Deciding How to Portion a Deer: ysabetwordsmith

Deciding How to Portion a Deer

After several hours of research and much thought, I have distilled my findings into a post about the cuts of venison and how a deer may be portioned. This includes a discussion of how to make good choices, and several differently focused combinations of cuts that could come off one deer.

Tenderness

The most tender cuts of venison come from parts of the deer’s body that got less exercise. The least tender cuts of venison come from muscles in constant use. Most people want the best meat cut as steaks, boneless chops, or roasts for maximum enjoyment. Medium-quality meat can be cut into steaks, roasts, stew meat, or ground meat. Lower-quality meat, plus trimmings from the other cuts, is usually made into stew meat or ground meat. The tender cuts may be cooked quickly at high heat. Less tender cuts benefit from slower cooking at lower heat. Also, chopping or grinding the meat makes its texture much more agreeable.

One list of cuts in order of tenderness (most tender to least tender) is: tenderloins, backstraps, rump, round, shoulder, neck, shank, flank. If you want to get a certain amount of roasts or steaks, you should start at the top of that list and work down; then chop or grind the rest of the meat. If you want to get a certain amount of stew meat, burger, sausage, etc. you should start at the bottom of that list and work up; then make the rest into roasts and/or steaks. Of course it’s possible to grind a whole deer, but most people consider that a waste of the prime cuts.

This page shows some typical cuts of venison by weight (from a 100# carcass so they can also be used as percentages) with price comparisons to domestic venison.

Competition

Some cuts are made from the same part of the deer as some other cuts. Bone-in roasts are in direct competition with boneless roasts from the same area. So you can have either a bone-in shoulder roast or a boneless blade roast, but not both from the same side. However, if you want both, you can have one forequarter cut into a bone-in roast and the other cut into a boneless blade roast, because each deer has two forequarters.

Roasts are in direct competition with steaks from the same area, because steaks are basically sliced roasts. These include boneless shoulder roast vs. boneless shoulder steak, top sirloin roast vs. top sirloin steak, sirloin tip roast vs. sirloin tip steaks vs. sandwich steaks, top round roast vs. top round steaks, bottom round roast vs. bottom round steaks vs. bottom round Swiss steaks, eye of round whole vs. eye of round steaks.

Ribs compete directly with stew meat and ground meat; for some reason they are rarely left whole, although they are excellent barbecued just like beef or pork ribs. Saddle competes directly with ribs, backstrap, and tenderloin because it is a combination of those cuts in one big slab. Chops compete directly with ribs, backstrap, and tenderloin because they are bone-in slices of those cuts. Bone-in roasts, steaks, chops, rib sides, etc. compete directly with soup bones and stock bones.

Roasts and steaks compete indirectly with stew meat and ground meat, because any roast can be reduced to stew meat or ground meat, but there are always extra bits for stew or ground meat if you don’t want to chop your roasts.

As for sizing, remember that you can always cut a big piece of meat smaller, but you can’t easily make small pieces larger (except for certain things like meatloaf). Conversely, slicing or chopping meat yourself is extra work and may not turn out as neatly; grinding it to burger requires special equipment. So it helps to make the right cuts when processing the deer in the first place. If you typically feed large groups of people, then large cuts such as hind or fore quarters, roasts, and rib sides will be valuable to you. You may also want soup bones and plenty of stew meat. If you typically feed smaller numbers of people, you may prefer more divisible cuts such as steaks and chops. If you want maximum versatility from meat, then you probably want lots of stew meat and burger, which can be used in many different recipes. Most people want a balance between roasts, steaks, stew meat, and burger. Conveniently, deer are symmetrical, so you can cut roasts from one side, steaks from the other, and then use the neck and other miscellaneous bits for stew and burger meat.

Most places that process deer will offer one or more "packages" of cuts. There is almost always a balanced package, the most popular; others favor different styles of cut as much as possible. You'd think it would be easy to find lots of these to compare, but I didn't. So I made four lists, each with a different focus. Bear in mind that if you have a small carcass, you may not get all the cuts -- sometimes there isn't room. If you have a really big carcass, you may wind up with bigger roasts than you want (or more, if they get cut down) and maybe not as much chopped or ground as you expected in proportion. Be flexible. These should give you an idea what-all can be done with a deer, and how you might approach the decision if you are processing your own or paying someone who says "I'll cut the deer any way you want it."

