# What cuts of meat should I get from my deer?



## -sRo- (Jul 27, 2009)

If I am succsessful what kind of meat cuts should I get from my deer?

I was thinink I would get all ground meat but now Im not sure.

Also to mention again this will be my first deer so I am still new to the entire proccess including the eating part :slice:


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## swamper79 (Mar 13, 2009)

Normally I get the "backstraps" or tenderloins cut in to steaks (cutlets) and the rest into ground meat. My butcher I use also makes excellent smoked sausage with 50% vension and 50% pork.


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## bdgerfn20 (Feb 24, 2009)

We have always butchered our own deer and we do quite a few a year. We gun hunt at our cottage (my dads) and always have 5 or 6 deer to butcher on opening weekend and my dads kind of the master at it. He does it very easily and im starting to learn how to do it. It is very easy. We usually cut the loin into steaks and cut everything else into chunks and grind it up or have sausage made. You can get steaks out of the rounds (big round muscle in the rump) but we shoot enough deer to not need to do that. Its not as good as the loin steaks. Its very easy once you pick it up but it takes some practice. Doing it yourself if the way to go. I never have never will take it somewhere to get butchered. I would rather KNOW not think that im getting all of my meat off of my animal. Dont know if you know anyone that does it but if you do have them do the first one and show you how to do it. Just by watching i know how to do it now i just have to perfect it.


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## KylePA (Jul 18, 2008)

I love chip steaks, nothing better than venison cheesesteaks.


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

i make steaks from back strap and tenderloin and make spedies out of the legs.


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## cbrock1145 (Aug 15, 2008)

bdgerfn20 said:


> We have always butchered our own deer and we do quite a few a year. We gun hunt at our cottage (my dads) and always have 5 or 6 deer to butcher on opening weekend and my dads kind of the master at it. He does it very easily and im starting to learn how to do it. It is very easy. We usually cut the loin into steaks and cut everything else into chunks and grind it up or have sausage made. You can get steaks out of the rounds (big round muscle in the rump) but we shoot enough deer to not need to do that. Its not as good as the loin steaks. Its very easy once you pick it up but it takes some practice. Doing it yourself if the way to go. I never have never will take it somewhere to get butchered. I would rather KNOW not think that im getting all of my meat off of my animal. Dont know if you know anyone that does it but if you do have them do the first one and show you how to do it. Just by watching i know how to do it now i just have to perfect it.


yep...a lot of good steak besides the backstraps as a matter of fact hard to tell the difference in some of it when its taken care of properly. Plently of neck and other meat to be ground


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

KylePA said:


> I love chip steaks, nothing better than venison cheesesteaks.


my favorite thing to make. i use thin steaks for them and omg there so good. also venison parm is amazing


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## HuntSleepFish (May 8, 2005)

sawtoothscream said:


> i make steaks from back strap and tenderloin and make spedies out of the legs.


Might I ask... what the hell is a spedie???


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## avincent (Sep 25, 2009)

it depends on the age of the deer. old big deer i usually use as ground all but backstraps and innerlion. front quarters always ground. rear quarters make good roast. make sure you cut off all fat and sinew it is time consuming allot of it(sinew) can be cut off like filleting a fish. when cutting steaks cut against the grain. backstraps make good butterfly steaks. [L
i was never really taught how to cut up deer just started cutting each muscle apart and getting everything off it. i do about 4-5 deer a year that way. like i said it does take alot of time but well worth the effort. GOOD LUCK!!!


