Al Gambardella, a well known and meticulous deer butcher from Connecticut shares all his secrets about how to properly break down a whitetail deer into edible parts.  It's starts, not on the butcher table, but in the field when the shot is taken.

We cover every aspect of how cutting up a deer should be done, from the field dress, to the hanging, to the cutting, and the storage...

Here's what we cover in this episode:

• What are the ideal temperature to hang a deer before processing?
• Should we avoid infected areas and blood clots?
• How long should the meat age before cutting
• How should the deer be brought out of the woods?
• Should we where gloves when cleaning a deer?
• Hide on or hide off?
• What's the best type of knife to use to skin a deer and cut the meat?
• Should we use different tools between the field and the meat processing room?
• How clean is clean when gutting a deer and cleaning the meat?
• What are the meat groups of a deer?
• How much meat should we get out of a deer?
• How much time should it take to process a deer?
• Deer hair- How can we keep it out of our meat packages?
• If I don't want to cut up a deer myself, how do I know if I've found a good butcher?
• What do you do if the deer smells bad or off?
• What to do with a diseased deer....

But wait, there's more! We break down the parts of the deer for storage too!

Tips: Don't miss the tail of the ribeye!  What's the correct way to take off the shoulder blade?  What can you do with the neck meat and how detailed should your trim work be? What are the best ways to dissect the hind quarters? 

We break down the deer into the following meat groups:

• Tenderloins
• Ribeye
• Shoulder- Stew and burger
• Hind Quarters- Rump, Eye of the Round, Top Round, and Bottom Round

Also: Deboning the shoulder, deboning the hind quarters, the "football" aka the rump roast, following the bone with your knife, and WRAPPING: what to use, how to wrap, how to portion, and how long can each be stored?

DON'T MISS THIS EPISODE!  

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