Hanging head up makes removing the stomach, intestines, and bladder a bit easier, and is less likely to contaminate the meat when this is done.
Note that the kidneys and liver will usually stay attached by their supporting membranes, but if you plan to save them to eat, be careful they do not spill out with the stomach.
Try wrapping the bladder in a ziplock bag while it is still attached. Zip up the bag as far as it will go. Then cinch down below where you plan to make your cut with a small rubber band or zip-tie. When you make your cut, the bladder will be safely enclosed in the ziplock, even if you rupture or pierce it, saving the meat. Here, having a water hose handy in case of an accident is very helpful.
Take care to cut only the skin, and not the muscles or abdominal tissues, as hair will contaminate the meat in these areas.
If muscle tissue is pulling loose with the skin, scrape or slice through it so it doesn’t tear loose as you go. Slicing the subcutaneous membranes will make the skin easier to pull free.
If skinning by hand, pull the skin down a bit, then slice the tissue that attaches it to the muscles underneath it, working a little at a time. If you want to save energy and use a four wheeler or even a truck, you can tie a golf ball or a similarly sized stone under the skin, looping your rope around it, then tie the free end to the vehicle. Drive slowly away from the carcass, pulling the remaining skin from the deer with very little effort.
If you want to save the antlers, but not the head, you’ll need to use a saw to remove a portion of skull about an inch from the base of the antlers. If you want to save the entire head, keep it cool and skin (see below) it. Save any meat from the skull you wish to keep and boil the skull for several hours, removing the tissue and bleaching the skull. Clean it afterward with hydrogen peroxide to get it white.
Avoid freezing the meat right away, as freezing will inhibit the aging process and speed its spoiling after the meat is thawed. [7] X Research source
If you don’t have a garage, talk to friends and other hunting acquaintances to find a suitable location. Or follow the first few steps of the breaking down process to quarter the meat and age it in a spare refrigerator. The quarters from an average deer should fit in a standard fridge. [8] X Research source Err on the side of too cold. Generally, you’ll freeze at least some of the meat after breaking it down anyway. Be very careful not do let your venison spoil by aging it above 40 °F (4 °C). [9] X Research source Make sure to keep a thermometer in your aging space.
If you don’t have a meat hook, try using an old wire hanger inside the carcass to hang the deer.
This causes the surface of the meat to dry, but don’t worry–this can be trimmed off during the butchering process. The meat will continue to grow more tender for 16-21 days.
Try setting up a portable card table or picnic table and cleaning it with food-safe sanitizer before you begin.
After you’ve made an incision, you may need to put one hand on the hind quarters and one hand on the for legs or neck area and bend them toward each other to break the back in half.
To remove them, run your knife along the inside of the backbone (for the tenderloin) or the outside of the backbone (for the backstraps), and work the meat loose of the ribs and keeping the edge of your knife as close as possible to the bone, to get as much of the meat as possible. Use long even cuts as you pull the meat away from the bone. You’ll find these in both the hind quarters and rib section of the carcass. This is the best cut for steaks or roasts.
Alternatively, you can leave the entire backbone area intact for cutting into chops with a meat saw later. To do this, leave the tenderloins and backstraps in place, and remove the upper shoulders by cutting the muscles that attach them to the chest, working from the bottom (the armpit) up, lifting on the leg as you do so. Since there are not joints in the bones connecting the front shoulders to the chest, a good, sharp knife is all you will need.
If you want to leave the bone in, cut the hindquarters from the deer by sawing through the pelvic bone on either side of the spine, then separate the ham from the hock by cutting through the joint. If you want to remove the hams from the bone completely, work the hind legs off the hip by working your knife into the ball and socket joint, lifting the leg away from the carcass as you work. Next, position the ham at a perpendicular angle and about 1⁄2 inch (1. 3 cm) from the top, perpendicular to the leg bone, and cut straight down through the ham. Cut the meat from the leg bone by shifting your knife parallel to the bone. You can immediately cut this meat into steaks or leave it whole for stewing or roasts.
If you have a meat grinder, take this opportunity to grind the neck and flank muscles for sausage or ground venison. Cube the shoulder meat for stewing or leave it whole for slow roasting. Cut steaks 3/4 of an inch thick, across the grain.
Don’t forget to date the meat. Meat procured this way is all-natural, healthy, and hormone free. It should remain good for at least a year.
