How do you use your venison?

I was lucky enough to get a nice deer during the rifle season this year, and I butchered it myself. While butchering, I decided to do it in a way that would give me more options for cooking various meals. This is the 3rd deer I've butchered on my own, and each time I learn a bit more about how to do it. I'm still a total amateur at this since I don't know any professional butchers who can give me tips, so I figured maybe someone on this forum could provide ideas on additional things to try the next time, both in butchering and cooking options.

Here's how I butchered my deer (note: boneless for the most part), and what I plan to do with the cuts:
Ground meat, ~28.8 lbs: I use this in burgers (mostly), chili, pasta sauce, sometimes for jerky.
Loin chops, 4.4 lbs: These go on the BBQ rare or medium rare at most, salt and pepper or with "The Keg" steak spice mix, but not too much or it overpowers the flavour of the meat.
Steak (sirloin and top round), 9.8 lbs: Treated the same as loin chops.
Stewing meat, 10.6 lbs: I've been using a great stew recipe from Steve Rinella's wild game cookbook - it comes out awesome, but his recipe is way too salty, so you have to cut the amount of salt in half and consequently reduce the pepper a bit. I'll also give some to my in-laws since my mother in-law has been wanting to try to a venison stew recipe.
"Roast", 12.2 lbs: I have a variety of cuts here, and I still have to figure out what I will do with some of them. I tried to put more meat into roasts this year so that I can see what options I like the most.

• I kept 1.5 blade roasts with the bone in and the plan is to slow cook these. 1/2 a blade roast was lost to possible bone fragments, but I gave the waste to a friend who feeds his dog raw meat. He said his dog eats the bone and everything, but I took out any big pointy shards just to be safe.
• Eye of round roast: I heard this is supposed to be a great cut, but I've never made a roast with it before. I think I may have put it into stew previously. Comments?
• Bottom round roast: I plan just a traditional roast for these, or maybe jerky. In the past I put this into steaks, jerky, and one may have gone into stew. Comments?
• Tenderloin: Not really a roast, but I put it in this category anyway. I usually bbq these, rare.
• Loin roast: Usually I just make chops out of the loin, but this year I decided to try something new. I cut it so that it can be stuffed and rolled to make a roast. We'll see how it goes. I would hate to end up with some dried out, grey roast when I could have had delicious, rare BBQ chops instead.
• Shank (boneless, from the hind legs): I saved these from the grind pile at the last minute based on some videos I watched that said this cut is great in the slow cooker. We'll see. The last deer I butchered prior to this one I kept the front shanks for bone-in roasts in the slow cooker, but they are still in my freezer. I'll have to use them before I try the new shank roast.

Heart: I've kept the heart in the past, but always ended up having to freeze them, then gave them to the same friend with the dog. This time I was determined to use it myself. I cleaned it up then cut it into thin strips and made up a recipe and sauteed it. It came out surprisingly good. Nobody else in the family would try it.
Liver: I brought it home, as I have done in the past because I really want to use as much of the deer as possible. One year, in preparation for cooking the deer liver, I even ordered a liver dish at a restaurant to see what potential liver has, but I wasn't crazy about it. This year, as in the past, I wasn't adventurous enough to cook it. I gave it to my friend with the dog. Comments on how to use deer liver are especially welcome.

So, what are your favourite ways to prepare venison? What am I missing out on?

I grind the whole deer, 1lb packs.

I take steaks from all the main cuts in the hind quarters and backstraps, and grind the rest of the deer and store in 1.5lb packs. The big doe I shot back during the first gun season yielded 22.5lbs of steak, and 50lbs of ground.

I've never been a big roast fan. Nothing like rubbed venison steak in a searing hot cast iron pan -- YUM.

-N.

Good on you for doing your own butchering. It’s a great feeling to cut your own meat. You seem to have figured out all the proper cuts.
I’ve been home butchering for a long time. I always debone everything.
Most of the time I cut steaks the whole length of the back strap.
I then make 4 to 6 good size roast from the prime meat that can be cut in steaks later on.
The rest is all chunks to make Hamburg and/or sausage. Most sausage makers around here need a minimum of 20 lb. for them to do a batch of sausage.

Steaks, roasts and burger

One recommendation I would make is you mention loin chops - try this the next time, do them as a french rack - basically the loin chop with about 4-6 inches of the rib bone attached. That bone adds flavor if you ask me and will make a tasty part even tastier! :) You can do it with multiple bones to make a roast style and then slice into steaks or slice each into steaks when butchering.

