Beginners butchery equipment list

[weblyish]

All good until the “the hair gets on that” part… skin properly, don’t cut hair and it’s not a problem.
Tip.. to remove any hair wipe the skinned carcass when hanging on gambrel in one direction ( downwards) with disposable cloth soaked in hot water, wipe just once with each cloth then bin….I check and wipe again joints ready for butchering on table.

WB

I mean to stop the hairs on me not the meat
Synthetics can static attract them on to you and no amout of washing ever gets them out of fleece so I wear an old cotton hoodie over my clothes when skinning. Keeps me warm and any hair or bits of gore that get on it are not an issue. Just goes in the wash
Separate from a butchery apron which I wouldn't wear while skinning to avoid bringing more hair to the party

Agreed with the above. Just be neat and careful and it's easy to deal with the smallish number of hairs you do get on the meat

 

[matty779blue]

I have a Lidl silver crest vacuum sealer that was £25 which is pretty decent and I use for all my meat. Really easy to use and for the money you cannot beat it

 

[matty779blue]

I have a Lidl silver crest vacuum sealer that was £25 which is pretty decent and I use for all my meat. Really easy to use and for the money you cannot beat it

Also a clothes fluff roller to get hair off the meat actually works really well.

 

[weblyish]

I have a Lidl silver crest vacuum sealer that was £25 which is pretty decent and I use for all my meat. Really easy to use and for the money you cannot beat it

Buy the precut bags from Amazon and it is even easier and quicker

 

[sy247]

I have a Lidl silver crest vacuum sealer that was £25 which is pretty decent and I use for all my meat. Really easy to use and for the money you cannot beat it

What I use. Didn't think it would last long but it keeps on going.

 

[matty779blue]

What I use. Didn't think it would last long but it keeps on going.

For the price you can buy two just in case lol

 

[big bang]

Monarch on here could probably sort you out a deal for the lot.

@FISH BOY and @willowbank - spoke to Rob at @Monarch Country Products and he has indeed helped me out. Great recommendation, thank you!

 

[big bang]

BushWear Economy Mincer

BushWear's economy meat mincer for venison, game and household use. Sturdy build, multiple cutting plates, easy to clean. Larder essential.

www.bushwear.co.uk

Yes it’s a bit of a spend but it really opens up the options for produce, burgers, koftas, and sausages. Remember, burgers are the gateway drug for new venison consumers!

It’s also where the butchery ‘mishaps’ go so any steaks that look like they were cut by Stevie Wonder can magically become mince!

Butchers Sundries Domestic Vacuum Sealer/Packing Machine with Embossed Bags

Our Vacuum Sealing Machine is a dedicated 3-in-1 multifunction home vacuum packaging machine ideal for protecting and keeping food fresh for longer. This machine is fully automatic and easy to use, removing air and sealing within seconds. Perfect to help prep food in advance or for cooking using...

butchers-sundries.com

Cheap, reduces freezer burn risk and makes everything look a bit more professional. Probably my top recommendation

Burger Press With 100 Discs

Everyone loves a burger and you can get really creative with adding healthy ingredients with your own burger maker. Simply load the burger maker with mixture and press down the handle to produce a perfect thick round burger.

butchers-sundries.com

Used one for years when I first started and perfectly adequate

You might need a bigger freezer!

Thanks for this, great advice. Bought a new freezer precisely for this reason

 

[VSS]

All good until the “the hair gets on that” part… skin properly, don’t cut hair and it’s not a problem.
Tip.. to remove any hair wipe the skinned carcass when hanging on gambrel in one direction ( downwards) with disposable cloth soaked in hot water, wipe just once with each cloth then bin….I check and wipe again joints ready for butchering on table.

WB

I would strongly caution against trying to wipe hair off the carcass. Some may be removed, but a lot simply becomes aligned with the "grain" of the carcass, and is then pretty much invisible, giving a false sense of cleanliness.
Firstly, obviously try to avoid getting hair on the meat in the first place and secondly, meticulously and thoroughly pick off any hairs that are adhering to the carcass.

