Here are the results of my butchering. I am truly grateful for the food that I am able to provide my family. Between the deer I harvest, the generosity of my friend Seth this year and my friend Jayson in past years I have been able to save on our yearly grocery bill by using venison rather than beef in most of our red meat meals. Not only does it save money it's much healthier for us all. There is very little waste other than the hide of the animal. I cut all of the meat from the bones and the bones are saved for the dogs (I gave these ones to the farmer that Ariel worked for, she raises herding dogs for her sheep and I felt it was a fair exchange for letting me hunt their property.) The meat is separated into stew meat, steak meat and everything else that can be ground up into burger. If I get more than one deer during the year I will often save a brisket or the occasional roast but tend to stick to the 3 basic cuts mentioned earlier. Growing up I witnessed my Uncle and cousins butchering deer, they all worked as meat cutters in their 8-5 jobs and by paying attention to what they were doing (despite the fact I was usually stuck packaging) I have been able to save money by processing my own meat. I think the greatest part of this is I am teaching my family to be self supportive by hunting for meat, raising chickens for eggs and meat and the joys of growing fruits and vegetables. Now don't get me wrong we still rely heavily on our local grocery store but there is still a great deal of satisfaction knowing that if needed I can ensure my family will not go hungry.
4 comments:
Yes, Charlie, you are a good provider for your family. It makes me feel good that all three of my children have grown up to provide for their children. Your Dad was a hard worker and always worked 60 to 80 hrs. per week. He never got to retire and enjoy retirement. You do a great job carving the meat and packaging it for the freezer! I am most proud of you.
Mom
Thanks, now I'm hungry!
Very cool article, kudos on the catch.
Thanks for commenting on my blog...your words were very encouraging.
Very cool that you shot a deer. I'm still waiting for mine. :D I found it interesting that I have sat out in the woods for a total of 4 1/2 hours today and the only deer I've seen have been from our kitchen window. Ahhh, the joys of hunting. :)
God's blessings,
~Bethany~
We process our own as well. I found a recipe for corned venison. We absolutely love it! It tastes just like corned beef only better. You can eat it with a spoon.
Also, we take all of our bones & put them on the smoker for an hour on medium to low. Then we transfer them to the big outdoor pot & boil the meat for a half hour or so.
You wouldn't believe the amount of meat we salvage. We make barbque out of it. It is some of the best meat on the deer. As the old saying goes, "Sweetest is the meat that is closest to the bone".
I posted on our recent deer stories. Thanks for your post. Come to Georgia & We'll take you wild hog hunting. Open season all year.
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