Had my first go at processing the carcass this weekend. All went well and I have stocked the freezer but I was very aware of the constraints of not having a chiller. The animal was shot and gralloched about 8am and got it home about 1pm. I hung it in the garage and skinned it pretty much right away. Then it was out to the garden to joint it on the garden table (sorry dear!
). The fillets and whole haunches were in the fridge by about 5pm.
I was more worried about flies than it spoiling and wondered what the general advice would be for handling the beast from shot to fridge like this when there's not a chiller. Clearly the seasons and temperature will have a bearing but what's your general tips (apart from buy a chiller!) and timings for safety and convenience?
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I was taught buy a butcher many years back, but this is how I was shown how to do it too. If you watch it you will see that Mark doesn't put the carcass down on a table - it is all done with it hanging up, (an extremely hygienic method) and he only works on the shoulders and legs on a cutting board, you can do this part in your kitchen.
Seeing as you mentioned working on the garden table and flies, it set alarm bells ringing and prompted me to writing you this reply, seeing as I'm bound indoors with man flu.
If you just simply can't do it in your kitchen, for lack of space, (you only need an area of 2 square meters) you can prepare all of the carcass with it hanging up in your garage. Thus, you can keep the doors shut and the flies out. The meat does not come into contact with any work surfaces (garden table is kept clean and so is your precious Venison !)
As you cut it up, place the meat on some sterilised cheap plastic trays from Ikea. I have 2 which I use to place my meat on as I butcher the deer prior to wrapping.
Meat frozen without the bone on, will keep significantly longer and will also defrost nicely, plus you don't get bone contamination (from cutting it) in the meat. Your meat will also pack down in the freezer much more efficiently this way.
You can cut up the bones and roast them, in a very hot oven, until they brown and then cover them with water and simmer in a stock pot with herbs and a few onions. Clean the onions, but leave their skins on, as they will enhance the depth of colour in your stock. Let it simmer for a good 5 + hrs or over night. Remove the bones and reduce the stock down by 70% and freeze it in ice cube trays. These stock cubes are deadly tools of flavour when knocking up a sauce. Be it for one person or 20, you can take the exact amount of stock you need, there and then.
I own a dedicated chiller, and thus hang all of my carcasses in there. I have a tiled kitchen floor with some very discreet anchor points in a beam in the kitchen ceiling. I bring the carcass into the kitchen (head and feet off, skinned, and body cavity empty) and then hang it from 2 chains that I keep in the kitchen drawer. I use a cheap block and tackle to lift it up (£5 new off ebay)
I can then work in a clean environment with a propper sink and clean work areas, that is sealed from the ingress of flies and other sources of contamination. I have an electric fly zapper switched on in the corner of the kitchen in case any of the things get into the house.
I really don't understand why people have this fear of butchering their deer in the kitchen ! It is just a large piece of meat and should be treated like this. You wouldn't prepare a sandwich in the garage to stop your worktop from getting crumbs on it would you ?
If you can't afford the cost of a chiller, or just don't have the space, then make a frame to hang it in that is covered with a duvet sheet and tied off at the bottom a bit like a big sock over a hanging bird cage. Once the outdoor temperature is lower than 8 deg c you can leave it to hang in a shaded area outside anyway.
I hope that this info is of help to you.
Happy hunting and Gutten Appetit !
Kindest regards, Olaf
