Note - probably not a post for vegetarians.
Where I am in SW France the is a long tradition of hunting for boar and deer. These animals have no predators and their numbers need to be managed. The other tradition is that as a land owner you get a share of the hunt if an animal is shot on your land. Two days ago I got half a fallow deer.
Also two months ago I got a new paring knife. So yesterday was butchery day. From past experience I know that freezing the entire half deer creates a problem as you get too much meat being defrosted at the same time. I easily got the filet cut out - about 50cm of the very best meat. Then I carved out about a kilo of chuck meat from the shoulder for stewing.
The back leg came off easily but I wanted to de-bone it. I’ve had mixed success roasting whole venison legs and I thought that a de-boned leg might roast better and carve more easily.
Now I did succeed in getting the thigh bone out but it probably wasn’t the neatest of jobs. Anyone done this (perhaps lamb leg) and is there a clever technique I’m missing?
I’m not a veggie and I don’t eat venison. But it’s a good job nobody wants to hunt humans because we have no known predators & our numbers need to be managed…
You probably need an electric knife.
I’ve just checked YouTube, how to Bone out a Deer, step by step guide, hope this helps…
Never done anything that big, but I envy you that you have the resources that enable you to get meat like that.
My son in law used to shoot feral deer on their property and my freezer was full of venison but alas he moved to Canberra and his parents have sold the property and moved into a suburban house so it is just a distance memory for me.
Sometimes the deer was in a difficult piece of terrain so it was butchered where it fell so I had to pick bits of foliage off the meat when I received it. Backstrap was my favoured piece.
Thanks, and you are right, it is a massive privilege. For me, it is very clear that we don’t take it for granted. Equally we are aware of those who disagree with taking animals from the wild.
My own thinking on eating meat is about sustainability, low carbon / air miles, and honesty. If you eat a steak, also eat an organ. This animal was killed for you so do the decent thing and do not bin the majority of the body.
Hey, it is difficult stuff as many like processed food that seems very removed from the actual animal. So perhaps the self aware thing is can you put your hand on the carcass - then eat it.
Years ago a deer jumped out on my car .
It was large and had clearly broken a leg . I was distraught and had my elderly parents in the car .
I managed to move it to the side or the road .Fortunately two young men came along one who had a shooting gun in his car.
They said kindly you go we will see to this . I knew they were seeing the poor deer as barbecue that night but the poor thing was beyond help .
Enjoy your deer Strathmore .
Im reluctant to put pics up in case it offends some one but as Pauline says look on YouTube
The meat for me is much better than beef, but thats my opinion !
This is the backstrap from a red dear and its fantastic to eat
Ive never shot one, but gets one from a friend who shoots over his own farm
and he just drops the whole animal so its my job to start to skin hide and finish it in the freezer
Good luck but i like leaving bone on leg meat as tastes better
very Zen, and the way of the hunterI, thanking the animal after death
I so admire you and those like you strathmore.
I am such a wuss when it comes to things like that.
And i have never knowingly eaten deer,i think i shall at some point.
Nothing to admire - I’m just a fan of cooking and eating good food. And I’ll admit to gradually building up to the deer carcass. I started by spatchcocking a chicken years ago! Moreover, unlike Caveman above, our local hunt do the gruesome stuff for us. The half deer comes skinned, head off, feet off and all the innards removed. From then on its relatively simple once you work out the basic anatomy of the joints.
However I did consciously decide to eat more of the animals a few years back. I’ve progressed from calves liver to kidneys, duck heart, duck gizzards and calves sweetbreads. Mostly I’ll just have these in restaurants (my other half is less keen on such bits) and my golden rule for trying something for the first time: have it in the best restaurant you can afford.
The local delicacy round us is tete de veau. One step too far for me just yet.