Ground venison prep?

[Jeepster48439]

I am going to add my $0.02 for what it is worth.

When processing deer, we brine all the meat for 2-3 days before cutting and freezing. We break it down into small muscle groups when we process, removing as much of the silver skin and fat as possible.

I have a buddy that packages in the largest muscle groups as possible and he will give me frozen venison from time to time. We will brine his venison after thawing and before grind.

When grinding, we add 25% pork. For the pork, we have started using pork belly. What we don't use in the ground venison, gets turned into bacon.

We have done the 1/3 pork, 1/3 lean ground beef, 1/3 venison. That gives a texture that performs well on a grill and a taste that is similar to ground beef for our non-game eaters.

We have also used pork butt or shoulder in our grind. In this case, we would go more 1/3 pork and 2/3 venison because of the lower fat content of those cuts as compared to pork belly.

 

[BigRed]

Had ground venison prepared a number of different ways, for chili and tacos it wouldn't really matter, but the best venison burgers I've ever had was mixed with BACON and they were great.

Better half made venison chili tonight.....YUM!!!

 

[thelefthand]

I add 10% to mine in the form of pork shoulder/Boston Butt. It's the cheapest cut of meat you'll find, and the high fat content makes it ideal for this purpose.

I'm 46, and I have literally been butchering my entire life. Growing up, dad and (maternal) grandpa would butcher multiple hogs an beef every year. Dad still has his #32 Hobart. He gave $1,000 for it in 1969. A meat grinder is a piece of heavy duty industrial equipment that will out last your grand kids. Invest your money accordingly. If you get a grinder from Bass Pro or Cabelas, ONLY BUY THEIR COMMERCIAL GRADE UNITS. They are good grinders, but the rest are overpriced junk. LEM also makes a good grinder. Those are about the only two options for consumer use. 1.5 hp #32 grinder will run around $700. Smaller models are fine, but this is as small as I'll go. I Normally double grind between 75 and 100 lb at a time, and mine will grind as fast as I care to feed it. More importantly to me, when I disassemble it afterwards, I can fit my hand into the #32 head to clean it.

 

[ghuns]

20% bacon. Not the most economical filler, but... It's bacon.

This year I might try some brisket trimmings.

 

[BigRed]

I add 10% to mine in the form of pork shoulder/Boston Butt. It's the cheapest cut of meat you'll find, and the high fat content makes it ideal for this purpose.

I'm 46, and I have literally been butchering my entire life. Growing up, dad and (maternal) grandpa would butcher multiple hogs an beef every year. Dad still has his #32 Hobart. He gave $1,000 for it in 1969. A meat grinder is a piece of heavy duty industrial equipment that will out last your grand kids. Invest your money accordingly. If you get a grinder from Bass Pro or Cabelas, ONLY BUY THEIR COMMERCIAL GRADE UNITS. They are good grinders, but the rest are overpriced junk. LEM also makes a good grinder. Those are about the only two options for consumer use. 1.5 hp #32 grinder will run around $700. Smaller models are fine, but this is as small as I'll go. I Normally double grind between 75 and 100 lb at a time, and mine will grind as fast as I care to feed it. More importantly to me, when I disassemble it afterwards, I can fit my hand into the #32 head to clean it.

One may be able to find a good Hobart at a shop selling used restaurant equipment these days.

 

[Sailor]

My butcher shop sells fatback. I just use that 15-20% and mix up several recipes of breakfast, italian or bratwurst and plain. Then freeze.

 

[thelefthand]

FWIW, on my first grind I use a 3/8" plate. I grind into Sterolite tubs that I buy from Walmart. I think they hold 12 qt. You can buy a 5 pk of them for around $8. I use them to hold all of the meat as I butcher. They fit into a full size fridge very nicely. Packed tightly, they can hold 20#, but when grinding I try not to put more than 15# in each one so that it doesn't get packed into a solid chunk. After the first grind, I stack them into my cooler at 23 deg F for 5 to 8 hrs, along with the grinder head, auger, and my 3/16 plate and knife. This gets most of the meat partially frozen which allows it to feed through the grinder MUCH better on the 2nd grind.

My cooler is a used 12 cu ft chest freezer that I picked up on Craigslist for $125. I wired in a cheap digital thermostat infront of the compressor so that it can override the factory thermostat. I poked a 3/8" hole through the side of the freezer, on the side of the inset for the compressor. There are no cooling lines to hit in that inset. Snaked the included thermocouple through the hole along wit a pair of 14ga wires to feed a standard 110v receptical. Afterwards, I fill the hole with expanding foam to seal it back up.. I use the receptical to feed a small fan which allows things to cool MUCH faster. In the off season, I set the digital thermostat at -20 deg and let the factory thermostat control the temp. If I were so inclined, it would be a great way to quickly cool adult beverages... if I were so inclined...

Amazon product ASIN B011VGASLW

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I was told you out hamburger in with it bc deer can dry out and burn in the pan quickly and the beef helps prevent that.

Is this not correct?

 

[thelefthand]

I was told you out hamburger in with it bc deer can dry out and burn in the pan quickly and the beef helps prevent that.

Is this not correct?

No. It burns because it doesn't have enough fat in it. Mixing with cheap hamburger, pork, bacon, ect, increases the fat content so that hamburger patties stick together, and don't dry out.

 

[SamTrammell]

This year we chipped dry ice and mixed it in with our venison. It did a good job of keeping the meat cold and allowed the grinder to cut better. Highly recommend.

 

[gregr]

No. It burns because it doesn't have enough fat in it. Mixing with cheap hamburger, pork, bacon, ect, increases the fat content so that hamburger patties stick together, and don't dry out.

For burgers, I will usually mix 1 lb. breakfast sausage with 1 lb. ground venison. The sausage gives it a little tang, helps hold it together, and gives it fat so it doesn`t dry out. Non venison eaters have never complained about this mixture.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

For burgers, I will usually mix 1 lb. breakfast sausage with 1 lb. ground venison. The sausage gives it a little tang, helps hold it together, and gives it fat so it doesn`t dry out. Non venison eaters have never complained about this mixture.

This is also a great mix for breakfast burritos. 1 lb Tennessee Pride & 1lb ground venison. I've also had good remarks about this mix, it being the base of a Stroganoff recipe.

 

[rooster]

I only mix pork if it’s convenient and cheap. Ie. I just bought a Boston butt or similar for 99c a pound. Otherwise I package straight ground venison. Wife loves to cook with it straight bc no need to drain it. Just put some olive or grape seed oil in the pan when you start.

 

[sugarcreekbrass]

We also do straight venison. If we want burgers, we use the ground beef from the 1/4 beef we buy each year. Even this beef is very lean. If we want a mix, we do it when preparing a meal. We just like having plain venison.

 

[Hawkeye7br]

Several years ago, I took my dear to a processor who ran a packing plant. They mixed 1/3 pork sausage with my venison burger. The processor I use now just runs straight deer burger because they will focus on all venison during modern gun season.