Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Killing Your Own Food Part 2

Cutting Deer Sirloin



Venison is a meat that is much in demand but that cannot be found in your typical grocery store or restaurant. Of all the cuts of venison off of a deer, sirloin is the most tender. There is a certain method to cutting the sirloin from the deer that requires a few preliminary cuts and removals prior to actually getting to the sirloin portions.



Hang the carcass from a tree or stand by the rear legs. If the weather is below freezing, allow the carcass to age for a day or two. This will help make the meat more tender.



Remove the head with a bone saw by cutting through the first neck vertebra and muscles and then twisting the head off. Cut up through the center of the deer abdomen and carefully remove the organs without puncturing them. Allow the blood to drain completely. Rinse off the inside of the carcass and set the organs aside to be used or discarded later. Take down the carcass and lie it flat on a preparation table.



Skin the deer as completely as you can using sharp knives. Make sure you can store the carcass in a cool place until it is completely carved and packaged.



Cut the meatless portions of the lower rear legs from the deer, these end at what would be considered the "knees" of the deer. Cut the shank portion of the rear legs from the carcass. The shank portion is the upper rear leg of the deer that ends at the rear end of the deer. De-flesh the shank meat and save it for ground meat or stew meat. Repeat this process with the other rear leg.



Make a cut along the length of the backbone and remove the loin from the small area of the deer’s back. The loin extends from the lower back of the deer to the neck. Set the loin aside and freeze it for later use so that it can be cut into steaks. Remove the tenderloin once the loin has been removed. The tenderloin is located immediately underneath the loin and rump section.



Cut the round portion from the rear legs. The round portion is located under the rump section and to the rear of the flank and sirloin tip sections. Use a bone saw to cut through the leg bone and set the round portion aside for use as roasts or ground meat later.



Cut the sirloin tip, which runs from the lower section of the rump downward and is easily recognizable as a football-shaped muscle at the front of the hind legs. The sirloin is in the upper thigh portion of the deer. The sirloin can be used for roasts or cut into steak portions.



Wrap the sirloin pieces in a double layer of freezer paper or use plastic freezer bags. Label the bags with contents and date. You are now ready to freeze or cook your venison sirloin.

.

No comments:

Post a Comment