Decided to process my 10 point that I shot on Tuesday morning myself. I hadn`t done one myself in 10 years. Total time to skin, quarter, rinse meat, put on ice and then put up everything and clean up everything was about 1.5 hours. I let the meat cool overnight and started on the meat processing yesterday. I cut both backstraps into jerky, 50% of both hindquarters into jerky (rest for grind), the shoulders boned out for grinding plus the neck meat for grinding. Took 3 hours to process, clean up and put things up. Total time was 4.5 hours. Ended up with 15 lbs. of jerky, 25 lbs. for grind. I had about 7 lbs. of trimmings that I tossed. This is the benefit of doing it yourself, because most of the trimmings I tossed would have been ground up at most processors. I still need to grind the HB meat and vacuum seal it, which will take another 1.5 hours with clean up time included. I have the jerky meat marinating and will start on it after letting it sit for a few days. My knife skills are still very good at 65, but I`m not as fast as I was when I quit cutting and managing a meat dept. in 2006 and 47 years old. I remember taking my 1st deer to a processor in 2018 after years of doing mine, my sons and grandsons. A young man unloaded it, I gave a small deposit and cutting instructions and then drove away with a smile on my face. I remember telling my wife that it was the best $$$ I ever spent. I still agree with that statement.

I like the thought of doing it myself but my processor is decent and for $100-120 it's cheap. I value that 4-6 hours a heckuva lot more than $100. I still do one-two every now and then as I have the grinder. I also have the meat mixer. If I ever found a great deal on a stuffer I would probably make quite a bit of my own sausage, as no one near me turns out what I want.

Whut?

I normally do my own as well. Processors usually aren't very convenient for me, but as I get older I'm anticipating using one more often, if not for every deer we take.

We cook the back straps like steak and muscle out the hams for jerky

You lost me with the back straps. That’s bananas.

I make all of it into jerky. Whole muscle and ground meat for jerky gun. Only way we eat deer meat. Didn`t mean to lose you Sneaky.
By the way Hudbone... Deer do not have hams. They have hindquarters.

That should be against the law

This is what we do.

We make chicken fried steak out of some. Run them through the tenderizer they are so good.

I processed a doe myself this past week. I took both backstraps and cut round medallion sized steaks. Take these small steaks, season them then pound them lightly with a meat mallet, flour lightly and fry in hot grease for a little bit then eat. Man, you talk about good! I made some gravy and mashed potatoes to go with it.
I then took both whole tenderloins and vacuumed packed them for later on the grill. Both hindquarters are used for carne guisada meat and ground hamburger, since I have my own, big electric grinder. If I get an old, stinky buck then I will make my own jerky in my smoker in the backyard. I definitely enjoy processing it myself, knowing that I am cleaning my deer meat the way I want it done.

I’ve taken one deer to a processor. It was an axis that I shot in uvalde, in June, and I was staying in a camper for the summer.

My wife and I can have one or two cut, ground and packaged in three hours or so. The dragging equipment out, cleaning up, and putting everything away takes as long or longer than the actual processing.

I’d rather do three deer than one.

I’d pay an extra hundred to not have someone else do it just to relive the memories of making sausage and jerky with my opie.

My kids are 6 and 10 and have cut meat and helped grind and stuff sausage a few years already I hope they keep tradition alive!

We ground 90 lb of venison and 10 pounds of pork fat 2 weeks ago turning the grinder on till last pack in the freezer was around 40 minutes kids helped and we had fun. Have burger for half a year now.

This is my favorite.

I paid to have the processor cut up the bulk meat and place it in 5 pound cry-vacced bags. When it came time for sauasage making, that meat was so dirty with tallow and such that it was not worth the added cost. Shot 6 last year and after already taking a nilgai, will will shoot 8 this year. I'll cut up each upon my return and bag them, freeze them and then pull out when ready for final processing

Bananas make good marinade!

I took two gutted deer to Fortson's in Waco 10 days ago...they took no money and sent a text on day 7 saying they were done.

$611 total
4# Jap/Cheese Summer Sausage
10# sweet chipotle sausage link
55# hamburger
55# hot breakfast sausage

The summer sausage and breakfast sausage have been sampled...both delicious. The time it saved me was well worth what I paid and I thought it was expensive

Oh...worth mentioning...tenderloins were left whole and the back straps were cut into medallions. No way I'm wasting that stuff on ground anything...back strap and tenderloins are golden little nuggets for us.

$300 a deer ain't bad

I'll usually process one doe a year into tamales and meatballs. Don't eat much sausage and Ill make my own jerky. Most of my processing goes into whole muscle joints that I will smoke or roast. Last one was a red stag that was around 500lbs on the hoof. Ended up with probably around 200lbs of boneless meat (estimation, didn't weigh) and only 30lbs of that was ground with most of that ground coming from the neck, flanks, shanks, and rib meat. I was able to knock that out in one day, but I did have a buddy around to help most of the time.

I just looked at their website. 110 bucks for basic and 17 dollars a lb. for jerky. So, my deer processed into 100% jerky like I`m going to do would be 790.00??? 110 basic + (40x17= 680)= 790. Is this correct??

https://fortsonstaxidermy.com/contact/

Using your numbers from your original post was " Ended up with 15 lbs. of jerky, 25 lbs. for grind."

So it would've been $110 basic + 15lb @ $17 per pound ($255) and then 25lb into ground burger was included in regular processing...so your total would've been $365. Very few processors will grind for jerky, they only slice for jerkey.

Yeah, I wasn't complaining...

My local processor is a good friend of mine who I`ve known for a long time. His prices are similar to Fortson's prices. I just texted him and told him I processed my own deer this season and that he worked to dam cheap. No way I`d do a basic cut for 110 bucks.

Took my Kansas deer and made jerky out of it except the backstraps. Never ruin backstraps. They should look like this.

I've processed mine most of the time. A good LEM grinder with pay for it self in a short amount of time. I know how my meat has been handled and what is in my grind.