Two Deer Processed - Lots-o-pics!

[TentHunter]

Talk about the new MAK getting a workout...

I'm on a list of people for the police to call when there's been a deer-related accident and they have to put an injured deer down. It's all kept legit with the kill being reported to the Ohio DNR, Div. of Wildlife, and the deer are as fresh as if I'd harvested in myself hunting. I think this program is a great way to practice conservation!

Long story short, we got two of these deer in the past seven weeks, and those who know me know instead of taking them to a butcher, I prefer to take them "from field to table" myself (with quite a bit of help from my son). This way I know exactly how it was handled, and we decide how best to use the meat.

With plenty of Venison roasts and such in the freezer, these were destined for the grinder, along with enough pork belly & fat back to replace the deer fat which was mostly removed.


Here's a rundown:

Deer #1

24 lbs of fresh ground venison: packaged and straight into the freezer (for burgers, chili, tacos, etc.).

15 lb batch of Venison Country Smoked Sausage.

(Continued in next post.)

 

[TentHunter]

Deer #2

8 lbs Breakfast Sausages: Links & smoked patties.

15 lbs Venison Cider Mill Bacon (ground/formed): Seasoned only with Apple Cider & salt (including curing salt #1).

Formed into two 10" X 15" X 1.5" loaves, and loaded into the MAK 2 Star. The loaf on the right also got a coating of course black pepper.
Cold-smoked for a few hours (apple/hickory pellets), then hot-smoked (smoke mode) to an I.T. of 152° (about 6 hours).

Sliced and ready for packaging.

Oh, you KNOW I fried up a couple slices for "quality control"!

Venison Hotdogs!
Looking for something different to do with this last batch of venison, I thought, "Hmm... How about some Hotdogs?" Now, I've made hotdogs before, but this is my first time using venison. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out!

Quadruple ground into a homogenous, paste-like consistency (medium plate 1X, fine plate 3X). The trick is keeping the meat and grinder parts super cold so the fat emulsifies into the meat properly

Seasonings measured and stirred into ice water, then thoroughly mixed into the cold meat.

Stuffed, then lightly smoked for 1 1/2 hours on the MAK (smoke mode), to an I.T. of around 140° - 145°.

Next, they're poached in a precisely controlled 155° hot water bath. This gently brings them up to a finished internal temp of 152°, and keeps them plump. Finally they're plunged into an ice water bath to stop the cooking, then dried off and ready for packaging!

This can sure be a bit of work, but hot dang is it worth it! Our freezer is full!

 

[Salmonsmoker]

I sure envy your Ohio DNR injured game recovery program!

 

[NorCal Smoker]

That is a great work out! That venison bacon is a thing of beauty! Thanks for sharing.