Freeze thaw and grind or grind and freeze?

[azbohunter]

Have pondered on this for some time and would like to get an opinion from some of you sausage makers out there.

I archery hunt deer, elk, javelina and fortunately have always been pretty successful so I usually have a freezer full of meat. 

I do at least one out of state hunt each year and can legally harvest multiple deer. We are usually there for around 3 weeks and temperature during archery hunts are usually quite mild so getting the meat processed ASAP is high on my list. We used to chop our own meat up, bone it out and put it in a local guys freezer till we were ready to head back home then pack it in coolers for the 24 hour trip home to Arizona. I more recent years we found a processor who will cut wrap and freeze a deer for $75 and that is very reasonable so I have gone that route.

The problem is that now I have all this ground meat frozen that I would like to use for sausage and snack sticks etc: (and I have been doing that) This last summer I bought a 5 cubic foot freezer that fits in my 5th wheel so now I am thinking I could bone my deer, freeze it and bring it home and grind it myself. (if I purchased a grinder) But then I would wind up thawing, grinding, and refreezing or smoking.

All my meat is ground straight venison with no fat added. I am thinking that for making sausage etc: it would be nice to grind and add all the other ingredients at that time.

So now you have the idea and I am listening.

And there is a good deal on a grinder right now that atomicsmoke has posted here. That is a #12 $129.00 grinder for $79.00.

Thanks and listening.

Dick

 

[themule69]

That is the way to go. First off i don't like processing plants with venison. It is not likely you will be getting back your ground deer. Even if you do you are dealing with the grinder hasn't been cleaned since the first deer of the day went threw it. That may have been the deer that was killed the morning before then found gut shot 24 hours later. Then drove around town to show off the hunting skills of the guy that gut shot it.

 By using your own grinder you know it is your meat ant you know how you handled it. You can make small batches of product ( 1) for a test batch and larger batches of product ( 2 ) for a proven recipe that you like..

 I say buy a grinder for what it would cost to pay for processing. Then buy a stuffer to go with it since a grinder does not make a good stuffer. Hit the search bar and find a recipe or 2 that you like.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[azbohunter]

Thanks David, I certainly understand the part about the processor and not knowing what you are getting back for meat. In this case that is not the case, it is a one man operation in a very small town, does on deer at a time and I know them (his wife helps) on a personal level.

However everything else is true, was the grinder cleaned etc:

I grew up doing my own precessing and at $75 skin, cut, wrapped and frozen can make an old man lazy!

But I still would prefer a grinder and a stuffer and doing my own. It is all part of the fun.

Dick