Hi has anyone setup a small home butchery game dealer business
- Thread starter Banksy007
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Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
Q from me - do you remove skin in the butchering area or outside the chiller in the less hygienic area?
You would not want to be skinning deer in your butchering area.
Carcasses need to go from the chiller to the skinning area, and from there to the butchery area.
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
Banksy007
Active Member
I have commercial fridge in the gararge where I hang them, can fit two fallow or three roe. I skin in an area in the garage then take them into a cleaned area, my utility, it around 20” 15” with two work surfaces. I your one for butery and the other to pack. I Also have a commercial Fridge for fresh and a commercial freeze.
I just run mine to the end of the rail, so they're outside the door, and skin them there.
Ideally you'd have a bespoke area, and another chiller for skinned carcasses only.
(You can't return a skinned carcass to a chiller that contains unskinned carcasses (for obvious reasons) unless you're able to demonstrate a satisfactory method of segregation).
Here's my setup. Chiller, skinning area, then straight into the butchery next door
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
My chiller is single fill anyway can only take a single large fallow. At the
Moment always skin from the rafters. Then take to the kitchen in halves to butcher. Often wondered if this would pass but it’s probably academic with the lack of spare time to have to butcher deer fir other peoples use!
That would be normal practice for sheep, cattle etc in an abattoir.
Difficult with deer as they're often shot a considerable distance away from chilling facilities, so:
a) The guts need to be removed as soon as possible after death.
b) You need the skin on to keep the carcass clean while travelling from field to larder.
Also, venison discolours and looks unappetising if hung skinned, which isn't great if you're trying to sell it.
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
The removal of guts is debatable (as has been debated on this forum also).
Venison won't get any unappetising looks in proper conditions. And in home systems, the over-drying takes some time.
So that's why I said, if you can butcher at will (learn what happens in your fridge, usually you'd be butchering after 24 to 48 hours. If the fridge is not too powerful (including forced air circulation), even 5 days might not result in "unappetised" carcass (I've found that in systems with no humidity control, forced air flow and/or overly powerful inner unit causes carcasses todry too much)
Venison won't get any unappetising looks in proper conditions. And in home systems, the over-drying takes some time.
So that's why I said, if you can butcher at will (learn what happens in your fridge, usually you'd be butchering after 24 to 48 hours. If the fridge is not too powerful (including forced air circulation), even 5 days might not result in "unappetised" carcass (I've found that in systems with no humidity control, forced air flow and/or overly powerful inner unit causes carcasses todry too much)
Banksy007
Active Member
Yes understood, I will be getting a small walk in, I have an area earmarked
Banksy007
Active Member
Nice. I have an are like that in the garage with the fridge 5” away
jthyttin
Well-Known Member
My (second) last comment was more for Essessussex. Since he was wondering about skinning station between chiller and butchering, that could be eliminated if the (single) carcass was hung with skin off. In his case maybe even cut certain parts in (the front of) chiller, butcher them one by one while keeping the rest in chiller until proceeding to them.
Like front legs off, butcher. Fillets and loins of, tidy them up. Cut the carcass in front of rear legs, process as you like. Split the rear legs, butcher. Keeps the parts longer in chiller and frees up space in kitchen.
Like front legs off, butcher. Fillets and loins of, tidy them up. Cut the carcass in front of rear legs, process as you like. Split the rear legs, butcher. Keeps the parts longer in chiller and frees up space in kitchen.
Similar although I can take a pair of fallow or 4 roe in my small chiller (ex DEFRA glass double-door) that has replaced the Pepsi fridge I first used. The chiller is in my garage and I skin adjacent to it and then butcher in the kitchen. My EHO is comfortable with this provided I stay at a relatively small scale around 50 carcasses a year. Just been reinspected and reissued 5* rating. Flykiller moved opposite now as bits of exploding flies/months too close is not a good idea.
Essexsussex
Well-Known Member
Thanks to you and others for sharing set ups. Really helpful to get some perspective.
If I did get inspected I’m sure I’d have to move my cider barrels on the day from proximity to skinning area
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Personally I don’t do it, labour of love!
If you take into account the financial set up costs, running costs, proper waste disposal and paying yourself a wage, tax to pay etc etc etc it’s simply not worth the hassle!
I was a qualified butcher in a passed life, could do it with my eyes shut and there is a reason I don’t do it, there is no proper money in it!
Most Fred’s in a shed get paid in cash don’t pay the tax and don’t charge themselves a wage and that is a fact.
I say MOST, there are some who do things as a PROPER business but NOT many.
If I was doing it I would want to earn £1000 a week minimum to make the blood sweat and tears worth while
If you take into account the financial set up costs, running costs, proper waste disposal and paying yourself a wage, tax to pay etc etc etc it’s simply not worth the hassle!
I was a qualified butcher in a passed life, could do it with my eyes shut and there is a reason I don’t do it, there is no proper money in it!
Most Fred’s in a shed get paid in cash don’t pay the tax and don’t charge themselves a wage and that is a fact.
I say MOST, there are some who do things as a PROPER business but NOT many.
If I was doing it I would want to earn £1000 a week minimum to make the blood sweat and tears worth while
I agree. After three years I've probably only managed to break even with machinery costs, ingredients, packaging, market fees, insurance, licenses, etc.
If I tried to work out what my hourly rate has been it'd probably break my heart.
Banksy007
Active Member
Im fortunate to have quite a lot of space so can run a small walk so no need to split the beast
Banksy007
Active Member
Hi Im really not doing it for the money, its more for the enjoyment and providing to the local businesses and community. But I do get what you mean.
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