Hairs on meat - any tips or tricks

[Sol]

Avoid breast cutting too if possible, Its a nightmare skinning out the armpits! leave the brisket in tact and "taxidermy" cut it before starting on the haunches, If the cage Is split it drapes the hide down and requires more knife work (for myself... at least)

Most of the time I get hair on the meat is from struggling to skin areas, I quickly learned after a few deer starting the cuts on the legs and getting at least to the arm pits is invaluable.

 

[VSS]

Avoid breast cutting too if possible, Its a nightmare skinning out the armpits! leave the brisket in tact and "taxidermy" cut it before starting on the haunches, If the cage Is split it drapes the hide down and requires more knife work (for myself... at least)

Most of the time I get hair on the meat is from struggling to skin areas, I quickly learned after a few deer starting the cuts on the legs and getting at least to the arm pits is invaluable.

Hi Sol, with the deer lying on it's back in a cradle or similar, if you run your knife up the front of the front legs (starting from the hoof end, and ending the cut part way up the neck) instead of running the knife up the inside of the leg and across the armpit, you will find that there's a nice big triangle of skin formed that you can get hold of and pull straight out of the armpit very easily.

 

[Tim.243]

Avoid breast cutting too if possible, Its a nightmare skinning out the armpits! leave the brisket in tact and "taxidermy" cut it before starting on the haunches, If the cage Is split it drapes the hide down and requires more knife work (for myself... at least)

Most of the time I get hair on the meat is from struggling to skin areas, I quickly learned after a few deer starting the cuts on the legs and getting at least to the arm pits is invaluable.

I come "up" the inside of the front leg and keep going about 50mm wide from the rib cage stopping around the kidney height.
Make a cut across to free it up then you have a long strip to pull down past the inside armpit down to the neck.
You will be able to use both hands on it to pull.

 

[VSS]

I come "up" the inside of the front leg and keep going about 50mm wide from the rib cage stopping around the kidney height.
Make a cut across to free it up then you have a long strip to pull down past the inside armpit down to the neck.
You will be able to use both hands on it to pull.

Do you do that with the deer hanging by the hind legs, Tim?

 

[Tim.243]

Do you do that with the deer hanging by the hind legs, Tim?

Yes

 

[TringSaint]

I come "up" the inside of the front leg and keep going about 50mm wide from the rib cage stopping around the kidney height.
Make a cut across to free it up then you have a long strip to pull down past the inside armpit down to the neck.
You will be able to use both hands on it to pull.

I do something similar to release the skin from around the neck.
I also remove the skin from the hock / lower part of the leg before hanging up and I don’t use a gambrel - I use 2 10” S hooks and that stops the carcass swinging and twisting around.

The carcass is mostly clean apart from any impact area and at the top of the neck where I have removed the head (which is typically do in the field)

 

[willowbank]

Not read the whole post but here’s my input....

Try always to cut outwards to avoid actually cutting hair.
Use a 2ft (approx) square of cloth material, I use bits of an old washroom roller towel. Soak it in a washing up bowl of very hot water, as hot as you can stand then wring it out thoroughly.

Start at one end, wipe, rinse in the hot water and wring out, repeat, working only in the one direction.
In no time the bowl will contain any stray hair transferred from the meat via the cloth.
If you’ve made a right Mary of it and the meat is covered in hairs change the bowl of hot water half way.

I might again use the hot cloth for any residual hairs as the meat comes to the cutting table.

This does work as long as the cloth is kept hot, wrung out and worked in only one direction.

WIllowbank.

 

[Sellars]

I haven't seen much mention of a skinning stool as post 42. I was taught to skin reds using a stool. There are advantages to getting the deer on a skinning stool on its back then starting at the legs working downwards, cutting from inside out and minimising cutting. Using the clean hand for the knife and using knuckles, punching or thumb to get the skin of and only using the dirty hand for the holding the fur side of the pelt. Working downwards hairs fall down not onto the skinned carcase. Once skin is free of both sides down to the spine then hang the carcase back up and the back section comes away easily. I was also told to avoid hold the skinned legs as it can leave marks and also to avoid tearing at flanks and back and to get tiger stripes on the back, just because it looks better than bits of fleshing hanging.
As with most things it gets easier with practise.

 

[kieran222]

I suspend mine for skinning. As long as you are careful to fold the skin away from the meat and use one hand for the outside and one for the inside without swapping you should have very few hairs on the meat. I find that most of the hairs are around the cuts made during the field gralloch, so wipe the hairs away from the end of the legs with a clean damp cloth and cut about 1-2cm of the meat from around the stomach opening. I don't split the chest or aitch bone. Make sure that you clean it after skinning and not during butchering.

 

[Yukonmountainhunter]

Generally the creatures we shoot tend to be fairly large. The elk from last fall was hung head down from the tractor and and skinned that way and then halved. A few hair on it but nothing that a wipe didn't get.

The moose from the previous year was done with the "gutless" method, so skinning down the back from head to tail then down each leg. Backstraps and quarters removed as you go. Utilizing a tarp on the ground it was very clean. again, a few hairs but for a 400 kg animal taken apart in the field, in the dark, easily manageable.

 

[moeggesit]

If there's so many hairs left on the carcass that you're considering resorting to the use of a blowtorch then there's something wrong with the way you're doing the skinning.
Address that issue first.
Always cut from the inside.
Use the "clean hand / dirty hand method".
Ensure that the skin is always falling away from exposed meat as you remove it.
Don't skin in your butchery area.
Wear a different apron or jacket for skinning.

What he said, I also always have a bucket of clean water at hand as well to wash my dirty hand and knife, as often as required to prevent any carry over to the meat or inside of the skin.