In addition to "cut the muscles off the carcass and wrap them," some processors offer other options. Venison burger usually has a small amount of beef or pork added for fat and binding. Venison sausage has rather a lot of pork plus spices and other ingredients. Those are the most common extras. Venison can also be made into delicious summer sausage, jerky (whole or ground & pressed), and other products.

FOUR DIVISIONS OF A VENISON CARCASS

Package A: Mixed Cuts

This is an example of the most popular cutting style, which aims for a balance of roasts, steaks, stew meat, and ground meat. If you're not sure what to pick, this is the best bet.

Neck – ground meat

Forequarters
--Cut one into boneless blade roast and arm roast
--Cut other arm and shoulder into stew meat
--Use both shanks for ground meat

Backstrap
--Cut one in half to make two backstrap roasts
--Slice one into 1” thick slices to make backstrap medallions

Tenderloin
--Leave one whole
--Cut one into 1” thick slices to make tenderloin medallions

Ribs – cut into serving-size portions (probably cut each side into halves or thirds)

Flank – ground meat

Hindquarters
--Cut both into Denver leg (top round, bottom round, thick flank, and eye of
round), then:
--Leave one side as whole roasts
--For the other side, use the top round for stew meat, the bottom round for
ground meat, and slice the thick flank and eye of round into steaks
--Use both shanks for ground meat

Organs – save the tongue, heart, liver, kidneys, and testicles (if intact)

Bones – save bones for making stock

- - - - -
Package B: Mostly Large Cuts

This is a good choice for people who love roasts and/or who tend to eat in large groups. It also makes an ideal counterpoint if you are dedicating a different deer to small cuts or stew/ground meat. If you want some cuts of venison that are harder to find even in a specialty store that carries venison burger or sausage, this is worth considering.

Neck – whole boneless neck roast

Forequarters
--One side left as whole bone-in shoulder roast
--One side cut into boneless blade roast, bone-in arm roast, and osso buco

Backstrap (aka loin, sometimes sirloin)
--One side left whole
--One side cut in half to make two backstrap roasts

Tenderloin – both left whole

Ribs (aka spareribs) – separated into two whole sides

Flank – stew meat

Rump – rump roast (top of rump, near tail)

Hindquarters
--One side left as whole bone-in hindquarter roast
--One side cut as a Denver leg containing top round roast, bottom round
roast, thick flank roast, and eye of round.

Organs – mouffle (nose and lips), tongue, brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and
testicles

Bones – save bones for making stock

Trimmings – use trimmings for ground meat

- - - - -
Package C: Mostly Small Cuts

This is a good choice for people who love grilling and/or who tend to eat in small groups. It also makes an ideal counterpoint if you are dedicating a different deer to largel cuts or stew/ground meat. If you want some cuts of venison that are harder to find even in a specialty store that carries venison burger or sausage, this is worth considering.

Neck – stew meat

Forequarters
--Cut boneless shoulder steaks from both sides
--Use remaining parts for ground meat

Backstrap (aka loin, sometimes sirloin)
--Slice one into butterfly chops
--Slice one into boneless country style ribs

Tenderloin – slice both into 1” thick slices to make tenderloin medallions

Ribs (aka spareribs) – cut both sides into individual ribs

Flank – ground meat

Hindquarters
--Slice both into top round steaks, bottom round steaks, eye of round steaks, and sirloin tip steaks.
--Use remaining parts for stew meat

Organs – mouffle (nose and lips), tongue, brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and
sweetbreads (testicles)

Bones – save remaining bones for making stock
- - - - -

Package D: Mostly Ground Meat & Stew Meat

This is an example of a classic "spare deer" combination, ideal if you have already portioned another deer into large or small cuts. People who want maximum flexibility or who love working with soups, stews, kebabs, appetizers, ground meats, etc. may also enjoy this approach. First, the prime cuts are removed as roasts and steaks: tenderloins, backstraps, and rump roast. Next, the best remaining cuts -- all the rounds -- are chopped into stew meat. The shanks, a tough part, are cut into meaty soup bones. Finally, everything else -- most of the tough parts and a few medium parts -- gets ground along with any scraps or trimmings. Note that this not only saves your prime cuts for separate appreciation, it also gives you a considerably better quality of stew meat and a rather better quality of ground meat, because you are still chopping and grinding a lot of meat that would usually go into roasts, steaks, or other cuts. You might want to label them accordingly, the way you sometimes see beef tagged as "ground chuck" or "ground round."

