Venison Sausage, Jerkey, snack Sticks and many other tasty treats are a common eats with today's deer hunters. However, I have come across a few places that offer this service along with their butchering, but their ads all state "you may not get your exact deer meat back with any order of our Venison Sausage Sticks." Once I seen this, I started wondering, how many people really don't care if they get their actual deer meat back they brought in? Since I do all my own butchering and make all of my on Sausage and Jerkey, I don't have to worry about this. So I would like to know, how many fellow hunters get some type of Venison Sausage made from their deer kill and would you be ok if you got your sausage from someone else's deer meat?
I started doing my own processing, and sausage making, because of this very reason. It WAS and IS important to me to know that the venison I harvested is what is going into the products, or on the grill. I have no idea how some folks handle their deer after the shot, but I do know I don't want my venison mixed in with venison that was laying in the trunk of a car for a day and a half before the processor got ahold of it. That, and the price of processing has skyrocketed, so I save a few bucks doing it myself. Besides that......I think it's good to have the skills to be able to do it yourself.
I process my own deer for the same reasons others stated. I put a great deal of effort in making sure that the gutting is done correctly and the body cooled down. I am very particular on aging and when I process I trim all fat and silverskin. I do have a friend that makes my sticks and sausage for me but he is a one at a time processor so it is only the meat from my deer getting done up.
I'm trying to learn to process my own. The last deer i took in was shot and cleaned very well and kept cool. Took her to what I thought was a good processor in the area. Got it back and it was the worst tasting deer I've ever eaten. We couldnt even finish it. I found out later they give you back your deer along with 10 other peoples. Since then i decided it was something I needed to learn to do on my own.
I fed it all summer on my farm land. I shot it. I gutted it. I carefully cooled and hung it. I want my deer!
Most processors, if not all, do batch processing because its cost affective. I can understand that but like y'all stated I don't want someone else's spoiled or gut shot meat. Hopefully by the end of this year I will have my processing room mostly finished. A 20X21 room central drain with a door to the smoke house and a door to a walk in cooler. Thanks to great neighbors and friends I will have plenty of help finishing the project (I hope)
No way I'm taking somebody elses deer meat. I do everything myself. Very particular in every step of the process.
Places I know of have to put out this disclaimer even though they keep deer separate. Because they don't grind one animal, than clean all the equipment before grinding the second. They run them through one by one and clean after they are all done. so there will be some mixing from residual left in the equipment.
Very important to me. I break down and trim the animal myself. I cut the steaks and vacuum seal. I do have sausage made at a place I trust. I have to pay extra to have it made seperate but I'm fine with that.
i`m a work in progress. This upcoming season I will try it again, I tried a season ago on a nice doe I harvested. She weighed in at about 90lbs gutted, and by the time I was done literally "butchering" her myself, I had 4lbs of meat!! So, hopefully this year, I get better at it! What a moron!!!!!!!!!!
I do all my own now. It did bother me just because of the reaping your own reward aspect. I know the butcher I used to use though and he thoroughly inspects meat and will discard if anything looks questionable. Afterall it's his name on the final product. He told me he's had many customers get mad and one guy arrested for acting like a fool because over half of the meat he brought in was discarded and he flipped out.
We keep all of our grind in the freezer and take it in a month or so after deer season. I have never understood why more people didn't do this?
This video is a pretty good way to do things. There's more than one way to skin a cat......or deer. watch the next 3 videos after this one. There's 4 parts to the whole segment. How To Process Your Deer - YouTube
That is what I do as well but it still gets mixed with others. The good part about it is the people that typically wait also treat their meat better. I'm not worried about it. You guys think the slim jims or hot dogs you are eating is all perfect meat? hahahahaaha
Mine is not getting mixed, maybe you are going to a large butcher facility? For the most part I really wouldn't care either. Would also add I am not supplying the cheese or pork/beef fat that is getting added.
No its a small shop. I guess I don't know for sure (and don't really care) as I never asked. I always assumed it was mixed as they are not going to do a batch for 30 lbs of sausage venison I'm guessing? Again its just sausage and correct they supply the pork to go in the mix anyway.
If we run in to a situation where the meat is bad, we immediately call the customer and inform him, or her of what we found. The very first question is: (Do you want to come inspect the meat for yourself? If not we will destroy it for you.) As far as someone freezing their meat and bringing it in after season. This is not me, but their are a lot of people who want the freshest meat possible used to make their product. Most of my snack sticks are gone by the end of the season. Family take it out on all day sits, Thanksgiving meat and cheese trays and even Christmas gifts pretty much use up my Sausage and stix.
