Venison Recipes

[rfawkes]

Good season. Five minute 4wheeler drive to the ladder stand, and 2 in the freezer. I would be ashamed, but I am at least 30 years older than the boys I hunted with(and they are adults). I love it in chili, have made sausage, and even tried a swiss steak, and it was all good. What else do you all know about this meat. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[DocsknotInn]

I know that my wife was the only one to put any in the freezer this year and the big boy I was after all season is still lurking in the cedars. One more day of muzzleloader season [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Oh and I like Venison ! you can see some of my recipes at www.Jaysoutdoors.com See my venison loin marinade, mmmmm, I can smell it on the grill allready. Dave

[robertn]

Do a search for cookbooks by Timothy Manion. He has a few game cookboks out. One he did, which I have, is a menu cookbook. It not only hase great recipes, like "Venison Diane", or "Venison Steak with Roquefort", but also lays out some complete menu's with veggies and salads that complement the meat dish.

[Pat]

I realize that there can be considerable variation in the percent of edible meat to a carcass (shot placement, carcass quality, etc) but I was wondering on average with medium size white tail about what do you end up with that you can put in the freezer.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[DocsknotInn]

60# average net not counting the added fat or beef to your grind meat.

[Pat]

Docsnotin, I guess I should have asked as a percentage of live weight. So 60 lbs would be with what a 120 lb carcass or what?

Sorry to have to make two trips to haul one load.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[DocsknotInn]

120 live weight here is Bambi so like you said there are so many variables its impossible to answer definateivly. Texas hill country deer are bigger than those in Texas and smaller than ours. Michigan deer are smaller than many Canadian deer. etc. Average yield should be around 60 # of venison includeing the grind meat but not the additions. If you get sausage made etc you will have more yield and a bigger processing bill. I would guess average dressed weight is 140-180 here. No one I know trys to guesstimate weight on the hoof. A large deer here is 200+# dressed. I have no idea honestly what % you can expect. depends on how good of a shot you are and whether or not you use a bow or a cannon, How the meat is handled and the skill of the butcher. Dave

[Pat]

Thanks for info. Yeah there are too many variables to be spot on. from what yo have told me you expect about 1/4 to 1/3 of deer end up in the freezer but varies for a number of reasons including your desire for sausage.

One of my framers comes to the job site about 0715, a bit before sunrise, and says he watches 8-10 deer walking down one of my gravel roads every morning. There is a three day antlerless hunt coming up in a few days. This is to encourage harvest of does as our herds are way out of whack in sex ratio as well as just plain too many deer. They typically trend toward the Bambi size around here, 120 lbs is an OK doe.

I was trying to get a handle on how much freezer space would be needed in addition to my natural curiosity.

Thanks again,

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[DocsknotInn]

Pat, If you dont have enough room in your freezer [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] lol, Honestly you will be right in there on average. No rules though. There are some shops that add boo coo pork to the grind to kick up the tab a few notches. I do my own and this is where I usually end up. I also dont grind a lot of stuff the butch would. Its not very often that shot placement diminishes the meat unless you shoot the quarters broad side in the bone or right up the spine running away. Either one will turn your yield to sour grapes. Good luck putting that herd back in shape. I've been through your area a few times and you guys have a lot of animals. The only place I have seen more is Texas Hill Country. A grill guard is a must have there. Dave

[theboman]

I have an excellent jerky recipe I'll dig it up.