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## cbrock1145 (Aug 15, 2008)

Forgot to add that if you have a way to chill the meat before you cut it, it will help. Good Luck


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## Tradbow Guy (Feb 9, 2007)

-sRo- said:


> If I am succsessful what kind of meat cuts should I get from my deer?
> 
> I was thinink I would get all ground meat but now Im not sure.
> 
> Also to mention again this will be my first deer so I am still new to the entire proccess including the eating part :slice:


Definatly dont grind the backstraps, butterfly them or somthing. If its your first deer and you maybe want to save the money and process it yourself I suggest this video..

http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Hesselgraves-Care-Processing-Venison/dp/B001E0O24U


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## Tradbow Guy (Feb 9, 2007)

-sRo- said:


> If I am succsessful what kind of meat cuts should I get from my deer?
> 
> I was thinink I would get all ground meat but now Im not sure.
> 
> Also to mention again this will be my first deer so I am still new to the entire proccess including the eating part :slice:


Definatly dont grind the backstraps, butterfly them or somthing. If its your first deer and you maybe want to save the money and process it yourself I suggest this video, it covers everything from field dressing, to skinning, to processing.

http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Hesselgraves-Care-Processing-Venison/dp/B001E0O24U


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## -sRo- (Jul 27, 2009)

I think I will ask for the backstraps, and the inner loins cut into thinkslices for the cheese steaks. The rest I will have ground.

Here are my ideas so far

venison....
cheesesteaks
chilli 
hamburgers
tacos!!!
meatloaf
sloppy joe

any other suggestions??


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## avincent (Sep 25, 2009)

something i like to do is cut 1'' cubes out of good clean meat, can be used in chilly or my favorite bread in flour and deep fry ''deer nuggets'' :rock-on:


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## timmymac24 (Sep 4, 2008)

*options*

I finally figured that I needed a commercial meat grinder to handle deer and elk processing. The best $$ I have spent in a long time. I cut the loins into rather thick steaks to keep them pink when grilling (bacon wrapped). I also bought a Jaccard meat tenderizer from Cabela's that will tenderize the rear leg roasts into steaks after cutting and tenderizing them. I will try to shoot a doe so that I know I have good venison for eating. Whatever you can't steak I either grind or keep in chunks to crock pot for Italian sandwiches. 1 can of Campell's Beef Consume, 1 pack of Italian seasoning, and enough water to cover. Cook it on low in the crock pot for 12-24 hours. Good rolls and cheese and it is a great way to get rid of the scraps. I agree with an earlier post, I was taught the method of muscle separation when taking the meat off the bone. Sorry for the long version but if it tells you anything I make the effort every November to fly back to Illinois with my family so I can bring back at least two coolers of frozen venison. Good luck to you!


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## kaborkian (May 26, 2007)

Do yourself a favor...keep the backstraps in large sections with silverskin on, maybe 4 per deer depending on how many you want to feed per pack. 1/2 a backstrap will feed 2 adults and 3 kids generally. Wrap and freeze.

When you are ready to eat one, defrost a bit, trim the silverskin, and cut into steaks, thin for chicken-fried-steak and thick for BBQ.

The inner loins leave whole, BBQ it as a roast. They are way too small to cut into steaks. They should NEVER make it to a processor or the freezer.

Doing the backstraps this way will make them last longer, the silverskin acts to protect from freezer burn, and you can cut as thick or thin as you like, or wrap an entire section in bacon and your favorite seasoning and bake it like a potroast.

As has been mentioned above, front quarters (and neck meat) get ground. Hind quarters I usually grind the smaller roasts and trim, and keep the three largest roasts from each side like I do the backstraps, then grind or use for chunked stew meat when it's time to cook.


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## kaborkian (May 26, 2007)

Oh yea...tried a pound of bacon ground with 5 lbs deer to make burgers the other day. Wow, some of the best burgers I've had, beef or other! We eat a lot of ground venison, still buy some beef at times, beef is done in my house!


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## LtlRushnArchr30 (Nov 3, 2007)

HuntSleepFish said:


> Might I ask... what the hell is a spedie???


I am wondering the same thing???


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## bunnybrew (Jul 13, 2009)

Backstrap, Loin, Tender loin, and the denver leg are all cuts i put away to be pan seared or grilled. Muscles that aren't too tough that dont' need help tenderizing. though the denver leg needs to be cut a certain way or it will be tough. I pull off the rump and the top round to be braised or stewed. And the rest is soo full of sinew and tendons that i trim it up some and grind it. The grinder will grind up the less tough sinew and what is too tough will get caught in the die and not into the meat. All the cuts that anyone grinds can be trimmed of sinew and turned into stew meat but i perfer hamburger meat and sausage.