Neck – ground meat

Forequarters – use both shoulders and arms for ground meat.

Backstrap (aka loin, sometimes sirloin)
--Cut one in half to make two backstrap roasts
--Cut one into 1” thick slices to make backstrap medallions

Tenderloin
--Leave one whole
--Cut one into 1” thick slices to make tenderloin medallions

Ribs (aka spareribs) – ground meat

Flank – ground meat

Soup bones – cut from front and back shanks (lower legs), good for
making soup or stock; these have meat on them

Rump – rump roast

Hindquarters
--Cut the rounds into stew meat.
--Use the rest for ground meat.

Organs – mouffle (nose and lips), tongue, brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and
testicles

Bones – save remaining bones for making stock; these may have little meat

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Tags: food

walkertxkitty

October 13 2009, 11:41:16 UTC 11 years ago

New comment

Before my hands got so shaky, I used to hunt and I butchered my own. Generally, because of my religious beliefs, most of the organs were left as an offering along with some of the bones. We then parceled it out into a combination of the packages you mentioned. Ground meat, unless it's from the scraps, is almost pointless because of the low fat content. We did, however, have a lot of stew meat, flank steaks, and roasts.

Enjoy if you've got one; I sure do miss having venison!

ionotter

October 13 2009, 16:11:17 UTC 11 years ago

I found that using the ground meat in spaghetti sauce is a major win-win in that respect. I can always add a bit of olive oil to the sauce if I need some fats.

I also made two totally spectacular Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkins using my own ground venison. I learned from the "River Cottage" series that it's best to grind your meat while partially frozen, both to help it all go through the grinder, but also to help keep the fat in the meat from melting. And considering that venison already has so very little fat, that's a big help.

I don't share my venison with anyone, though.

They probably won't like the fact that I got my deer shortly after the other guy drove off, calling his insurance company.

October 13 2009, 16:16:40 UTC 11 years ago

Are you kidding? If the Florida deer were worth eating, I'd have done same. Out west, it's standard procedure. Once the sheriff has cleared the scene, whoever hit the deer can elect to take it home and eat it even if it's not in season. Those who don't usually donate it to the wildlife refuge so they can feed the injured predators.

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

October 13 2009, 16:30:19 UTC 11 years ago

Some states have a call list you can get on for roadkill venison. They start at the top of the list, and call until they reach someone who can drop what they're doing and come get the deer immediately. Other states donate the vension to food pantries. It makes me sad when people just waste it.

Re: Yes...

11 years ago

Thoughts

October 13 2009, 16:41:47 UTC 11 years ago

>>I also made two totally spectacular Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkins using my own ground venison.<<

Okay, now you have me thinking that ground venison, pine nuts, and herbs would make a great stuffing for squash or mushrooms.

Re: Thoughts

October 13 2009, 16:38:05 UTC 11 years ago

>>Before my hands got so shaky, I used to hunt and I butchered my own. <<

Ah, you were fortunate! One of these days, I'd like to help someone butcher a deer (or for that matter, any other animal). My skills are out of date. Though I and some friends did a credible job on the whole lamb carcass that was supposed to be spit roasted, only the spit wasn't working and the lamb wouldn't fit in the oven...

>>Generally, because of my religious beliefs, most of the organs were left as an offering along with some of the bones.<<

Yes, that's a valid option. Another is hide and bones.

Being a bard myself, I tend to create praise-poems or something like that. (More practical offerings include my wildlife/nature activism and my yard which is landscaped for mutual human/wildlife enjoyment.)

