Butchering & Processing

Grinding up your harvest is a go-to means of turning trim, tougher cuts, and smaller muscle groups into versatile, quick, and tasty meals. There will always be debate on how much fat you should add to your ground venison. In fact, some purists don’t believe you should add any at all. Danielle...

Among hunters, the backstraps have earned a high reputation. Aside from the tenderloins, they’re usually the cut that most people prize. We’ve all seen the grip n’ grin photos of a backstrap harvested in the field. If you’re like me, you’ve probably taken a few photos too. While this showpiece steak...

People often assume that because I cook wild game professionally, I must be a big fan of liver. The truth? I’m not. Not even a little. But I still keep it because it’s one of the most nutrient-dense parts of the animal and a meaningful way to honor the life taken. Still, I want to eat it in a way...

Processing your own meat is one of the most rewarding parts of hunting. Sure, it saves you money, but more than that, it gives you peace of mind knowing you're getting your own deer back and that only your hands have touched the meat. I also like having control over how everything’s portioned and...

For many hunters, the thrill of eating a big game animal like a deer, elk, or pronghorn often centers around two prized cuts: the backstrap and the tenderloin. While these are undoubtedly fantastic, they’re far from the only steaks worth celebrating. If you're processing your own game meat, you'll...

Deep within Nepal, nestled against the Tibetan border, five Nepali men stood over a hobbled yak in a stone corral. I watched from my second-story room in the overlooking guest house. The beast struggled on its side, its horns cutting the dirt as its head violently swung back and forth. After about...

Processing wild game as a profession is gritty, dirty work. In a matter of months, hundreds of animals go from the field to the butcher's cooler, leaving hunters wary of the outcome and processors burned out from the grind. Here are a few tips to maximize the amount of meat you pick up from your...

For some hunters, adding domestic fat to venison is taboo. For others, it’s a necessity. One thing is for sure (and no more evident than here at MeatEater): at-home butchers have a wide range of preferences regarding fat content and there are no set rules. Here are some of our thoughts on adding fat...

Some of the most common inquiries we get at MeatEater involve aging wild game meat. Recently we tackled whether or not the process is worth it. It is, but we didn’t discuss how to do it. The majority of hunters don’t have access to a temperature and humidity-controlled walk-in-cooler, which is the...

The pale-eyed pompano staring at you through the curved glass seafood counter gives a warning to the wise buyer. And god only knows what the inside of Brad Pitt's creel smelled like at the end of A River Runs Through It. The difference between a fishy-smelling fillet and a restaurant-quality dish is...

Most hunters dream of gray, cold days on the stand. In the early season, however, this is hardly the case. Where I hunt in Mississippi, early season temps regularly hover in the nineties, while flip flop weather isn’t out of the question come Christmas. Even in the late season you can forget dry...

As all hunters know, the real work begins once an animal is on the ground. After a successful shot, the arduous task of gutting, quartering, transporting, and processing commences. And while many folks choose to get their hands dirty and do the processing at home, others prefer not to do it or...