad experience with a meat processor about 20 years ago, told myself I could do as bad of a job as they did for free, and I likely a lot better over time.
I'm not perfect but I do traditional cuts, along with different smoked meats, and mixed ground meats.

 

[Never in Doubt]

I watched a fair number of videos, then I tried it for myself. The biggest thing was someone told me not to worry if I didn't get it all of in nice, perfect cuts of meat. I wasn't going to be cutting like an experienced butcher right out of the gate. So focus on simply cutting off all the meat as best you can and learn as you go. That helped.

First deer I was by myself and I wasn't sure how it would go but I got it done. Gutless method. I've never gone to a butcher since. Cut and wrap it all myself. I don't grind anything or make sausage, but I would invest in some equipment if I was hunting larger game like elk.

I guess your question was more about processing meat than out in the field. I used to vaccum pack it all, now I just wrap in plastic wrap and then butcher paper.

 

[Hilltop]

My best friends dad taught me 99% of what I know. He has been in food service his entire life and really knows his stuff.

 

[SGM]

Self taught with a fair amount of trial and error. More on the making sausgae and things of that nature. The actual field part was pretty straight forward to me.

 

[Winchester]

Pretty much self taught. Lot's of trial and even more error.

 

[Doe Nob]

My father took a wild game butchering class offered at the IGA grocers in Gillette WY when i was young. SO I have learned a lot from him.

I know how to break them down and steak them out and my buddy has a grinder to do burger. I cut a lot of roasts around my elk but will likely make those either into pastrami or steak them out if i run out of other steaks. I do a lot of cubed too - works great for kabobs or stew meat.

I do not do my own sausages, slim jims or summer sausage. There are so many good processors around here, I can get really good finished product and a great variety - so I just drop off 25-40 lbs of trimmed meat per batch at wherever I want. Each place has a "best" specialty - the slim jim guy is not the same as the link sausage guy is not the same as the summer sausage guy.

 

[wa-hunter]

i have butchered with my day sense i was a youngster. but he was never into it as much as me so i learned how to do a lot of different things from trial and error. we now do everything from steaks, cube steaks, meat sliced very thin with slicer, burger, roasts, smoked and raw sausage, pepperoni, jerky, caned, bacon/lunch meat, and have even rendered bear fat... we are always trying new things and different ways of using meat.

 

[ScottR]

i have butchered with my day sense i was a youngster. but he was never into it as much as me so i learned how to do a lot of different things from trial and error. we now do everything from steaks, cube steaks, meat sliced very thin with slicer, burger, roasts, smoked and raw sausage, pepperoni, jerky, caned, bacon/lunch meat, and have even rendered bear fat... we are always trying new things and different ways of using meat.

I am hoping my daughters take to it and we can make it a family affair in the future. My wife wanted to work on learning how to process sausage but with the age of our kids right now it is tough.

 

[JEandAsGuide]

I learned a lot from my dad but some was learned on here and some self taught. We always used the gutless method growing up and I remember helping wrap and debone quarters when I was a youngster. I enjoy it and I like my boys seeing me do it. They're still a little small to get involved but will watch me until they get bored.

 

[JimP]

My dad, he would use 95% of the deer and or elk that I brought home.

He would of consider the gutless method wanton waste of good game meat. Just for the amount of meat left on the bones. He would make soup out of the bones and my mom made a fantastic boiled BBQ sauce flavored soup with the ribs where the meat would just fall off of the bones and be as tender as toilet paper, it was to die for. The hocks were thrown into the soup pot with beans and some bacon. I never did hear of ground game meat, all the trimmings was put into packages labeled either fry meat or stew.

 

[ScottR]

My dad, he would use 95% of the deer and or elk that I brought home.

He would of consider the gutless method wanton waste of good game meat. Just for the amount of meat left on the bones. He would make soup out of the bones and my mom made a fantastic boiled BBQ sauce flavored soup with the ribs where the meat would just fall off of the bones and be as tender as toilet paper, it was to die for. The hocks were thrown into the soup pot with beans and some bacon. I never did hear of ground game meat, all the trimmings was put into packages labeled either fry meat or stew.

I pack the hocks out, but haven't ever done a soup with them.

There are a few people who still do the rib roll thing in some places.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I pack the hocks out, but haven't ever done a soup with them.

Oso Bucco with the front lower legs!

 

[missjordan]

Self taught also with a lot of trial and error! I messed up big time on making my own sausage and ruined about 30lbs of meat but I'm slowly trying to work myself back into it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[gonhunting247]

I grew up helping the family process our own hogs, cows, sheep, chickens etc., as well as, cutting our own elk, deer and bear. I can't remember exactly when I learned, but Dad and Mom must have been the teachers. All six of us kids had to help with the meat processing just like anything else in our house. I've kind of customized my own methods, but it's still real similar to the original process I've been doing all along. I take great pride in changing peoples minds that say they don't like wild game. I can't remember one person that tried our home processed game that didn't really like it.

 

[ScottR]

I grew up helping the family process our own hogs, cows, sheep, chickens etc., as well as, cutting our own elk, deer and bear. I can't remember exactly when I learned, but Dad and Mom must have been the teachers. All six of us kids had to help with the meat processing just like anything else in our house. I've kind of customized my own methods, but it's still real similar to the original process I've been doing all along. I take great pride in changing peoples minds that say they don't like wild game. I can't remember one person that tried our home processed game that didn't really like it.

I love sharing game with people who have never had it!

 

[dustin ray]

Dad had us clean everything we killed at a young age his motto was you kill it you clean it and eat it. This reminds me of when i was about 8 years old i went with my dad deer hunting but i couldn't keep up with him so he left me at a large cactus patch with a 410 single shot and a pocket full of shells a canteen of water and a P&J sandwich 4hr later him came back to find a pile of Rabbits at least 30 i was so proud of my day of hunting Dad just smiled and loaded the rabbits in he pack and we went home i was up tell midnight cleaning cold stinky rabbits. Dad taught me how to butcher and try to be more selective on what i kill.
processing animals that iv harvested brings me much joy thanks to my Dad