Meat Processing Book?

[Bigfeet]

Hoping to find a book on how to process your own meat. Specifically, on the cuts that come from the various muscle groups. I've done my own processing for a few years, but really don't know which cuts are which. The other day I received an email message from Elk Hunter Magazine about a new book called Meat Processing for the Western Hunter. Looked perfect but, as I'm in Canada, the shipping and exchange rates would result in a $14.95 book costing over $50.00 Canadian. That is a little too much for that book. Any recommendations on a different book like this?
Thanks.

 

[twall13]

I haven't read it yet but I plan on purchasing Steven Rinellas book on butchering and processing game. He has one for small game and one for big game I believe. I know others on here have it so their comments might be more insightful.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Are you making specialty cuts? I just seam out whole muscles and using some beef/cow lingo I just view it as the following, the ones I'm using you don't need a full book to learn. If you're going beyond then by all means.

Back straps (I don't call them NY strip but that is what they'd be)
Tenderloin (I don't call it fillet but that is what it'd be)

Rear:
Top Round (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "round" since I use them the same)
Bottom Round (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "round" since I use them the same)
Eye of Round
Sirloin - the tip (Deer/antelope I leave as one mini football, elk I'll break up into pieces)
The rest I grind up, if I have large whole muscle pieces of trim from up upper part of the rear I'll just label "rear pieces" and they'll be used for stew or grind as needed later. The upper sirloin tends to fall into this category for me.

Front:
Mock tender (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)
Top blade (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)
Shoulder (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)

Neck/rib/flank/brisket I grind.

 

[elkyinzer]

Rinella's book is pretty good, I thumbed through it. Could go a little more in depth into specialty cuts but it covers the basics pretty well and has good pictures.


Here are some of my suggestions from experience:

-Practice, just cut every chance you get. My first deer I did myself in college to save money after going to a butcher all my life. I had no clue what I was doing and it took me about 8 hours, but I loved it. I didn't even have a grinder, I did old fashioned mincemeat. I still get faster and better with each one. You'll develop your own routines and learn what cuts you prefer.

-Use sharp knives, makes trimming silverskin so much easier. Make sure you're using a knife with some flex, I don't own a proper boning knife. I love my 6" fillet knife.

-Shanks are amazing, learn how to braise them and never foul your grinder again. They have become one of my favorite cuts of meat although it's an apples to oranges comparison with backstrap.

-Keep pre-freezer processing to a minimum. \If you want to process further into roasts or stew cubes, do it when you get it out to cook it. You can turn a roast into a steak but you can't put steaks back together.

-"Grade" out your trim for burger. By this I mean I separate my trim into two grades. The prime stuff, with very little sinew, goes into one pile, these make burgers and meatloafs...less processing and seasoning at cooking. The lesser grade, not gross stuff, but just more sinewy, that's better slow cooked like in chilis. I actually freeze the trim and grind it fresh when I want to eat it, but that is just me being picky and not 100% necessary.

-Keep the meat good and cold before grinding, almost frozen is perfect. Goes through so much easier with less fouling.

I ran across this pictorial and have sent it to a couple friends looking for instruction, it covers the basics well. It has a good picture of what you should end up with after cutting the hams into the muscle groups.
http://www.ohiosportsman.com/threads/butchering-your-deer.38990/

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

You can turn a roast into a steak but you can't put steaks back together.

Yup. I'll cut a handful of steaks I know I'll use up but generally leave stuff in usable roasts. For deer/antelope that usually means each muscle on its own (1-3lb roast) and cut the backstraps in 2-3 pieces. Elk I cut each muscle into a couple pieces which as noted can later turn into steaks/stew/full roast/jerky/etc. as desired.

I'm getting hungry.

 

[Flojoe]

I have Steven Rinellas book. It's a great book and helps with the basics, but don't think it's what you'd be looking for. I was hoping for the same thing about processing out certain cuts of meat when I bought the book, but it didn't quite give me what I was looking for.

