Skinning a Hanging Roe Deer
- Thread starter csl
- Start date
Trigger260
Well-Known Member
I do the back legs the same way and then the front legs. I then run a gut hook down the back bone from the anus to the top of the neck being carefull not to cut into the loins. I just peel the skin off with the aid of a knife one side at a time. I find it a lot easier, you don't end up with the skin folding over it's self and generally getting in the way when you get down to the front of the deer.
Regards Paul
Regards Paul
A rule of thumb is “40 degree days” to let the enzymes tenderise the meat.
ie...
@ 1 deg. C for 40 days.
@ 4 deg. C for 10 days.
If not in a chiller you can monitor all the permutations of warmer daytime hours and cooler at night but the end result calculating at 40 degree days.
The carcass shouldn’t go over 7deg. C at any time because bacteria start to multiply rapidly above that temperature.
BushWear do a £30 electronic gizmo called Tenderum which you hang beside the carcass and it will monitor temperature fluctuations and calculate remaining hours on the 40 degree day principle.
Alan
Tenderum Portable Meat Hanging Timer
The Tenderum Tenderisation Timer ensures optimal meat tenderisation - every time. We all know meat needs to hang in order to become tender and delicious, but for many of us we are unsure for how long and are too scared to try for fear of spoiling the meat. The Tenderisation Timer gives you full...
www.bushwear.co.uk
russd34
Active Member
A great help, thank you.A rule of thumb is “40 degree days” to let the enzymes tenderise the meat.
ie...
@ 1 deg. C for 40 days.
@ 4 deg. C for 10 days.
If not in a chiller you can monitor all the permutations of warmer daytime hours and cooler at night but the end result calculating at 40 degree days.
The carcass shouldn’t go over 7deg. C at any time because bacteria start to multiply rapidly above that temperature.
BushWear do a £30 electronic gizmo called Tenderum which you hang beside the carcass and it will monitor temperature fluctuations and calculate remaining hours on the 40 degree day principle.
Alan
Tenderum Portable Meat Hanging Timer
The Tenderum Tenderisation Timer ensures optimal meat tenderisation - every time. We all know meat needs to hang in order to become tender and delicious, but for many of us we are unsure for how long and are too scared to try for fear of spoiling the meat. The Tenderisation Timer gives you full...
Brittany boy
Well-Known Member
Once skinned and sectioned up I wrap the haunches shoulders in cling film before putting in the refrigerator it helps to stop the meat drying out then unwrap a couple of days later wipe with kitchen towel and re wrap as I don’t have a chiller.
+1 for a garage in London. Maybe we could put half a million in each and go halves on one?Very informative, wish I had a garage in London!!!
Alex, I always felt like someone was watching me!
duncan taylor
Member
Nice job - good article
LarryLightFoot
Well-Known Member
Thanks Alex for starting this thread very informative and useful 
.
.
dobber
Well-Known Member
Noticed a few comments on the hair left on the carcass, one little trick i have used is to cut the tongue out of the deer, and use it to "lick" the hair off, works well and apart from the multiple jokes that can be created, it is a good tip, then once done can get the tongue ready for pickling, nothing quite says redneck than a jar of pickled deer tongues
Would that not just risk contaminating the meat with gut contents?
dobber
Well-Known Member
Never seen any gut contents on the tongue, but interesting thought
Rob at Monarch is a trade member and can supply almost all larder equipment needed.
I can recommend the ‘cheapo’ bone saw he sells. (Cuts bone like butter)
Also the Mora flexible boning and Mora Tripe knives, both supplied fast at good prices.
Willowbank.
I can recommend the ‘cheapo’ bone saw he sells. (Cuts bone like butter)
Also the Mora flexible boning and Mora Tripe knives, both supplied fast at good prices.
Willowbank.
Certainly an informative vid but a different job after it’s been hanging in the chiller for a week or so, that was an extremely fresh carcass.
Willowbank.
Willowbank.
About to do my first roe hopefully next week infact first time I'm going to do it on my own so very helpful cheersEveryone has their own way of skinning and their own preferences but as I had a camera handy I thought I'd capture how I skin roe deer whilst hanging. You won't need a winch, a machete, an air compressor or any other props, just some gloves, strong fingers and, to a lesser extent, a small sharp knife.
Before we go any further, yes I am doing it in my garage not a dedicated larder and yes, it is for my personal consumption!
I take the deer, still on the gambrel on its back legs and hook it over the rail for the garage door. It stops it twisting about, but still allows enough swivel either way to see what you are doing.
View attachment 2679
The first step is to force your fingers under the skin on the inside of the hind legs. Force your finger up as far as you can and make a fist, slowly working the skin away from the leg. Hook your finger around any connective tissue you can find under the skin and simply tear it away.
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Next, take your knife and put it up behind the skin and cut it up the inside of the leg all the way into the hole where the gambrel passes through the hock. Cut upwards not towards your face! You are cutting from inside out to minimise the amount of hair released by the cut. I am using a tripe knife here as the special blunt end helps prevent damage to the haunch.
View attachment 2684
Work your fingers under the skin all around the hind legs until you can reach right under the skin all round. Sever the skin about half way up the leg, leaving enough to get a firm grip of.
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Then grasp the remaining skin and pull upwards and it will remove the remaining skin from around the gambrel without having to unhook the deer.
View attachment 2682
Continue to work your fingers under the skin, pushing your fist under and hooking out any connective tissue until you get down to the tail. Cut the tail off with your knife between the first joint and continue working the skin down to the mid section.
View attachment 2677
The skin can be quite sticky here. If the meat starts to tear or the connective tissue won't give just run the tip of a sharp knife along the fold and the tissue will part cleanly, then pull it down a bit more.
View attachment 2676
Roll the skin under itself as you pull to prevent too much hair getting on the meat and continue down until the shoulders.
View attachment 2690View attachment 2688
The shoulders can be a little tricky and some people prefer to part the skin down the leg like we did on the hind legs but on a small deer you don't really need to. Work your fingers and fist around the shoulder as much as possible until you get the skin over the elbow. Then keep burrowing with your fingers until you can get right round the leg. You might need to help this along with the knife.
View attachment 2687
Holding the leg up with one hand you can now pull down on the skin and deglove the front leg.
View attachment 2680View attachment 2685
Continue working down until the neck. The skin again becomes quite tough here and you might need to use tip of the knife to gently sever any stubborn bits of connective tissue.
View attachment 2683
One final heave down on the skin and the rest of the neck should de-glove leaving you with a skinless deer.
With a bit of practice this process doesn't take long at all, can be performed anywhere you can hang the deer securely and requires no lifting or moving of the carcass at all.
As I said before, this is just one way of doing it that I find easiest but the key is to try it and modify as appropriate to your own requirements. Hopefully it will be useful to someone who has found themselves with a deer hanging in their garage for the first time!
Comments, suggestions, other input very welcome!
Alex
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