Processing your own - Getting started

[Stickslinger92]

1-3 deer per year or 1-3 deer at a time several times a year?

It’s nice to have a bunch of processing equipment but really the only things that are needed are a grinder and tubs for mixing. If you want to make sausage you can run a stuffing tube on your grinder and be just fine. 25lb tubs are very handy when mixing and moving meat around and keeping it together that’s why I say a grinder and a tub or two. Other than that you can do all processing with a knife and a cutting board. Vacuum sealing makes things nice but it’s not a must have, Saran Wrap and butcher paper works just fine if need be.

1-3 deer per year. Though depending on when/where I get to hunt, it could be 3 deer at a single time haha. Appreciate the input!

[HUNTIN HARD]

I would love to get started also. What grinder do y’all recommend for 2-3 deer a year?

[Stickslinger92]

1. Good Grinder with Stuffing attachments - OR - a sausage stuffer.
2. Foot control for the grinder / Stuffer.
3. Good boning and butcher knives
4. Large cutting board and a bunch of towels
5. Work table. I use one of those plastic ones from Home Depot.
6. Vacuum Sealer
7. Measurement cups
8. scale.
9. Pork and Deer meat.



what else am I missing fellas?

Appreciate the response! So far Lem looks to be about the best grinders out there and what im looking into. Will also want a vacuum sealer as I can seal up ground in a more stackable manner I think!

[E.TX.BOWHUNTER]

I just started a year ago. I have a grinder, mixer and stuffer. I have a couple of knives. I had a dehydrator for several years Back straps and tenderloin is all I use for steaks. Some of the nicer rump muscles go to jerky. Everything else gets ground to chili or burger on a deer. Pigs get all ground for pan and link sausages. I have not prices trimmings and fat recently but I was use to paying under a dollar to about 1.25/lb. for fat and trimmings.

[kurt68]

I do my own, bought a regular grinder and stuffer from Academy for $100
The plastic trays from Academy for $6 each.
Garage sale smoker for $10
Vacuum sealer for $100
My own clean, good sausage, priceless.

Three deer took four days for 90 lbs when done. Smoked for three hours over pecan or mesquite @ 180 degrees F.

[ATI]

Appreciate the response! So far Lem looks to be about the best grinders out there and what im looking into. Will also want a vacuum sealer as I can seal up ground in a more stackable manner I think!

LEM and Cabela's are both good. I have the older model 1 hp from Cabela's and I like it. I had a Cabela's 20# stuffer with foot control that I sold and now I regret it.....

LEM had a sale a few weeks ago and were basically giving away their popular grinder (I forgot the name and model) a buddy of mine bought one.

Look on Facebook Market, you'd be surprised what you can find there. Enjoy it, I love doing it, but haven't done it in a while since we've been busy with babies

[Randy M]

When I started 25 years ago, all I had was a grinder and freezer ziplocks. I've definitely added to my gear over the years, but in reality that's all you need for burger and steaks.

My best addition was a 15lb sausage stuffer for stuffing burger/pan sausage into the 1 lb bags.

[Matthewc131]

Great thread, I'm probably get started on getting together my setup together.

[Mary]

Heavy duty cutting board. I buy the big ones at Walmart for like $13.00. Quality knives, vacuum sealer, bag and tape set up.

Been doing mine for years. The 2 bolded items are the most important, other than a grinder.

We actually do ours on a cutting board on the kitchen counter

[bowhntrmatt]

What in particular are you hoping to be able to make? This can help with the recommended gear.

[SmTx]

Buying the necessary equipment now will save you $$ in the years to come. If you can get by with waiting until January Academy will have clearance blowouts on LEM equipment. I've probably gotten over $600 worth of LEM equipment for $200 in these sales.

[jdg13]

1. Quality knives and sharpener
2. Grinder
3. Vacuum Sealer

The above assumes just steaks and burger/pan sausage. If you're not doing links that often, the grinder can be used with a tube. A good vertical stuffer is a lot easier in my experience, less chance of blowing the casing out. We use a piece of laminate counter top as a giant cutting board for boning out quarters and mixing the seasoning in after grinding. I've heard LEM is good, look at Torrey as well, ours is a beast. No matter how you do it, nothing beats your own processed game.

[Stickslinger92]

Buying the necessary equipment now will save you $$ in the years to come. If you can get by with waiting until January Academy will have clearance blowouts on LEM equipment. I've probably gotten over $600 worth of LEM equipment for $200 in these sales.

Wow! Great info. I have a buddy who has a grinder. If I shoot another deer before Jan I probably can borrow it off of him until then.

[postman]

Stuffing with the grinder works. But I have and like my electric sturffer from Cabela's. Holds 30 lbsl, foot pedal switch. I stuffed a lot of years with a hand crank cast iron stuffer and would never go back to that. Doesn't cost but a little more to go first class. I would recommend the electric. Yep, something else to clean but to me, still worth it.

[ColinR]

Looks like everyone else has you pretty well covered on what you need. I haven't read all the posts but if someone hasn't already said it, keep your meat super cold. Example when I'm cubing up the meat before grinding when one tub gets full I put it back in the freezer, then as I'm grinding when one tub is full it goes back in the freezer. You want that meat right at freezing temp.

Oh yea one thing I don't remember seeing is some good long rubber gloves that are insulated. Once I get my meat all cubed up, I dump it in a big ice chest to season. Hand mixing the seasoning in that almost frozen meat is killer on my hands if I don't have some good rubber gloves to protect my hands from the cold.