 

[AdamW]

I have Steven Rinellas book. It's a great book and helps with the basics, but don't think it's what you'd be looking for. I was hoping for the same thing about processing out certain cuts of meat when I bought the book, but it didn't quite give me what I was looking for.

Agreed. Great books by Rinella, but the butchering part is pretty stripped down.

 

[Tod osier]

Are you making specialty cuts? I just seam out whole muscles and using some beef/cow lingo I just view it as the following, the ones I'm using you don't need a full book to learn. If you're going beyond then by all means.

Back straps (I don't call them NY strip but that is what they'd be)
Tenderloin (I don't call it fillet but that is what it'd be)

Rear:
Top Round (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "round" since I use them the same)
Bottom Round (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "round" since I use them the same)
Eye of Round
Sirloin - the tip (Deer/antelope I leave as one mini football, elk I'll break up into pieces)
The rest I grind up, if I have large whole muscle pieces of trim from up upper part of the rear I'll just label "rear pieces" and they'll be used for stew or grind as needed later. The upper sirloin tends to fall into this category for me.

Front:
Mock tender (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)
Top blade (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)
Shoulder (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)

Neck/rib/flank/brisket I grind.

We do just as you, but grind more (usually all of the front shoulders - make a lot of sausage). I used to cut steaks, but now leave as roasts and cut steaks after thawed if we want steaks that day.

What do you do with the sirloins left as a roast? I always cut mine for stew or jerky thinking that all the connective tissue in there would be too much as a roast or steak. Have I been missing out all these years?!?!?

I have butchered a lot of animals over the years and it still takes me a long time start to finish, but I also get a lot of pride out of having everything look real nice and I like to cook with perfectly cut meat.. I'll say 8 man hours easy on a deer from bone in to sealed.

 

[elkyinzer]

The sirloin/tip/football roast does have some tendons but it's not too bad for dry roasting. I more often braise it and really enjoy making corned venison out of it.

 

[robby denning]

not a book but always check wildeats.com, McGannon is a world class cook AND a hunter so you gives some great advice. His aging advice totally changed how I do venison

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

We do just as you, but grind more (usually all of the front shoulders - make a lot of sausage). I used to cut steaks, but now leave as roasts and cut steaks after thawed if we want steaks that day.

What do you do with the sirloins left as a roast? I always cut mine for stew or jerky thinking that all the connective tissue in there would be too much as a roast or steak. Have I been missing out all these years?!?!?

I have butchered a lot of animals over the years and it still takes me a long time start to finish, but I also get a lot of pride out of having everything look real nice and I like to cook with perfectly cut meat.. I'll say 8 man hours easy on a deer from bone in to sealed.

On elk backstraps I've started cutting some of them up into 1" thick steaks versus my typical 1-2lb chunks. I certainly could do it after thawing and have in the past but since I have the knife out and I'm packaging stuff I go ahead and do some that way. They thaw faster and I just have to pull them from the package ready to use. I don't do all of the backstrap like that, just some of it that I know I'll use as a steak, it works for our kitchen needs.

I tend to grind a fair bit as well, we really don't buy beef (if I can help it) so general cooking needs over the year for us call for a moderate amount of grind. I go ahead a square off roasts and don't worry about hanging onto "stew pieces" as I'll just cut up a roast later if I want stew which isn't one we tend to make a lot. I think some of those muscle chunks in the front should have a good flavor to them so as long as I'm not running low on time (takes me a while to do a good job cleaning/cutting/packaging as well) I'll cut/trim those out and take the tendon out that runs through the muscle out.

The sirloin roast I use in a crock pot on LOW, it tends to break down that tissue, esp. deer/antelope. Realistically though if you need more grind than whole muscles then this is one that could easily get moved over into grind, I would keep some of those front shoulder pieces whole over the sirloin I think. Does seem a shame to grind up whole muscles but you need to do what keeps your given kitchen running, the first few animals I spent even more time keeping more muscle whole and saving larger stew pieces, etc. We ran out of ground meat much much sooner, now I still clean up the crap as I cut but I generously square off roasts and such.