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## RunThemAll (Oct 5, 2009)

-sRo- said:


> I think I will ask for the backstraps, and the inner loins cut into thinkslices for the cheese steaks. The rest I will have ground.
> 
> Here are my ideas so far
> 
> ...


I use burger in stuffed peppers and they are great!

Another thing to consider is asking for the loins to be left whole. That way you know you're getting everything. You can chop them into steaks at home.


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

HuntSleepFish said:


> Might I ask... what the hell is a spedie???


thats a spelling problem. haha *spiedies*


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## osageghost (Jun 16, 2005)

*spiedies*

a spiedie is cubes of meat that have been marinated in spiedie sauce and skewered and then grilled , it's a marinade originally from upstate New York...yum !!
there is also one for chicken


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## venisonman (Apr 9, 2004)

Spiedes is meat soaked in a particular marinade popular near Binghamton, NY
They are very popular at our State Fair. Excellent with chicken, beef and lamb too!


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## HuntSleepFish (May 8, 2005)

osageghost said:


> a spiedie is cubes of meat that have been marinated in spiedie sauce and skewered and then grilled , it's a marinade originally from upstate New York...yum !!
> there is also one for chicken





venisonman said:


> Spiedes is meat soaked in a particular marinade popular near Binghamton, NY
> They are very popular at our State Fair. Excellent with chicken, beef and lamb too!


Ok cool! sounds good to go. Thanks for answering!


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## HuntNWOHIO (Sep 30, 2009)

I like cutting the loins into steaks. The inside loins I stick in a ziplock and have steak and eggs with the next few days after the kill. 

The hind legs I like to cut out the roasts. You can see the change in texture/outline of the different roasts. You can keep them as roasts to slow cook with potatoes and carrots or chunk out and grind into burger. The lean roasts you can also make into steaks, some can be as good as the loin if cooked correctly. 

By taking out the roasts first if you decide you want to grind into burger later down the road you can always unfreeze them and grind it up from there. 

Just my two cents and what we usually do. It also depends on if it is my first deer of the year or what. I like to take some chunked meat down and get cheese and jalapeno summer sausage made. 

Get as much info as you can w/ it being your first time and then experiment with it on your own. Doesn't hurt to have someone watching that knows what to do the first couple times. After that you will be butchering like the pros!! 

Best of luck!


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## THE GENERAL (Jan 10, 2008)

We usually get a few so the first one gets ground up and half mixed with Hamburger and the other half gets Sausage from the local shop for burgers

Second one goes for Bologna and jerky.

Third goes for roasts, steaks and pepperoni sticks.


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## Boonie_Hunter (Jan 14, 2005)

Make sure to get some roasts.

10 times tastier than steaks in my opinion. 


There are only 2 ways to cook venison though,

really fast at high temperature, or for hours at low temperature.


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## junglerooster1 (Jul 23, 2009)

i turn tenderloins and loins and parts of the hind quarter into steaks and the rest into roasts and stew meat


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## drenalinxt (Feb 23, 2009)

*do it*



-sRo- said:


> If I am succsessful what kind of meat cuts should I get from my deer?
> 
> I was thinink I would get all ground meat but now Im not sure.
> 
> Also to mention again this will be my first deer so I am still new to the entire proccess including the eating part :slice:


do it yourself that's best way and cheaper too, i make jerky, roast, smoke my own deer summer sauage. grind up own burger and then the back straps are the best for grillin.
but if you wanna have it done, go with chops which is where your back staps come out of, and burger, roast, or steaks, doe's only though, bucks are little meat is little tough not as tender during the rut, unless it is young button.


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## yoda4x4 (May 11, 2004)

OMG, whatever you do, please don't take the backstraps and tenderloins and turn that awesome meat into burger meat. That would be a waste!

Personally I try and make as many steaks as I can from the deer I kill. The rule of thumb I was taught is: You can always take a steak and cut it smaller to make something else. But once you turned into something small in size, you can't make a steak out of it.