I usually french cut the backstraps, debone hind quarters into sirloin tips, tops and bottoms and eye of rounds in whole or cut into portion sides remove all silver skins (sinew) but kept the shanks in whole so I can either slow roast / braised in whole or later cut into 1 inch disc for osso buco.

I kept the front shoulder in whole except shanks (same as hind quarters) and can either use for slow roast or debone later to make sausages if I ran out of stew meat from trimmings.

Will remove most silver skins from trimmings, wash and freeze and will be use for ground meat (meat grinds better when cold or partially frozen) all lymph nodes/ glands will be removed while processing.

Neck will be deboned and kept in whole, a butcher told me once I can always cut the larger piece into whatever portion I like but I can't put smaller chunks back into a roast.

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Originally Posted by sierra

One recommendation I would make is you mention loin chops - try this the next time, do them as a french rack - basically the loin chop with about 4-6 inches of the rib bone attached. That bone adds flavor if you ask me and will make a tasty part even tastier! :) You can do it with multiple bones to make a roast style and then slice into steaks or slice each into steaks when butchering.

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I don't have a meat saw, but I almost bought one this year to give me more options. Maybe I will try what you suggest next time. Damn, I wish deer had more loin meat, then it would be easier to try more than one or two options with the loin.

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Originally Posted by spcamno

Neck will be deboned and kept in whole, a butcher told me once I can always cut the larger piece into whatever portion I like but I can't put smaller chunks back into a roast.

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I struggled with what to do with the neck. I thought about keeping it bone-in, but it was huge, and I could not see getting enough people together who would enjoy it. I tried to debone it and still keep it as a roast, but my skills were not up to the task. Instead I deboned it and put the pieces in the stew and grind piles.

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Originally Posted by rf2

I struggled with what to do with the neck. I thought about keeping it bone-in, but it was huge, and I could not see getting enough people together who would enjoy it. I tried to debone it and still keep it as a roast, but my skills were not up to the task. Instead I deboned it and put the pieces in the stew and grind piles.

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Actually it's easier than you thought just use a boning knife or fillet knife (you will be just using the tip of the blade to follow the contour of the bone).

The neck bone has a funny looking structure but you will know once you did it it's not that difficult.

You can cut that into two large roast perfect for family gatherings or Christmas.

This video shows how this butcher did it:


https://youtu.be/Q3RZebnrD0I

The choicest cut on a deer in my books is the neck! It's the most heavily marbled piece of meat with interstitial fat.It makes the best roasts in the animal in my opinion. I cringe when I see hocked deer heads with 4 inches of neck meat wasted on them. I completely bone the neck out. Easy to do with a a boning knife or fillet knife. I usually get four good dized rolled neck roasts out of it. Crock pot on low is by far the best way to cook it. All I add is two cups low sodium beef stock, salt, cracked pepper, and a tiny shake of Montreal steak spice. It literally falls apart when you cut the strings.
Bone out your front quarters and make rolled shoulder roasts. Excellent in the crock pot.

You'll never waste another heart if you try it snitzel style. Soak whole heart in salt water overnight in the fridge. Trim off white waxy tissue and sino node, then cut into four even pieces. Pound lightly out with a meat hammer until about 1/4" thick. Dust in bag with flour, salt, pepper, and a dash of ground sage. Dip in egg wash and coat with Italian bread crumbs. Fry in butter. You can also make a basic brown sauce to put on it. OMG this is good!

Make your own simple pepperettes. No need to follow any fancy recipe and you don't need to own a hot smoker. Your gas BBQ works just as well. Skip the overpowering commercial sausage spice mixes unless you like to taste salt , sodium nitrates, and an overload of garlic, cumin, etc. You do not have to add "cure" or prague powder. Basic recipes usually call for added pig fat and lean pork, but I prefer straight ground venison. 22mm collagen casings are at TSE stores. Fill them dry with a basic meat grinder attachment. Into BBQ with closed lid on low for the prescribed recipe time, check internal temp is safely reached with meat thermometer, and throw a couple of cans of wood chips to smoke (just use an old tuna can on the grill). Ziplok bag and freeze them. Just pull out a bag, thaw and they're good in the fridge for a week. Fantastic with cheese and beer. They don't stick around long. I'll look for the recipe I use and I'll post it.