 

[big bang]

You can absolutely get away with a normal kitchen knife and some freezer bags for your first few deer. You really don't need to buy anything at all

But a good thin boning knife and a large chopping board are going to help a lot and you can get that for 25quid

Then comes the bigger spends when you realise it's hard work without some bits of kit :
Vac packer. Mincer. Saw. Sharpening steel
Lidl vacpacker. B&Q hacksaw and a cheap mincer or 2nd hand Kenwood chef mincer attachment and you can do that for £100-150

At that point you can easily do a small deer every few weeks and replace most of your other red meat at home and see where you go from there

If it works for you then start spending good money on good kit. But don't spend in advance of what you need



Edit: just reread your list
Cut resist gloves is a personal preference. I used to use one when working in a kitchen a doing dozens of birds a day. If you are confident with a knife there is not need if you take it slow

Apron? Again personal choice but probably worth it for the small spend or just designate a freshly laundered t shirt as the butchery one from now on. I do have a specific skinning hoodie I always put on top of whatever I'm wearing for skinning so the hair gets on that not my other clothes. And it goes in a separate wash from "good" clothes. That's worth having

Sage advice! I have some decent kitchen knives that I’ll use for trimming up, cutting steaks etc. but treated myself to another boning knife for the heavier work, a roeing knife for skinning, and a bone saw… can’t have enough knives .

Will hang fire on the mincer for the first couple but I have no doubt this will be in the list soon

Good plan RE clean ‘work’ clothes for the

 

[big bang]

I would strongly caution against trying to wipe hair off the carcass. Some may be removed, but a lot simply becomes aligned with the "grain" of the carcass, and is then pretty much invisible, giving a false sense of cleanliness.
Firstly, obviously try to avoid getting hair on the meat in the first place and secondly, meticulously and thoroughly pick off any hairs that are adhering to the carcass.

Getting hair on the meat is a far bigger and more common thing that I thought. I’m anal about this kind of thing so I’ll be theee for hours with a microscope

 

[big bang]

Also a clothes fluff roller to get hair off the meat actually works really well.

I definitely have one of those already… hair is a nightmare it seems. I’ll let you all know how I get on… hope my YouTube butchery PhD will be put to work. I might even film my first attempt for a laugh…

 

[Scarpa]

I also love the Vic boning knife. I got a vac sealer from Amazon, use my F1 all round hunting knife for heavy work but as I am often away working in a rented appartment one thing which I found very useful was a folding white plastic picnic table dedicated as my butchery bench. Easy to clean and you can chop on it.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Plus your in-the-woods bleeding & gralloching belt knife.

K

 

[cjm1066]

A carcase will slip on a kitchern worktop, large bit of plywood stops that and you can cut onto it. Clean with wire brush.

 

[Budgie Smuggler]

Regarding a bone saw, go to Screwfix and get an Irwin twenty inch wood saw for about £6.

Perfect for what you'll need.

Get a Victorinox 5" flexible boning knife as well and you're good to go.

 

[DevonRifle]

Definitely the Victorinox but you really need a steel and to learn how to use it. Keeping the Victorinox sharp through the whole deer is simple with a good steel.

Very sensible to use an anti cut knife, use disposable gloves over the top and it’s much easier to clean. Anti cut gloves aren’t expensive and nothing cuts through them unless you don’t wear the disposable glove over the top and your dog finds the ‘meaty’ glove. You then learn to respect the power of a dog’s jaws!

 

[DevonRifle]

Very sensible to use an anti cut knife,

That should have said anti cut glove.

 

[Tim.243]

That should have said anti cut glove.

We all have a couple of anti cut knives after a few heads/legs lol
I watch the NZ home kill boys and they steel their knives all the time.

 

[willowbank]

A carcase will slip on a kitchern worktop, large bit of plywood stops that and you can cut onto it. Clean with wire brush.

When my butchers block is completely dry I use the sander on it when needed… not thought of a wire brush, good one

WB