David


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## I like Meat (Feb 14, 2009)

Burger, Steaks, Roasts, Chops (back strap).........MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm......:darkbeer:


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## Rhody Hunter (Jul 14, 2008)

yea don't grind the backstraps and loins . to nice of a cut for that. I leave my backstraps in small roast size kind of a [chateau breaund] ie {french for small roast} and cook them so they red to pink in the middle . the loins are small enough to cook the way they are . the hind leg goes into roast or steaks or sliced into jerky. the front legs neck and everything else goes into grind or sausage


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## drenalinxt (Feb 23, 2009)

*oh did i say*

sorry i meant make burger out of other parts of the meat, not your backstraps those are the best for grillin or bakin as a roast.


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## venison (Aug 29, 2006)

I had to laugh out loud when i saw sawtooth mention speidies : ) I knew there would be a lot of head scratchin goin on for those not near the Binghamton area. State Fair, Lupos, Sharkies, etc, etc. Speidies is to Binghamton what Chicken wings is to Buffalo. 
Anyway to answer the meat question, The backstraps should be stripped out and made into steaks butterflied or whatever thickness you enjoy. Same goes for the two tenderloin strips on the inside of the ribcage only an inch and a half thick and a little over a foot long but immediately after taking them out and cleaning them, cut them into one inch chunks and toss them into a cast iron pan with real butter and a little garlic seasoning salt, don't overcook them, and woof them down before doing anything else : )
You can get a neck roast if you like them, front shoulders are ground meat and a few chunks of stew meat. If you grind you can use rib cage meat or make jerkie from it as well. Hind quarters, take out the footballs and you can use them for steak, speidies, or stew, next to backstraps the best meat. The rest of the leg I use for stew or burger or a sausage mix if that's what I'm into. Get a free do it yourself butchering venison instructions from the internet, doing the first one yourself is a good thing and helps you really appreciate your accomplishment.


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## butchtango (Aug 13, 2008)

-sRo- said:


> I think I will ask for the backstraps, and the inner loins cut into thinkslices for the cheese steaks. The rest I will have ground.
> 
> Here are my ideas so far
> 
> ...


Backstraps as Filet Mignon......wrapped in bacon.


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## DXT SHOOTER (Sep 9, 2009)

*Smoking*

Anyone ever tried smoking a whole hind quarter like you would a brisket. I intend to try that this weekend but if it's been tried and is nasty I guess I'll skip it. I figured about 7-10 hours in the smoker?


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## BigDeer (Aug 9, 2005)

Cut a couple roasts out of a hind quarter and cube them up in 1"-2" cubes. PUt the cubes into quart jars and put two beef bouillon cubes in with it, salt and pepper and "can" it. 

I thought it sounded gross and when you get the "cans" /jars out of the cooker it looks gross, but open a jar up, take a fork and shred the cubes up a little bit and mix in a fav bbq sauce

it tastes like your favorite brisket, truth. I usually put some on a bun after mixed with the sauce and melt a slice of some good pepperjack cheese on it...i can't wait to whack some does now!!


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## Boonie_Hunter (Jan 14, 2005)

DXT SHOOTER said:


> Anyone ever tried smoking a whole hind quarter like you would a brisket. I intend to try that this weekend but if it's been tried and is nasty I guess I'll skip it. I figured about 7-10 hours in the smoker?


Yes. We used a combo of oak and apple wood. It took us 4 hours, but it would probably be better to let it go longer at a lower temp.


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## Crayfish (May 11, 2004)

I can't imagine grinding half a deer or more ... what a waste! My family loves venison on the grill, so I cut almost the entire deer into meal sized roasts. Loins make 2-3 roasts each, depending on size of deer or how hungry I am while cutting. Hind quarters (inner and outer round) are cut into roasts and the sirloin is a roast all by itself (can be tough on older deer, sometimes turn this into steaks or stew meat). For the front shoulders I separate the shoulder blade from the upper leg and that is 2 roasts per side right there, leaving the bones in (these are typically cooked in the crockpot with Lipton Onion soup mix for at least 8hrs ... melt in your mouth!). The only thing left to grind or turn into stew meat is the lower legs and the neck. The neck can be made into a roast, but they are usually so full of fat that they can be pretty nasty. Good stuff to grind up. Of course the inner loins, or tenderloins, are cooked up the day of the kill or shortly thereafter. They never make it to the freezer.

