Quartering question

[M3at Hunt3er]

I have been using the gutless method to take apart deer, bear and elk for about 7 years. I usually run the knife to remove the quarters, loins and back straps and between my buddies and my animals I have done about 2 dozen animals.

I have heard of a guy leaving the back straps and loins on the bone and just trimming the ribs and spine off leaving just the bone that those muscles are attached to intact. His reasoning was the aging process is better on the bone and keeps the meat cleaner with less trimmed waste

I am thinking of trying this with the next deer. My son has a WY mule deer tag and in our scouting we have located a few good areas and some nice deer. The areas are fairly open and we should be able to get close with an ATV for animal retrieval so the extra weight shouldn’t be much of an issue. Worst case there are 3 of us to pack out the animal so if we have to walk it out should still not be an issue.

we have a bunch of white tail and antelope doe tags as well and will be bringing a large chest freezer so space will only be an issue if we fill all of them.

has anyone heard of this, done it or seen it done?

I was thinking about what saw to bring for cutting all those bones? If we get the ATV to it I could use a sawzall and if not a small hand saw maybe.

would cutting the spinal column pose any risk to the meat from spinal fluid?

I want the best results possible that I have space time and ability for.

Am I getting a little too crazy here?!...lol

Thanks in advance!

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

It sounds really complicated for not that much gain. However I really hope you do it because I also think it sounds fascinating and I’d love to see your results. My biggest concern would be handling that piece of meat/bone with all the jagged pieces of bone sticking out. Could be a pain.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Phil4]

I’m no expert but I wouldn’t worry about a little spinal fluid unless it’s a CWD area and then you prob don’t want to open up that spine and soak your meat in it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Quin]

Contamination concerns... probably depends on your thoughts on CWD.

Putting that can of worms aside, are you unhappy with your backstaps, etc. now? If not, why change? Frankly, it just seems like a lot of unnecessary work. I'd rather get everything on ice ASAP especially if its warm... not mess around with hacking a ribcage apart.

 

[sndmn11]

Replaceable blade skinning knives and hunting knives by Havalon Knives. Baracuta-Bone Saw - Shock Green

The Baracuta-Bone Saw is a top choice for hunters and anglers looking for a bigger knife that packs an extra punch. The Bone Saw features our high-quality surgically sharp #115SW serrated bone saw blade, ideal for cutting through the bone of wild game. It also fits our #115XT hunter’s blade and...

www.havalon.com

 

[Patton]

It sounds like what your wanting to is to take a rib roast/french roast/rib rack but cut the bones short. Just did a quick youtube and it looks like MeatEater recently put out a 'how to' video.

 

[Stalker69]

I would rather eat the back straps as steaks ( butterflied) rather then French cut pieces. It’s more work just to try impress someone then I think it’s worth. But if you like those cuts, and don’t mind the time it takes to do them, by all means it’s worth it to you, and that’s really all that matters. I don’t leave any bones in any meat ( venison) that I cut, once ready for the freezer. Nor am I going to do that in the field when I want the meat cooled ASAP. So for me it’s a no, its not nearly worth it. I don’t cut it into “ ribs” either, the meat between the ribs become ground.

 

[Patton]

I agree with Stalker that it’s a good bit of extra work just to change the appearance. It does look pretty sexy when done right though.

 

[Gunny]

I do not think I would like introducing a sawzall to my procedure. Those bone ends can be sharp & pokey & leave bone chunks in the meat.

thats my .02 but by all means give it a try.

 

[M3at Hunt3er]

Thanks for the honest feed back and opinions.

I normally remove the back straps but have only aged them on the bone a few times and have noticed the flavor and tenderness is much better than when I removed them from the animal immediately. I think I will be able to quarter and leave most of muscles attached to the bone and still have enough room for everything.

maybe I will do one back straps on the bone and one immediately removed and compare if it is worth it.

 

[manitou1]

I would thing packaging would be hard to accomplish with an airtight seal.
The mule deer I hunt are in a CWD zone, heavily... so I wouldn't personally be fond of the idea. I eat them , but amcareful not to contaminate with spinal or brain matter.

 

[TomJoad]

OP is right on track with aging. In general the larger the cut you can hang and age the better. I’m not sure the impact of bone other than insulating a larger total section enabling less trimming during butchering. I’d recommend trying this if you e got the space. Hanging larger and hanging longer have a big impact on flavor. I typically hang for 3-4 weeks if I can for that reason and I always keep as much on the bone as possible. Consideration is “as long as possible”: if your meat freezes at any point you are no longer aging and you may as well just butcher package and re-freeze.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'm not sure exactly the cut you are talking about. But if you are talking about bringing back spinal column check the code transport laws.

I have also heard the argument of diy vs using a butcher and meat not being at good it that the use of saws and the bone powder may do something to the meat.

I have also heard that if u cut if while the animal is in rigger aka stiff that makes the meat tough/gamey.
You ether need to cut it before or give it time to relax.
Idk what I do or do not believe of all that.
Butt I do know harvesting and butchering is hard enough.
I'm not gonna add any challenges.

 

[5MilesBack]

I have also heard that if u cut if while the animal is in rigger aka stiff that makes the meat tough/gamey.
You ether need to cut it before or give it time to relax.

A few years ago I was cutting the backstraps off a bull within 10 minutes of him going down. Toughest backstraps I've ever had. On the other hand, if I have one down I'm not going to sit there and wait a couple hours to start breaking him down.

 

[Jethro]

I am curious, other than the spine, what bone do you consider the back straps and loins to be attached to?

 

[Patton]

I am curious, other than the spine, what bone do you consider the back straps and loins to be attached to?

Ribs

 

[stumpknocker]

I'd like to know how this works out.

It's no secret aging is better on the bone and you'd have less rind to cut off. Meat will hold its shape better and the bone will control the contraction. Seems like a lot of handling time for those cuts (straps, loins). Certainly wouldn't do it on a small deer.

 

[JakeSCH]

I'd like to know how this works out.

It's no secret aging is better on the bone and you'd have less rind to cut off. Meat will hold its shape better and the bone will control the contraction. Seems like a lot of handling time for those cuts (straps, loins). Certainly wouldn't do it on a small deer.

^ this

Meateater had a meat biologist on one of their podcasts and he said it is best for meat to go through rigor mortis on the bone to prevent it from condensing as much. That will keep the meat more tender.

 

[Erict]

Depending on how it's cut, it looks possible to cut the backstrap off of the vertebrae but still attached to the ribs like the pic above. That would likely get around the CWD regs that say it's not legal to transport spinal tissue through Idaho nor into Washington, assuming that's where it's going. Good luck.