>> Ground meat, unless it's from the scraps, is almost pointless because of the low fat content. <<

Some people add a bit of pork or beef fat when grinding venison, which works pretty well. But there are ways to use even pure ground venison so that its leanness is not a problem. I've used it in spaghetti sauce and venison stew. I've also made deerloaf wrapped in bacon, and deer-in-a-thicket is blackberries wrapped in venison meatloaf wrapped in spicy pork sausage. The trick to cooking with venison is to understand that it is very lean, so you either have to use it in ways that don't require fat, or else provide some other source of fat to keep it from drying out.

October 13 2009, 16:47:05 UTC 11 years ago

I'm hoping to teach the husband how to hunt; his hands are steady and he could guarantee a kill. I could still help with the butchering though he'd have to hoist the carcass to let it drain.

The hide and bones I would not leave because they can be worked into tools. I used to even take the sinews. But the heart, I was taught, always goes back as an offering and some of the other organs are considered taboo or inedible.

I hadn't thought of adding pork or beef, probably because we couldn't afford it or didn't have it. There wasn't a lot of fat available to us. I'd also heard that you could cook the leaner roasts with the caul wrapped over it to give it more fat.

If we ever get another, I just might try that.

kestrels_nest

October 13 2009, 18:44:38 UTC 11 years ago

Okay...anyone have a clue about sources of venison for those of us who don't hunt? Never had cause to learn; I've lived in urban areas for 90% of my life, as has my husband. And it isn't going to happen now, either; with an autistic kid, keeping a firearm in the house is an engraved invitation for tragedy.

Try this...

October 14 2009, 16:51:12 UTC 11 years ago

1) The easiest way is to buy domestic venison from a deer farm or specialty meat supplier. It's not cheap, but it's among the most affordable of specialty meats. If you search "venison" online you should find some for sale.

2) Ask around to see if any of your friends hunt. Many people have cuts they don't like, or some that are extra. Sausage, burger, and organ meats are among the most commonly given away. Other folks shoot more than one deer and have plenty of meat to share. It may take some networking to make a connection, but this method is usually free because it's illegal to sell game meat. Sometimes you can trade favors for it, though.

3) Check to see if your state has a roadkill list. Some of them have a list they will call if a deer is killed on the road. It's free (except for the cost of processing the meat, if you don't do that yourself) but you have to be available immediately to come get the deer.

valdary

October 13 2009, 21:08:54 UTC 11 years ago

In the UK only the fabulously wealthy or big corporations get to hunt deer as apart from a few zoo escapees they are all property of landowners and all land is owned by somebody.

Quite a few places farm deer and a lot of Stately Homes keep them for decoration and forest management.

Attingham Park (local National Trust property with house designed by Inigo Jones) sells off its culls once a year so if you get in quick its possible to get a few cuts, now you've made me think of this I might try some for Yule.

October 14 2009, 17:15:32 UTC 11 years ago

>>In the UK only the fabulously wealthy or big corporations get to hunt deer as apart from a few zoo escapees they are all property of landowners and all land is owned by somebody. <<

That really sucks. In America we're having more and more problems with people hogging resources, but at least there is lots of public land.

>>Quite a few places farm deer and a lot of Stately Homes keep them for decoration and forest management.<<

That's good, though.

cissa

October 14 2009, 20:11:59 UTC 11 years ago

Fascinating- thank you!

I would love to learn how to butcher.

October 14 2009, 20:26:17 UTC 11 years ago

It's a very useful skill, and you never know when you'll need it. I would really like to update my skills in this area. I don't have a lot of physical strength, but I have small hands and a good working knowledge of anatomy. So for small animals, I'm good to go with an experienced partner; and for larger animals, I'd make decent help.

October 14 2009, 20:41:59 UTC 11 years ago

Sometimes I read online about butchering classes, and I LONG to take one. Maybe this summer... It'd be an incentive for getting back into shape, that's for sure! :)

October 14 2009, 20:51:14 UTC 11 years ago

Now that would be really awesome. I'll keep an eye out for local opportunities. I'd still need a partner for the heavy work, but chances are a beginner's class would use chickens, rabbits, or something else small anyhow.

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