Oh and for cooking, marinate a roast (any of the chunks mentioned above) for however long you want in whatever you want. I use the McCormicks marinade packets quite often. Try the "Garlic, Herb and White wine" one. It's great. I then stick a meat thermometer right in the middle of the roast and throw it on a medium heat grill (325 - 350). Turn occasionally until the inside is about 135deg. This will be a nice medium rare and you won't believe how juicy venison can be. Chops or steaks tend to dry out much more than cooking it this way.

Wow, now my mouth is watering, the freezer is empty and I haven't seen a deer yet this year!  Quite a predicament.


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## superbuckeye (Dec 31, 2007)

This might help...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.alfredny.biz/sportsmen/images/whitetail-deer-meat-cuts.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.alfredny.biz/sportsmen/Whitetail-yield-chart.htm&usg=__kmBCTXoub5dLqu875GkcnxL40_I=&h=247&w=550&sz=5&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=M_9je1Yln_-YXM:&tbnh=60&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbutchering%2Bwhitetails%2Bimages%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-USfficial%26hs%3DQ7w%26um%3D1

scroll down for the image.


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## skk (Mar 25, 2009)

kaborkian said:


> Oh yea...tried a pound of bacon ground with 5 lbs deer to make burgers the other day. Wow, some of the best burgers I've had, beef or other! We eat a lot of ground venison, still buy some beef at times, beef is done in my house!


For those of you that use the bacon mix...

Do you grind the bacon raw and mix? I'm wanting to try this for some burgers.


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## spoco57 (Aug 31, 2005)

*I can't believe* how many of us are burgering the sirloins, the top rounds, the rounds.... man:doh:... there're so many good roasts on a well butchered deer that beat beef all to pieces.... it's some work but geeze louise, you cook them nice and rare and slice them thin and you have something to rival the best restaurants! 

As always, the key is removing ALL bone, fat and gristle/silverskin.


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## jcsanders79-xt (Aug 28, 2007)

I grind everything into burger or sausage except the true tenderloin and back straps.


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

venison said:


> *I had to laugh out loud when i saw sawtooth mention speidies : ) I knew there would be a lot of head scratchin goin on for those not near the Binghamton area. State Fair, Lupos, Sharkies, etc, etc. *Speidies is to Binghamton what Chicken wings is to Buffalo.
> Anyway to answer the meat question, The backstraps should be stripped out and made into steaks butterflied or whatever thickness you enjoy. Same goes for the two tenderloin strips on the inside of the ribcage only an inch and a half thick and a little over a foot long but immediately after taking them out and cleaning them, cut them into one inch chunks and toss them into a cast iron pan with real butter and a little garlic seasoning salt, don't overcook them, and woof them down before doing anything else : )
> You can get a neck roast if you like them, front shoulders are ground meat and a few chunks of stew meat. If you grind you can use rib cage meat or make jerkie from it as well. Hind quarters, take out the footballs and you can use them for steak, speidies, or stew, next to backstraps the best meat. The rest of the leg I use for stew or burger or a sausage mix if that's what I'm into. Get a free do it yourself butchering venison instructions from the internet, doing the first one yourself is a good thing and helps you really appreciate your accomplishment.


i honestly thought everyone knew what spiedies are. haha. guess its just a NY thing or a binghamton thing.haha

if you havent had deer spiedies make some. cube up some meat from the hind quarters and soak them in some wild game marinade or use italian dressing with alot of garlic and spices. soak it in there for like a week than cook them slow over the grill. they are amazing one of my favorite thing besideds fried vension steaks, venison cheese steaks and vension parm


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## wynnbry2000 (Aug 18, 2009)

-sRo- said:


> If I am succsessful what kind of meat cuts should I get from my deer?
> 
> I was thinink I would get all ground meat but now Im not sure.
> 
> Also to mention again this will be my first deer so I am still new to the entire proccess including the eating part :slice:


here ya go this is a step by step with pictures thanks to RC

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=730292&highlight=butchering+a+deer


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## Rford (Jul 24, 2008)

*Butcher Knows Best*

I tell my butcher to use his best judgment and wrap it for 2 people. I get plenty of steaks, chops, roasts, and burger. 