 

[captain jon]

Just wipe off with a j cloth ,any remaining hairs once cooked just spit out like you would pubic hairs simples .

 

[paulst]

Have never had issues with hairs on meat. Hang from back legs, cut up the inside using a tripe knife so cutting from the inside outwards. Use hand to push up under skin from the skirt & again, push from inside out up along the back legs & around the back from each side, then roll the skin down the back legs & along the saddle by holding & rolling your clenched hands so hairs are wrapped inside the roll. Use the tripe knife on the front legs when you get there & pull the whole jacket down, work the legs out & then pull the jacket down off the neck. As with all things gralloching, skinning & butchering, practice makes perfect

This absolutely, it does get easier with practice.

 

[Siubhal]

Good video shows how to skin wrong way around

Thanks for posting and uploading. Something new to try!

 

[Freeforester]

The initial incision can be made with the carcass hung from the hocks; starting on the inside of the foreleg and heading toward the leading edge of the upper part of the foreleg, and where it meets the gullet, forward of - not through - the armpit area; the only incision made between skin and flesh, and made from the inside of the skin by poking the blunt end of the tripe knife or roe knife, the former being the better tool for the task. Note the head is left in situ and only removed once the atlas joint is cut, which a) minimises hair loss and waste, and b) straightens the neck owing to the weight of the head stretching the ‘paddywack’ - that strong, yellowish, rubber-like neck sinew, which otherwise will contract if the head is removed before this point in time, resulting in a curled neck section with hair and possibly dirt or dried blood to deal with.
‘


At best you may find 5-10 hairs in the armpit area, remove them as soon as you see them. Note the slit in the wrist area, fixing the snare loop in place.
Best hung from a fixed hook rather than a swivelling one, in my experience. A high hanging point is a godsend - or thoughtful design consideration!

Have the carcass foreleg joints high if at all possible, as shown. Make a slit in the
Inside of the leg and head toward the gullet at front of the brisket, if your tripe knife is sharp it will easily slice 90% of the way up the leg, the oxter (armpit) being the place you have to do a small amount of manipulation with the blunt point, and through under the skin to the opened throat area.Be sure you have slit through the skin fully here. Before you hang it via a couple of small wire or dyneema ‘snare loops’ , make a slit across the tendons on the wrist about 7/8” - 1” back from the severed joint - this ensures the snare loop won’t fall off or slip, and no meat is lost in so doing.

Hung like this, and working for the most part higher than waist level, any hair or blood specks, dirt etc will fall downward and away from the meat, I suggest you consider gravity as being your ally in the job.

Ideally, the neck and oxter area you will be skinning should be above or at your head height, which gives you the best leverage on the toughest parts to skin (adult males’ neck hide is both tougher and more bonded to the meat than same on the females).


No mad rush, just work away, with minimal use of the knife - all hair and blood should only fall downward and away from the carcass; no fingerprints should be necessary on the carcass. NB- the fallow carcass shown here was received with the head already removed, note the propensity for hair and potential dirt to adhere to the atlas joint area - this would not happen when the head is still attached!

It gets progressively easier, until you are working lower than would be ideal, but with care even the shot wound area can be tidied around;


Nearly there - minimal chance of pins and paint landing on the skinned carcass; take care when removing the skin at the silversides, they are very easily torn: a couple of touches with the knife just where they begin to look like they may tear will ease the parting of skin and venison. No need to cut the skin at the haunches, it simply comes off in a tube, with a little bit of persuasion toward the hock.
Having the floor already wet before the commencement of operations also helps catch any debris or hair and prevents it from blowing around, also making the cleanup after skinning easy.

I hope this helps you to help yourself!

 

[Yukonmountainhunter]

In @Freeforester pictures if there is any hair accumulation it will likely be on the fat layer at the incision line (pic #2) Personally, I trim that fat off anyway so most of the rogue hairs get taken away. Any other free loaders are easily picked off.

Side note: I wipe down the inside and outside of the skinned animal with a mild solution of white vinegar and water. It's really quite good at removing any blood from inside the carcass and acts as an anti bacterial. I do this before hanging the quarters.

 

[HallyButt]

Water deer, I mean!!
Corrected now.
Don’t want to cause an international incident!!

Reminds me of a recent conversation with one of my landowners overheard by his Italian guest ‘can you get into the bottom corner of the marsh and shoot all of the Chinese coming into the winter wheat’ the look on the poor guys face was priceless …

 

[PeterWilson]

In @Freeforester pictures if there is any hair accumulation it will likely be on the fat layer at the incision line (pic #2) Personally, I trim that fat off anyway so most of the rogue hairs get taken away. Any other free loaders are easily picked off.

Side note: I wipe down the inside and outside of the skinned animal with a mild solution of white vinegar and water. It's really quite good at removing any blood from inside the carcass and acts as an anti bacterial. I do this before hanging the quarters.

What ratio of vinegar to water fo you use please?

 

[VSS]

What ratio of vinegar to water fo you use please?

Just ordinary distilled (white) vinegar is the thing to use for removing any mildew from a carcass that's been hanging for a while. No need to dilute it.

 

[Freeforester]

Generally the creatures we shoot tend to be fairly large. The elk from last fall was hung head down from the tractor and and skinned that way and then halved. A few hair on it but nothing that a wipe didn't get.

The moose from the previous year was done with the "gutless" method, so skinning down the back from head to tail then down each leg. Backstraps and quarters removed as you go. Utilizing a tarp on the ground it was very clean. again, a few hairs but for a 400 kg animal taken apart in the field, in the dark, easily manageable.

Indeed, they are large. I recall some years ago skinning some eleven European moose/elg over a three week period (the middle week was a break in the season), which was educational!