Grind the neck and shoulder meat and any trimmings.
Debone the hinds separating the muscle groups. Some is made in to Jerky the rest in to steaks.
Fillet off the back strap and cut in to steaks.

The thought of dropping off my deer to be processed by someone else scares the hell out of me... lol

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Originally Posted by Fenelon

The choicest cut on a deer in my books is the neck! It's the most heavily marbled piece of meat with interstitial fat.It makes the best roasts in the animal in my opinion. I cringe when I see hocked deer heads with 4 inches of neck meat wasted on them. I completely bone the neck out. Easy to do with a a boning knife or fillet knife. I usually get four good dized rolled neck roasts out of it. Crock pot on low is by far the best way to cook it. All I add is two cups low sodium beef stock, salt, cracked pepper, and a tiny shake of Montreal steak spice. It literally falls apart when you cut the strings.
Bone out your front quarters and make rolled shoulder roasts. Excellent in the crock pot.

You'll never waste another heart if you try it snitzel style. Soak whole heart in salt water overnight in the fridge. Trim off white waxy tissue and sino node, then cut into four even pieces. Pound lightly out with a meat hammer until about 1/4" thick. Dust in bag with flour, salt, pepper, and a dash of ground sage. Dip in egg wash and coat with Italian bread crumbs. Fry in butter. You can also make a basic brown sauce to put on it. OMG this is good!

Make your own simple pepperettes. No need to follow any fancy recipe and you don't need to own a hot smoker. Your gas BBQ works just as well. Skip the overpowering commercial sausage spice mixes unless you like to taste salt , sodium nitrates, and an overload of garlic, cumin, etc. You do not have to add "cure" or prague powder. Basic recipes usually call for added pig fat and lean pork, but I prefer straight ground venison. 22mm collagen casings are at TSE stores. Fill them dry with a basic meat grinder attachment. Into BBQ with closed lid on low for the prescribed recipe time, check internal temp is safely reached with meat thermometer, and throw a couple of cans of wood chips to smoke (just use an old tuna can on the grill). Ziplok bag and freeze them. Just pull out a bag, thaw and they're good in the fridge for a week. Fantastic with cheese and beer. They don't stick around long. I'll look for the recipe I use and I'll post it.

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Good info. something I've been looking for is a home jerky recipe. I use the commercial stuff and like the flavour, but I don't like the idea of all the salts, and especially the nitrates.
I did debone the neck, but it just looked like a mess when I was done, so I got frustrated and cut it all up.

We use a lot of grind
tenderloins left whole
backstraps cut into butterfly chops
serloins done into stewing cuts
flatirons whole for grilling
rest of the deer is ground with a medium plate

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Originally Posted by sierra

One recommendation I would make is you mention loin chops - try this the next time, do them as a french rack - basically the loin chop with about 4-6 inches of the rib bone attached. That bone adds flavor if you ask me and will make a tasty part even tastier! :) You can do it with multiple bones to make a roast style and then slice into steaks or slice each into steaks when butchering.

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Do you saw the rib bone to make them shorter?

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As a generic question to everyone about grinding:

Do you grind all cuts next 1/2 days after the kill?
Or freeze the grinding cuts and the de-frost/grind.make sausage etc/re-frost ?



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Originally Posted by newbiehunter

As a generic question to everyone about grinding:

Do you grind all cuts next 1/2 days after the kill?
Or freeze the grinding cuts and the de-frost/grind.make sausage etc/re-frost ?



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I grind as the last step of butchering. I shot the deer on Sat, meat was ground on Wed night. It was in the fridge in between. I just used my wife's KitchenAid mixer with the grinder attachment. Almost 30 lb seemed to be the limit for the machine. I had to stop a few times because I was worried it would overheat, but it does the job, and the meat comes out fine. Maybe freezing as mentioned earlier would make it easier?

We debone all of our deer and trim every bit of fat, silver skin, and sinew. Then we send the meat to the processor where it’s turned into kielbasa, peperettes, sausage, and smokies.

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Originally Posted by Sam Menard

We debone all of our deer and trim every bit of fat, silver skin, and sinew. Then we send the meat to the processor where it’s turned into kielbasa, peperettes, sausage, and smokies.

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I am curious: why go to all the trouble with trimming if it all ends up going through a grinder anyway? Don't get me wrong, I trim all the regular cuts very well, but stuff that goes in the grinder, not so much. I find that that a reasonable amount of fat, etc. in the ground meat does some good.

