I work in a small locker in S/E Iowa. I did a lot of the deer cutting this year. The "silver skin" isn't anything to worry about much, there is no way you can remove all of it form the meat, and if you cut round steaks it is imposable to cut it out of them. The things that give the meat a gamey taste are these; Age of the animal, carelessness while it is field dressed, letting it hang to long or in to high of a temperature, and freezer burn. When we work up a deer we try to remove all fat, blood clots, damaged meat, bone, and shrapnel from the bullet.(bone, lead, and broad head blades can and will ruin a grinder blade) We also try to make the cuts of meat as eye appealing as possible. when we grind the deer meat we mix it with either beef trim, pork trim (trim is fat and meat), or suit.(100% beef fat) The amount mixed in is up to the individual customer, some want 2:1 mix, (2 part deer to 1 part add in) some want 1:1, some want 1:2, and some don't want any thing added. We hand mix the chunks of meat in the grinder tub and grind once, then we put that grind back in and hand mix it to give it eye appeal and a better blend. Our small grinder can hold 100-150 lbs in the hopper, our big grinder/mixer can hold 250-300 lbs. Once it has been ground twice we package it per the customers request. that is how we handle all deer that we butcher. The meat that any one brings in that they have boned out we do not do anything to but grind. (we do look for any bone, bullets or anything that NEEDS to be cut out)
We at our locker take great pride in everything that goes out or doors, and won't let anything in or out that will tarnish our name. I know that there are some so called professionals out there that just don't do a good job, and it is those people that give the rest of us a bad name.
OK, Im done babbling now. If any on has any questions about cutting up there own deer I will be more then happy to tell you what I can.
IATRKYHNTR
(Nathan)