For a stinking buck, I have him cube into 1 inch pieces all that he can and grind the rest. I pressure can the cubes. The burger gets made into jerky or home-made, in the oven, salami. 

My wife is a little picky about eating venison...but if I cut up the steaks into cubes, marinate them in garlic marinade, and then make kabobs on the grill, served over rice, she gobbles them up.


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## LeftemLeakin (Feb 19, 2007)

spoco57 said:


> *I can't believe* how many of us are burgering the sirloins, the top rounds, the rounds....


+1!

I steak out the backstraps and inner loins. 

I piece out my hams and cut top round, bottom round, eye of round, sirloin steaks and sometimes leave one piece whole for the crockpot.

I also sometimes leave a ham whole to have smoked.

And basically grind the rest - front shoulders and lean trimmings.

I trim my grind meat really clean and lean and run it through a chili plate(big holes) ONE time, cooks up just like beef and you can make a burger that will hold together without adding fat.


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## turkinator (Feb 1, 2009)

avincent said:


> something i like to do is cut 1'' cubes out of good clean meat, can be used in chilly or my favorite bread in flour and deep fry ''deer nuggets'' :rock-on:



Me too----Try marinating them in worcesturshire (I CANT SPELL IT!) and italian dressing for 24 hrs. wrap them babies in bacon, lay a jalapeno on it and stick a toothpick it and put on the grill------you will be eating them off the grill before they get to the table!


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## turkinator (Feb 1, 2009)

Something else that I like........If you like country ham, get a bag of sugar cure. Take one backstrap or large roast (just to see if you like it) and rub it down with sugar cure. Set it in the bottom of the fridge for about 7 days. It will have the texture of cheese. Just shave it off and fry it. It is awesome if you like CHam


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## 2ilbbd (Aug 17, 2009)

:noidea:Anyone ever grind the fat from the deer in the burger or is it best to add pork?


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## bdgerfn20 (Feb 24, 2009)

DXT SHOOTER said:


> Anyone ever tried smoking a whole hind quarter like you would a brisket.  I intend to try that this weekend but if it's been tried and is nasty I guess I'll skip it. I figured about 7-10 hours in the smoker?


My dad does that and its awesome. Sounds about right on the time


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## 5 boys 1 wife (Sep 5, 2009)

we butcher all our deer.

backstraps are either butterfly or left whole wife will wrap in foil with garlic and spices and onion and bake them.

hind quarters get roast and cut into round steaks for grilling or chicken fry.

neck we crock pot into a roast then the left over we turn into barbque for sandwiches.

tenderloins left whole or split open and grilled.

front legs get cubed up,some fajita meat and some ground we only use the ground for summer sausage or and bratwurst.


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## JakeInMa (Oct 10, 2009)

Cut the backstraps and tenderloins out yourself before bringing the deer to the meat cutter. I usually go with steaks, neck and rump roasts, and whatever I can get for hamburg and sausage (sweet & hot).


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## Bowtoons (Jan 4, 2008)

LtlRushnArchr30 said:


> I am wondering the same thing???


If you have'nt had venison marinated in speidie sauce you don't know what your missing. Here in upstate new york there are a ton of different speidie marinates, I found the new york state fair speidie marinate to be the best. Can't go wrong with any of them though, they are all based on the same ingriedients.


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## StrutStopper (Sep 3, 2003)

I just had a friend who went to Syracuse on business pick up a couple bottles of spiedie sauce for me. He picked up a couple for himself too. I shot my first deer in Upstate NY 20 years back or so and can still taste those spiedies! I've gotta defrost some venison and cube it up this week.


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