I debone most of the deer while it is hanging.
Due to the CWD "scare",i do not cut bone,do not use hatchet or a saw at all.
Just work with a knife.

I Break the spine if head goes to the taxidermist-way up at the skull,by rotating and rotating the head until it does not separate from the spine.Leave 1" meat around that area ,for good measure.
Where the deer was shot,i score with the tip of the knife 4x4 or so around the wound (if bigger area damaged-then i score more)and i do not touch that area.
Easier with a bowshot deer(almost no lost meat there)-but i seems to have more deer with slug.
The whole meat is "peeled off"from the skeleton.I take off the front and hind legs(easier deboning them on the workbench)then i debone everyhting.
I run a deboning knife between each rib,remove all meat from between ribs,and use the meat for stew or sausage.
Bone/scrap goes back to the area i took the deer from.
Few times i did the whole deer 100% while hanging,deboning and all-and at the end i had a "museum display" looking deer skeleton hanging in my garage.
I cut up all the meat as "it was a pig".
My granddad was a butcher,my uncle thought me how to process pigs back home.So-i juts do the deer as it is a pig.

Many times listen to these specific words-rump,brisket,chuck-and wonder what the heck they are on my deer.
But-i do as many here-nice grained meat goes for steak or chops,chunkier meat goes for roast.
Odd shaped meat,meat from the front legs,and where there is not so nice grained meat on the deer-goes for stew,or i grind it up (lesser portion-and just lately)for ground meat.
I remove,as many said ,all the silverskin, sinew ,and all the "clearly visible and accessible "fat.
I take some flat belly muslce area meat(the thin one)and cut them up,like 4x4 or so.After flattening /tenderizing with a kitchen hammer-they make excellent Wiener Snitzel.

I do use neck meat for stew meat or sausage!
After reading some comments here ,and watching the video how the guy does "fast and smooth"neck deboing,i will try next time a neck meat roast. Thanks guys for that idea!
My sausage meat is cut up 1x 1",frozen,and delivered to a local butcher eventually, who does my smoked sausage.
I ask him to add 40-50 % of pork fat(basically belly bacon)to the sausage. Tried to add less-but seems oddly dry for me.
I will try some internal organ recipes from here when next time comes.

I hardly use beef at all anymore. Treat most game meat like I would beef in a recipe. Still can’t beet a nice beef rib steak though.

Tender cuts like tenderloin and loin are hard to mess up, it’s learning how to cook the tougher cuts that has made the difference for me.

Neck and blade roasts are awesome seared in a Dutch oven and braised on low in some homemade stock for 8 hours. I just pulled one apart yesterday and added homemade taco seasoning for pulled venison tacos.

You mentioned using the shank meat. I used to curse my way through trimming it all down and grinding it. Now I cross cut with the bone in and make Osso bucco or leave them whole and braise then like a lamb shank. See link below if interested.

You also mentioned the inside round I believe. I cut this into medallions, pound them to 1/4 inch thick, flour, egg wash, then Italian breadcrumbs makes one hell of a venison parmasean. You’d be amazed at how many non game eaters become game eaters when you do more than just grind it.

https://honest-food.net/braised-veni...recipe-garlic/

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Originally Posted by fish and hunt

I hardly use beef at all anymore. Treat most game meat like I would beef in a recipe. Still can’t beet a nice beef rib steak though.

Tender cuts like tenderloin and loin are hard to mess up, it’s learning how to cook the tougher cuts that has made the difference for me.

Neck and blade roasts are awesome seared in a Dutch oven and braised on low in some homemade stock for 8 hours. I just pulled one apart yesterday and added homemade taco seasoning for pulled venison tacos.

You mentioned using the shank meat. I used to curse my way through trimming it all down and grinding it. Now I cross cut with the bone in and make Osso bucco or leave them whole and braise then like a lamb shank. See link below if interested.

You also mentioned the inside round I believe. I cut this into medallions, pound them to 1/4 inch thick, flour, egg wash, then Italian breadcrumbs makes one hell of a venison parmasean. You’d be amazed at how many non game eaters become game eaters when you do more than just grind it.

https://honest-food.net/braised-veni...recipe-garlic/

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Gotta try some of these suggestions!

