Steven Rinella shows how to break down a deer's hind leg in this brief, informative video. This is good stuff if you've never done it.
If you've never butchered your own deer, you should try. The benefits will enhance your hunting and eating experience more than you might think.
Here, Steven Rinella shows you how to break down a deer's hind leg.
Watch the video below:
The video is short on detail, as Rinella doesn't show exactly how he removes every cut of meat from the bone. The gist of it is clear, however, as he hits the most important points.
For example, he starts by telling you to remove all the bits of fat, hair, dirt, etc. Then, he says to cut along the visible seams of the meat, where you'll do less cutting and more pulling. Your knife is simply there to help separate the various individual cuts.
Boning the meat just entails cutting and removing the meat from the bone, which you do by cutting as close to the bone as possible. It's tough to mess up, but even if you do, it's not that big of a deal.
He also tells us to be sure to keep the bones to make bone broth.
I agree with Rinella's suggestion to leave the various cuts whole and avoid cutting individual steaks. In my opinion, that's best left until right before you cook it. I also tend to leave the silver skin on the various cuts, and remove that after thawing and right before cooking.
Finally, when wrapping for freezer storage, always wrap a piece of meat in cellophane first and then in butcher paper. That step adds an extra layer of protection against freezer burn.
Like what you see here? You can read more great articles by David Smith at his Facebook page, Stumpjack Outdoors.
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