Rod Carpenter

You went out and through hard work and a little luck were able to harvest some wild game this year. You kept it clean, got it home, skinned, hung and cooled.

Now what?

You want to get it butchered and in the freezer so you can enjoy those tasty steaks all winter long, but how? It seems like it is harder and harder to find someone to do the butchering for you these days.

Many moons ago, I took a deer to a butcher and was sadly disappointed in the quality and quantity of meat I got back. Since then, I have done all of my own butchering.

It isn’t my favorite part of the hunt, for sure. However, I like being in control of the quality of the outcome, and it isn’t really all that hard to do.

The downside is that it does take some time. I can do a deer in three or four hours. An elk takes six hours or so.

Naturally, there are thousands of tutorials on the internet. I like Randy Newburg and the Bearded Butchers myself. Basically, you just separate the individual muscle groups off the bone and determine if they are going to be good for steaks, roast or burger.

I almost always burger the front shoulders and trim meat of any big game animal. A 600-watt grinder won’t set you back much and, with the price of burger at the store over $4 a pound, will pay for itself pretty quick.

You health nuts can grind straight meat for lean burgers. Adding some pork fat or bacon adds a nice flavor. Last year I found some jalapeno bacon that I added to my burger grind, and it was amazing.

The backstraps are always steaks. The hindquarters are usually a mix of steaks and roasts. If the muscle has little connective tissue running through it, it gets turned into steak. Otherwise it becomes roast. Fat and connective tissue contain most of the wild flavor, so try to trim off as you can for better-tasting meat.

Lots of folks like to package their meat with a vacuum sealer. It works, but personally, I’m not a fan. In my opinion it takes longer and the packaging isn’t as neat.

I like to put the meat in Ziploc freezer bags and wrap it in a double layer of freezer paper. It is important that you squeeze out as much air as you can from the bag before sealing it or it will freezer-burn quickly.

As with all things in life, it takes some practice, but it is worth the effort.

Once you get the basics of butchering down, you can branch out and try making jerky, pepperoni sticks or summer sausage. As I said earlier, butchering isn’t my favorite part of hunting, but it does give me a sense of pride and satisfaction in my ability to be just a little bit more self-sufficient.

Have a favorite big game recipe you want to share? Let us know at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com.