Yep great suggestions

I do completely boneless, steaks, chops, the odd roast and the rest gets trimmed up in chunks, silver skin and sinew carefully removed and then meat is frozen until I get a few days in Jan or Feb that is going to be just above 0 C and let the meat just barely unthaw and do my grind in the unheated man-cave. I mix about 20% beef fat by weight in my grind and the flavor I find better then pork personally. I try not to open any neck or bones as I have no interest in brain or spinal fluids in my meat, just a personal choice if I can help it.
John

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Originally Posted by rf2

I am curious: why go to all the trouble with trimming if it all ends up going through a grinder anyway? Don't get me wrong, I trim all the regular cuts very well, but stuff that goes in the grinder, not so much. I find that that a reasonable amount of fat, etc. in the ground meat does some good.

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In most meat a little fat (marbling) does indeed add flavour. Same with deer but the exterior fat, the 'Tallow' is not very good flavour wise, in fact, it's rather nasty on the roof of your mouth. So the fat exterior are stripped off, as you have already done.

But then venison is too lean, so to make sausage, etc, you have to add pork fat (usually 20%) to keep the meat moist enough to work with.

Keep the Tallow if you are into Black Powder and you (or someone you know) can render it into bullet lube :)

A sizeable portion of my venison goes to ground and is utilized in recipes such as spaghetti, taco's...etc.
Excellent dishes that we enjoy a plenty.

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Originally Posted by newbiehunter

Do you saw the rib bone to make them shorter?

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Yes, exactly. :)

For backstraps and tenderloins, I always leave them in oil with some salt, pepper, and garlic overnight. Then BBQ them the following day.
For Shoulder roasts, I will slow cook them in a pan with potatoes for a couple hours. On old deer I will cube it and pressure can it.
For Rump and Round I will cube them and add onions, salt, pepper, and pork lard and slow cook them in a pan for 2 hours. But I will primarily use this for pressure canning. Especially on older deer.
Rib meat, Flanks, and shanks, I will grind down for burgers and sausages. I add salt, pepper, onions, garlic, fish batter (or tortillas), and add 1/5 pork fat.
Heart and liver cubed and slow cooked like a shoulder roast. However I do not eat liver from deer over 3.5 years old.

https://outgrilling.com/venison-snack-sticks/

Folks here is the link for the easy peperette recipe where you can use your BBQ or home oven. Click "skip to recipe" button to get the recipe with ingredient quantities. You could add pork or beef fat to this one if you want a softer stick. There's also some good summer sausage recipes here too. Make sure your wife has a good sense of humour before eating these sticks, as they tend to make the average man's bum speak a little after having a feed. Have an annoying, clinging girlfriend that you want to dump? Eat about three pounds of these, wait about two hours, then take her on a final date to the bowling alley...

Something to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet is to utilize the bones in making a killer game stock. But don't take my word on it, let Hank tell ya!

https://honest-food.net/venison-stock/

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Originally Posted by bhanley

Something to consider that hasn't been mentioned yet is to utilize the bones in making a killer game stock. But don't take my word on it, let Hank tell ya!

https://honest-food.net/venison-stock/

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Interesting idea. I figured using deer bones would result in a strange flavour - I think most agree that deer fat does not taste great, so I assumed bones, marrow etc. would be similar. This year, I gave all the bones to a friend for his dog - figured that at least they aren't going to a complete waste. Maybe next time I will keep some to try making stock.

I have a friend who's a chef and he got all excited when I told him he could have the skeleton of my two deer after I'd boned them both out. He took the long bones from the front and hind legs and split them on a bandsaw, exposing the narrow. He then took a clove of peeled garlic and crushed it with his big chef knife. This went into a glass bowl and he poured boiling water on it. He then melted butter in a pan and added a bit of the garlic water. This then was brushed onto the marrow of the sectioned bones. He then grilled it in the oven for about 20 mins until the surface was brown. The bones then went into a stock pot. Beef stock was
added and he then put in potatoes, celery, carrots, carrot tops, onion and parsley, salt, bay leaf, sage, and pepper. This boiled all day until it rendered down to almost jelly. He then put it into ice cube trays and froze it. The flavour in this reduction was incredible. He'd pop a few cubes into brown sauces, gravies, stews.

Great chef's idea to make more use of the animal. Something that the first inhabitants of this country did as well. Nothing went to waste.
Wife made a fantastic venison spaghetti tonight. Belly is full with this healthy meal.

A simple recipe I tried this year with moose cut femur bone:
Just whisk with oil
Add spice of choice
Roast it in stove until golden and bone marrow starts detaching from bone

Place it in serving plate, decorate with fresh chopped dill
Serve with garlic bread



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