New to deer processing

I plan on doing my own processing this year....smoking sausage, jerky, breakfast sausage, etc. but I have essentially no experience.

I've made breakfast sausage in the past using some venison I trimmed off before sending off to get sausage made. I found a pretty good recipe and used my kitchen aid grinder to get through it. So now that I'm upping the game I'd like to know which essential tools/appliances I'm going to need. I've made a list below please let me know if I left anything off.

Better meat grinder
Meat/sausage stuffer
good cutting table
bins
jerky gun
foodsaver
freezer paper and roller
smoke house (already built)
good deboning and cutting knives

Anything else?

vacuum sealer....

That's what a foodsaver is.

I'd say that list has it pretty well covered.

not sure how your smokehouse is set up, but I suggest folks build a nice set of smoking/drying screen racks to lay the meat out on for strip jerky or shooter jerky.

Man that is awesome!

oh.... ok good lol

I use a fillet knife to debone with, I find its easier to manipulate it around to bones.

If you buy a decent grinder, it will come with the sausage tube to stuff with. You don't need a separate stuffer, some guys say it's faster with a separate stuffer, and it may be, but it's not really a necessity

Thanks for the input. I thought of something else...would a meat tenderizer come in handy? If so, would a hand held be ok for a couple deer or would I need to get a crank version?

Either way, up to you really on the tenderizer. Every year I keep saying I'm gonna go buy a cranker, but don't and still end up using the ol' hand held.

We have a tenderizer attachment on our grinder. We don't use it much, but it sure is easy.

That is cool just to look at.

Agreed.

For,small amounts I just use something called a Jaccard. Mine has over 40 blades and I hit the meat at all angles on both sides a few times. For large quantities, like 40 pounds plus, you might want to invest in a mechanical one. Either way in my experience you will get better tenderizing when your meat is 3/4 thawed and not completely thawed. I don't like to add chemical tenderizers or MSG booster to field game.. You also can trim silver skin better when meat is slightly frozen. I know guys like to completely bleed out meat to that is quartered in a cooler. I prefer a slow process using blocks of ice instead. When I get it home I remove the ice and allow the meat to dry age for a day to help natural muscle break down, about 40-45 degrees. Then gently wash and cut your portions. I like to wrap in butcher paper or wax paper, the go into a zip lock bag. Less desirable meat like rib, if some of you take the time, leg, neck etc are ground for sausage with a homespun crank grinder. I like to add a bit of domestic poor at about 20% to deer, add the seasoning and slow smoke in smokehouse for a few days, depending on load. Of course if you want pan sausage, the smoke for a few hours and freeze.

Alarm for the freezer - for when temp gets too warm because:
-power out tooo long, gets unplugged, breaker/gfci trip
-freezer stops working
-kids take popsicles out and leave door open (not fully closed)
-wife digs thru freezer to pull roast out, re-arranging and causing items to 'push' door back open
.... and on and on...

After all your hard work - hate to see any go to waste/bad ..

Zip me a email later in the year when your ready for some jerky, i got it down pat now,
about 4yrs in the making, never give it much thought but started something few years back,
and its a killer...... Full recipe, some simple spices from your pantry and your done.....

We do all own processing also fully, except i have a local brenham meat plant make my
50/50 smoked sausage..... dont have a large smoker for that yet, im not retired yet, but have
fun doing it, yes its work, but all worth it, we seldom buy meat during the year.

My pan sausage is so-so, still searching for right recipe.

Not sure what your setup is, but you need a big clean table, meat grinder from hell, and plenty of
time on your hands!


and your set......


thanks, hogflyer..... (hogflyer@gmail.com)

At least they are not paper thin like you see in most stores today....

my family (both sides) made their sausage long before there were "processers"
old world traditions...
a separate stuffer is best...
todays LEM products are great tools that Grampa would have loved to use.

Yep