Deer processing Question.

[N_Foster]

I got my deer processed at a local meat processor and ordered what I thought was the basic cuts(steaks, chops, tenderloins), and with the trimmings, 20 pounds of jerky and the rest hamburger. Price was $150. When I brought it home and opened the boxes, all I found was the jerky and hamburger. I'm thinking there COULD have been a misunderstanding or I just didn't get the rest of my order. Does this seem right or should I call them and ask where the rest is?? Oh, and the basic cuts for a deer were priced around $80 I believe. I know it's not a really interesting topic, but I was really dissapointed when I seen what I recieved. Any input is appreciated. Thanks

[Tim L]

My buddy's a butcher just got done doing 3-Deer tonite with him he charges $80 for your bacic steaks roast chops and gringing your scrap for burger. And jerky bulk sausage salami ect are extra. it sounds like they forgot half your order how big was your deer a big buck average Doe or a small fawn and how much burger did you get did you grind it straight or add pork fat with adding pork fat your average deer you get about 30lbs and when you do jerky it takes like 3lbs of meat to make 1lb of jerky anybody correct me if i'm a little off. most Butchers write what you want steaks chops ect on some type of order form so they can keep track. so how much jerky and burger did you wind up with

[BLACKJACK]

20 pounds of jerky is a lot, they might have had to use a lot of your steaks and chops to make that much. How big was your deer? Buck, big doe, or fawn? I would think you'd get at least a few packagaes of steaks from the backstraps.

Call the butcher and ask.

[Dan Wood]

I hope they didn't turn the loins and backstraps into jerky You should have some steaks from those for sure I would think...

[lawdog]

20 pounds of jerky finished or twenty pounds of meat finished to jerky? My guy tells me its more like 2 to 2 1/2 pounds dried down to one pound of jerky, but still you are looking at 50+ pounds of meat dried to jerky. That sounds to me like what they did was screw up your order and dry it all. That's some really good meat they probably dried to jerky...

[fivebucks]

One other thing to remember is that alot of jerky comes from the hind qtr which also is where the steaks come from (unless they grind it and use a shooter). If there wasn't a mix up in the order and you didn't get it all, a butcher should have made you aware if the amount of jerky you wanted would require to use all the steak meat. On a smaller deer I can see having to use the backstrap and steaks to get 20 lbs. of jerky. As others of have said, you get about 1 lb. of jerky from 2-3 lbs. of meat so you'ld be looking at 40-60 lbs and the rest in burger. You probably only get a total of about 60 lbs. of meat from a smaller deer. It is unfortunate if this is what happened so hopefully it is good jerky.

[Jigging Bob]

2 years ago I took my deer to a meat locker in Great Bend, North Dakota. They absolutely ruined all the meat. It was over smoked dry as hell and just down right horrible. The whole order was screwed up. I guess what I am saying is maybe some of these meat lockers need to try some of there meat before they send it out or maybe check whats inside the boxes. They wouldn't refund our 450 dollars or even try the meat to see if there was something wrong. We choked down what we could but ended up chucking it out. They were complete dinks about the whole deal. It was horrible business. After that our group has been very werry of how the meat looks when we pick it up and check to see if the order was done properly. All lockers get overwelmed during deer hunting and I think all the lockers screw up orders once in a while. But they should make things better if they screw up a order don't you think.

[Gissert]

Jigging Bob

This is why we now cut up out own, and bring in our grinding cuts later on after they big crush is over.

It took my brother and I a little over an hour to cut up and package one deer this year.

We might even try making our own sausage this year.

[lawdog]

Hey Gissert, you use "a pair of choppers" to do that cutting?

I do agree its safer to take it in when they aren't getting dumped on. That's what's nice about muzzleloading or bow hunting later in the season, but if you know the locker and find one you can trust it sure saves a lot of work and mess to have them do it...

[Gissert]

Lawdog -

LOL, I was wondering when someone was gonna say that.

I was outside cuttin' deer. I hear the phone ringin' - so I run.

[Deitz Dittrich]

$17 hows that?

LMAO @ KQ

[Jigging Bob]

Gissert

Years ago we did our own sausage and it was delicious. We all live to far away from each other now and it seemed like the cutting up and making the sausage job always got dumped on me and 2 other hunters out of the group the rest would just not show up or bolt. We have just decided to bring them in the last couple of years. We gave the Fergus Locker a try this year. Heard some good things about them. I would like to get back to making my own again though. Seems to taste better when a guy does it himself.

Talk to you later.

[korn_fish]

Now I only process my deer myself. Heck, those backstraps (tenderloins) along with the heart are actually removed and cooked the same night or night after the harvest. Nothing better than fresh broiled tenderloin and slow roasted heart at deer camp.

My earlier years when I did take my deer in to be processed, I never got the tenderloins back. I doubt that they went into the grinder, but made it to the processors table dinner table instead. Heck, I even know that some processors used to throw different groups of meat together and grind it up together, then divide it out based on what you brought in. That was before the CWD scare, so I don't know if they still do that or not. So taking your deer in to be processed during the "peak", provides the potential that you might not even be getting "your" deer back.

[Ole1855]

We cut ours up ourselves as well, then we take the sausage scrap in after the big rush to have someone make sausage for us, that way we know we get our own meat back.

[I'llTakeWhatiCanGet]

You're kinda rolling the dice when you bring your deer to the locker plant, especially if your not familiar with the outfit. Some butchers will grind up stuff that has no place in hamburger, and like someone already mentioned, you may not even be getting your own meat back. I might consider taking some trim in to be made into sausage or something if i didn't have the time to do it myself, but its worth the time sacrifice to quarter and bone out the deer yourself. Plus you can make whatever cuts you want then.

Foster, if i were in your shoes, i would at least try and get some sort of explanation out of that butcher. Sounds like you got screwed on that deal.