Only tangentially related I have in the past double ground my ground meat, the second pass is time consuming. This year I ran some through once only through the fine plate and have been perfectly pleased with the results. No gristly pieces have made it onto my plate as of yet, that'll be a big time saver in the future.

 

[Vids]

I ordered Gut it, Cut it, Cook it a few years ago and it has helped me figure out the cuts a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Cut-Cook-Processing-Preparing/dp/1440203709

 

[Bigfeet]

Rear:
Top Round (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "round" since I use them the same)
Bottom Round (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "round" since I use them the same)
Eye of Round
Sirloin - the tip (Deer/antelope I leave as one mini football, elk I'll break up into pieces)
The rest I grind up, if I have large whole muscle pieces of trim from up upper part of the rear I'll just label "rear pieces" and they'll be used for stew or grind as needed later. The upper sirloin tends to fall into this category for me.

Front:
Mock tender (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)
Top blade (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)
Shoulder (I used to specifically label them but these days I just use "FS" for front shoulder since I use them the same)

Here's what I'm trying to figure out. I have cut up quite a few, and prior to that when we used a butcher, I would commonly take out the tenderloins and backstrap and cut them up myself. It's the rest I'm trying to figure out - like the top round, eye of round, etc. I got Rinella's book in hopes that he had that in there - it didn't. So I'm looking for specific information on the cuts you mention.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Ah, that I can clear up I think with some borrowed google image links:

Rears, if you start on the inside surface and cut down to/around the bone and pull it out you'll unfold the muscles and generally speaking there will be 4 clusters, work the clusters apart at the natural seams between with a little knife work at times. If I'm spacially picturing this right when you unfold it the cut that's towards what would have been the rear of the animal (you're working on the inside face remember) is the bottom round, then the eye, then the top round, then the sirloin (as you work towards the front of the animal in that unfolded meat pile). The eye of round is pretty distinct being tubular and is between the top and bottom round. The sirloin tip is a bit floppy but is a footballish shape of muscles and is towards the knee of the sirloin portion.
1) Eye of Round
2) Bottom Round
3) Top Sirloin
4) Top Round
5) Sirloin Tip

6) Tenderloins
7) Backstraps
8) Neck

Presuming you are familiar with the whole T shaped profile of the shoulder blade. The shoulder cut is the inside surface main muscle. Mock tender is from the outside surface and is the narrower strip of meat that comes off the side of "T" post of that bone. Top blade is the one that comes off the wider side of the "T" post. They have a line of connective tissue down the center that is wise to fillet out.
9) Shoulder
10) Top Blade
11) Mock Tender


I believe that is all correct off memory, if someone has a correction let me know.

 

[Bigfeet]

pods8
Thanks for the reply. Great information.
Sorry I haven't replied since your post. I live in a rural area, and don't have the internet at home, so I look at this when I have time at work. The last while it has been too busy at work to look!
This would be a pretty good reference - again, if we had the net at home - but can anyone recommend a book/pamphlet that has this info. Would be perfect to have a description of these cuts, with pictures, at home when we are doing some cutting.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Do you have a printer access at work to copy/paste/print that out?

 

[TJ]

Rinella's book is pretty good, I thumbed through it. Could go a little more in depth into specialty cuts but it covers the basics pretty well and has good pictures.


Here are some of my suggestions from experience:


-Shanks are amazing, learn how to braise them and never foul your grinder again. They have become one of my favorite cuts of meat although it's an apples to oranges comparison with backstrap.



Butchering your deer | OhioSportsman

Any tips on how you braise the shanks?

 

[USMC2602]

Check out "Slice of the Wild" by Eileen Clark. Website is RiflesandRecipes.com. Great sections on field care and butchering, and awesome recipes. I personally believe it's the best out there.

 

[Usmcvet]

Check out Heid Wild Game I bought his DVD & watched it over & over. This guy is amazing & the video is well worth it.