Deer processing: I have questions, gosh darnit

[BlackHogDown]

Hey gang,

It's been a looong time since I've been on TBH. And now I can call myself a real bowhunter. I'll post about that separately... Eventually...

So, my buck is gutted, skinned, and chopped into quarters, on ice. Tenderloins and backstrap removed. I've been reading about getting it processed and how some processors prefer to have the skin on, whole, and other variables.

What are my options in the Houston area, given the work already done?

(I'm in Canyon Lake right now... Earl Bateman prepped my deer, and I'm debating on leaving it with a processor here to pick up at a later date, or taking it home to Houston).

Thanks! 😁

There's a great episode of Meat Eater on Netflix where Rinella breaks down a couple deer. Even shows how to separate the hams into the different muscle groups, "roasts". Very informative

[meltingfeather]

I absolutely know processors who have a stated policy of not accepting quartered animals so they can age it properly and not deal with or have responsibility for the hack jobs that show up covered in dirt and/or hair.
Granzins ftw.

[HoustonHunter94]

I am with the "Go ahead and finish it yourself" crew. YouTube would be a great resource to videos on how to process your deer.

[TxBowHntr]

B and W Meat Market in N. Houston is great! Some of the best sausage I have had. Really like the Spicy Smoked. Plus they are very reasonable. I dropped off 3 deer last year, had 100lbs. of link sausage and 20lbs of pan sausage made along with all the other processing, and the grand total was $300ish. I highly recommend them

[AntlerCollector]

B and W Meat Market in N. Houston is great! Some of the best sausage I have had. Really like the Spicy Smoked. Plus they are very reasonable. I dropped off 3 deer last year, had 100lbs. of link sausage and 20lbs of pan sausage made along with all the other processing, and the grand total was $300ish. I highly recommend them

That's a good price

[SwampRabbit]

Chalk me up as a DIYer. If you have the space to store it, a grinder is an invaluable piece of equipment that will pretty much pay for itself the first time you use it vs some of these processing costs I've heard about. In Houston we have a pretty good store on the northish side of town (at least from you) called alliedkenco that has all the butchering, seasoning, recipes, packaging supplies that you could ever need. If you are not going to do a lot of processing over time, you don't need a commercial grade grinder, and you can pick them up from the Cabelas down near you or Academy, etc.

BTW, burger is really easy to make up. If you like a little fat in your burger, just call up HEB meat department and ask them for their beef fat trimmings from when they trim their organic steaks. Then you can mix it however you like.

For pan sausage, just buy a pork butt on sale at the grocery store and grind/mix it at whatever ratio floats your boat and add seasoning.

It is when you want stuffed smoke sausage that a processor really shines. Those are a bit more time consuming and involved to make. But for everything else, DIY is pretty straight forward.

[Bowtech Lefty]

if you’re looking for a processor in the canyon lake area, you may want to consider granzins. They do a great job! I really like their dry sausage, and buck sticks.

This....they do a great job, i love their spicy sausage!

[ladybluearm]

Process it yourself, yes it takes time to do it right ,but you will have your deer meat and less expensive. We do all of ours. Once you buy a grinder it will pay for itself after a deer or two.

[donpablo]

LEM is your friend:

https://www.lemproducts.com

Also, if you haven't already cut the strap into pieces, you should search boudin stuffed backstraps on the recipe forum here. AMAZING!!!

[texashunter]

Just my opinion, considering the stage you are at, finish it up yourself. Freezer paper or vacuum sealer, tenderloins whole, slice the strap, keep front shoulders whole (BBQ whole), separate the hams into their own muscle sections and slice the larger (steak), qube/grind the smaller (stew/burger).

Check out some vids on Youtube, best of all you have your deer, not someone else's gut-shot/back of truck for 2 days meat.

Good luck.

Agree

[sotol]

On the other hand, if you gut shot it or left it in your truck for a couple of days, take it to a processor. Lol.

Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk

[Hooverfb]

Im in the process yourself camp. I dunno why, but just jives with the same reason i enjoy bowhunting. There's lots of good tutorials on YouTube. Guy i like is scott rea if ypu look him up.

[BBReezen]

Some processors actually prefer the deer to not be quartered.

Reason why is some people don't know how to quarter a deer and keep it clean. Busted bladder, gut shot not washed off, and the main reason is hair. I've seen a processor refuse to process and turn away a quartered deer (not mine) that was absolutely covered in hair and dirt.

I knew one also that didn’t want anything but a gutted deer. The hair was his main reason

[Guardian Reaper]

DIY is not bad, if you have some of the equipment as previously stated. Not meant to hijack the thread, but there is a very good video on youtube,,,"skin and process a deer in 10 minutes". The guy goes slower and explains a great process. I have used this in a very similiar way, for over ten years which works great. Gets all of the meat and is extremely clean. My processors always complement on how clean everything is.

[brokeno]

Rust Game place in clear springs is good and you can drop your deer off and have onion rings and catfish next door. They will make sure you get your deer and have a quick turnover