How to Cut a Deer's Hindquarters
The hindquarters of a deer may be processed in the field or the home. Field processing requires you to separate the hindquarters from the animal. At this point you may place the hindquarters in a game bag for transportation or proceed to debone it. Deboning reduces the overall weight and is effective for transporting the meat over a long distance. Once the meat is deboned, you must process it into desirable cuts that are stored for cooking.
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Instructions
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Twist the hindquarters to separate the ball joint from the body of the deer. Use a fillet knife to cut the meat that is holding the leg to the body. Attempt to keep as much meat attached to the leg as possible.
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Place the hindquarters on a tarp in the field or a clean table at home. Feel for the lower leg bone. Make a slit to expose the bone and use the knife to trim the meat around the bone. Keep the knife blade angled into the bone to remove all of the meat. Set the bone aside.
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Feel the thigh region for the thigh bone. Make a slit in the meat to expose the bone. Trim the meat away from the bone. Use the same technique as in the previous step and set the bone aside.
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Cut the meat on the lower leg away from the prime thigh meat. The lower section is ideal for stew and cubed steak. Locate the seams on the thick section of the thigh meat. Cut at the seams to separate the meat into one top round, one bottom round, one sirloin and one small round.
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Store the meat in a game bag for transportation. Vacuum seal and freeze it as soon as possible.
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Tips & Warnings
Trim away the white muscle tissue as you process the meat. The tissue carries a harsh game taste and removal improves the overall quality of the meat.
Always cut away from yourself when working with a sharp blade. Cutting your skin in the field is extremely dangerous and may lead to an infection.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
