How to Butcher a Deer Hind Quarter *EVERY CUT EXPLAINED*

How to Butcher a Deer Hind Quarter *EVERY CUT EXPLAINED*

Posted by Avid Armor | Outdoors Allie on Oct 14th 2022


In this blog, we will recap step-by-step how Allie butchers an entire hind quarter of a whitetail doe that she hunted and harvested in Florida. We will walk through each cut of meat and how Allie prefers to use each cut while cooking. Allie vacuum seals the venison for freezer storage using the new Avid Armor Guide Series GS41 Oil Pump Chamber Vacuum Sealer.

Note: The process demonstrated in the video and written out below also works with other hoofed game animals such as elk, antelope, and moose due to the fact that the muscle structures are essentially the same, although different in size.

The first thing you need when butchering any type of meat is having a proper knife. Allie recommends a boning knife that is around 6 - 8 inches long. It will not only make your butchering process easier, but more precise.

The hindquarter itself is some of the most “exciting” meat on a wild game animal because there’s a lot of diversity in terms of the different cuts of meat and what they can be used for.

When starting the butchering process, make sure the outside of the leg is what is facing upward.

The first cut of meat being removed is the shank

1. Feeling with your fingers and visually seeing where the white meets the red meat, that is where you want to start your cut.

2. Take your knife and make the cut by working your way around the meat and down along that bone. Continue to trace that line with your knife (where the white meets the pink). That cut will release the top piece of meat. 

3. Once the top piece of meat is released, use your fingers to break the fascia apart, then take your knife to cut through there and expose one of the larger portions of meat that goes down on the shank. 

Note: Do not include the top flap of meat on your shank cut. To avoid that, pull it back until you see where the muscle comes down.

    

4. Flip the entire hind quarter over and do the same thing on that side by cutting along where the seam is without including the top portion of muscle on the shank. To do so, cut through the fascia and on the inside continue around to cut along the line where the white portion of the bone and the connective tissue meets the meat. 

    

5. Cut down along the back to remove the top muscles away from the bone.

6. Now, it is time to cut the knee joint. Make sure you are feeling around with your knife to ensure you are cutting around the joints properly.

7. Once the bone has detached, cut the rest of the shank meat off the femur bone by running your knife along that bone.

Shank meat is not tender whatsoever, so the best options are to braze it or grind it. If you choose to grind it, cut the meat away from the tendons and if you like to make stock, you can save those bones to use for that.

The next step is to remove the femur bone.

1. Cut along the natural seam lines all the way down to the bone on the inside of the leg.

2. Once you get to the femur bone, there is no seam to follow, so cut along the natural curvature of the bone to remove the meat from it.

The next step is to remove the top round (inside round).

The top round is one of the most tender cuts of meat on the entire hind quarter. You want to make sure you take extra care to process this cut of meat and that care can start in the field. When you are gutting the deer, make sure you do not split the pelvis, so you can preserve as much of that top round as possible.

1. Remove the muscle group located on the top of the top round. That meat can be saved for grinding.

2. After the muscle group has been removed, the top round shape becomes more visible. Cut along the natural line that is underneath to remove the top round completely.

Since the top round is so tender, it is best to stir-fry it, cut it into steaks, roast it, or grind it.

Note: Stir-fry means that the meat can handle being cooked using methods with hotter temperatures and faster cook times.


The next step is to remove the gland…yuck!

1. Locate the femoral artery and cut it away. There is a gland in a chunk of fat there that you do not want to cut through or even touch with your knife. It could affect the taste of all your meat from this point forward if it gets nicked. So when cutting the artery, you want to be careful to work around the gland.

      

After the gland is cut out, you will notice two muscle groups start to show their form.

So, next remove the eye of round.

1. The eye of round is one of the smaller cuts of meat from the hind quarter. Once located, simply cut it apart from the other muscle groups.

The eye of round is a somewhat tender cut of meat. It is most commonly used as roast, grind, in stews, or as jerky. This cut is more tender on young does or cows, but is much tougher on mature bucks and bulls. That being said, if it is from a young doe or cow, it can be utilized in stir fries as well.


The next cut to remove is the bottom round.

1. You will notice a seam between two large muscle groups. That seam is what you will want to cut to remove the bottom round.

    

The bottom round is not a very tender cut of meat, so it is best to cook it low and slow unlike some of the more tender cuts which can be cooked hot and fast. It is recommended that the bottom round is used as stews, pot roast, grind, or jerky.

Now we are left with the last three cuts of meat . . . the sirloin tip, sirloin butt, and tri-tip.

These cuts are some of the easier cuts of meat to separate from each other.

That being said, start with the sirloin tip.

1. The sirloin tip resembles a football shape. What you are going to do is follow the natural seam that separates the tri-tip and the sirloin tip.

2. Now, work your way around the side of the sirloin tip to remove it from the sirloin butt.

The sirloin tip is not a tender cut of meat. It is best utilized in stew, pot roast, or grind.


Next, remove the tri-tip.

The tri-tip is not a tender cut of meat and is best used as grind.

You are now left with the sirloin butt.

This cut comes from the very top of the hind quarter of the deer which makes it very tender. Due to its awkward shape, it cannot really be cut into a steak, but it does work really well being sliced up for stir-fry.

Now that you are done butchering your deer hind quarter at home, the last step is to vacuum seal it all for freezer storage. Allie used one of the newest Avid Armor commercial grade chamber vacuum sealers – the Guide Series GS41 to vacuum seal her venison.

When it comes to vacuum sealing different cuts of meat to store away, we recommend vacuum sealing each cut individually and don’t forget to label your bags with the date.

Allie uses vacuum sealer rolls to make customizable bag sizes, however, Avid Armor also has pre-cut vacuum bags and chamber pouches that can be used. The GS41 chamber can fit a bag size up to 10”x16”.

As shown in the video, Allie left approximately 3” of headspace above the cut of meat to ensure there is enough room to get a good, tight vacuum. Before running a vacuum cycle, make sure the area where the seal is going to be made is nice and dry. Use a paper towel or tea towel to wipe that area clean and free of residue. Allie also placed a towel in the chamber to take up space. If you are vacuum sealing smaller items, it is important to fill up more space in the chamber, so you can achieve a tight vacuum. You can use a towel, filler plate, cutting board, book…essentially any item will do. After you run the vacuum cycles, label, and throw the bags in the freezer, this process is finally complete!

Processing your own game is such a satisfying and fulfilling experience. Knowing that you are self-sufficient, eating fresh, quality game meat, providing nourishing food to your family, and preserving the game you’ve worked so hard for is all worth it in the end!

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