How to Cut Up a Deer

Contributor

By G. K. Bayne
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (6 Ratings)

When presented with a freshly killed and cleaned deer, often the first question is how to cut it up so that is in manageable pieces to work with. Many people allow a meat processor to do this work for them but, depending on the processor, this can cost anywhere from 35 cents to a dollar per pound of deer. It doesn’t take a lot of time to do it yourself and you can get exactly the cuts of meat you want.

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Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Meat saw
Sharp knives
Large work surface

Step 1

Use the meat saw to cut the forelegs off of the deer. By looking at the deer, the natural places to make these cuts are easily seen. Set the forelegs off to the side.
Step 2

Repeat the procedure with the hind legs. Set these aside.
Step 3

Use the meat saw to separate each leg section at the knees.
Step 4

Remove the backstrap from either side of the backbone using a sharp knife. Remove the neck from the shoulders using the meat saw.
Step 5

Use the meat saw to separate the remaining carcass. Use the backbone as a guide to cutting the two sections apart. Cut the ribs into manageable sections.
Step 6

Use a sharp knife to cut steaks from the hindquarter hams and from the backstrap. Front sections can be cut into roasts or chunks for stew beef. Remaining meat can be ground into burgers.

Tips & Warnings

For venison jerky meat, remove the flank steaks from the ribs before cutting the ribs into smaller pieces.
Process the deer as quickly as possible. Wrap the meat in butcher paper or separate into freezer bags and freeze for future use.
Many venison lovers claim that deer meat tastes better if aged before freezing. To do this, allow the meat to sit, wrapped, in the refrigerator for two to three days before freezing.

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