After the deer hunt comes processing the meat

Every year, thousands of people apply for a deer license with the hope of bagging a trophy buck and providing food for the family. Though I have never shot a deer, hunting season has been a big deal in my family. Almost more prominent than the holidays.

My first-time deer hunt was my last! Waking up before the sun and sitting in the cold is not my idea of a good time. My experience with deer hunting comes after the deer has been shot and field-dressed. The processing of the meat is where I am most useful. I learned from friends while living in Kansas. I wish I had had more than one season with them so I could have learned more.

I prefer to let the carcass hang for several days, but many years it has been too warm for that. One year, it was almost 90 degrees, and this gentleman from North Carolina had gotten a doe he could not get home because of the temperatures.

He asked if I wanted the meat, and of course, I said yes. Honestly, who says no to free food. The doe came to me quartered in contractor bags. They had field dressed and skinned her out in the pasture. Since she hadn't been hung, she was a bloody mess. So we cleaned and sanitized the bathtub and soaked her in icy saltwater. As we cut, the meat it was then placed into coolers of icy saltwater.

That year we ground most of the meat with beef tallow to be used in the place of hamburger. Venison is lean, and the beef tallow gives it a bit of flavor.

Many folks do not like the taste of venison but if done right, it can be tasty. The gamey flavor of the meat comes from the blood. Either hanging the deer for several days, soaking the meat in saltwater, or simply rinsing the meat before cooking can help immensely.

My favorite part of the deer, as with most folks, is the back strap. I usually butterfly the entire back strap for steaks. I soak the meat in buttermilk overnight and then bread and fry "chicken fried steak" style.

My second favorite way to have venison is canned. My dad and my bonus mom taught me how to do that. It makes the best "beef" and noodles.