Can you eat a whole deer?

[10eckid]

A lot of people talk about living off the land when the bad stuff happens. I don't know about you and your family, but ours is too small to consume a whole deer or turkey before all of the meat goes bad ( in summertime anyway). And I don't see being able to kill fresh meat every day. Does anyone have any "tried and true" methods for preserving meat, fish, poultry or other perishables that aren't done in the kitchen?

[Oscar Wilde]

Not in one setting ....the hunt might be more successful with a party .... share the kill. Pack some of it in salt. Jerk it.... Can it.
Good hunting.

O.W.

[PT945]

Can't eat it in one go. But here are some suggestions for preserving the meat. Smoke it, salt cure, jerkey, dehydrated.

[10eckid]

These are some of the ideas that I have had. I'm looking for how to. I think I got the jerkey down but how long do you smoke a deer roast so that it would last for a while? And, as long as it is covered in salt, will it be ok?

[Diesel]

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publication...moke_pres.html

http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6932e/X6932E02.htm

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/smokeho...smokehouse-old

[Snow Walker]

I think your talking about Whitetail correct? If you are there have already been some good suggestions and I would also like to add that do to the size of a whitetail there really isn't a whole lot of meet there especially if split up between two people.

Venison is also very lean making smoking or what ever route you go easier vs. an animal with alot of fat.

Good thread...it makes a person think about how tough things could be. There is a reason the Native Americans only took what they needed especially with many tribes who were on the move because of season changes and such.

[Skyowl's Wife]

Indians used to cut it into longish strips and hang it over a stick over the fire to smoke/dehyrate it.

[Echo2]

so far this year....two in the bellies of the echo family.....canned mostly.....would have done more in jerky....but the kids will act as locust and eat it all...

[southernboy]

so far this year....two in the bellies of the echo family.....canned mostly.....would have done more in jerky....but the kids will act as locust and eat it all...

i hear ya on the jerky , does nt last long around here either ...lol

[riorust]

A lot of people talk about living off the land when the bad stuff happens. I don't know about you and your family, but ours is too small to consume a whole deer or turkey before all of the meat goes bad ( in summertime anyway). And I don't see being able to kill fresh meat every day. Does anyone have any "tried and true" methods for preserving meat, fish, poultry or other perishables that aren't done in the kitchen?

Google smoking, canning, jerky making and pemmican. Canning for the longest run, not sure whether jerky or pemmican would would last longer. In the past I have smoked game and stored it in a burlap bag suspended with water dripping on it...worked kind of like a swamp cooler..pretty good. Don't let the burlap contact the meat though.

[10eckid]

I think that I am gonna try to smoke a shoulder or ham from a deer this fall like you do a country ham. Haven't done any country ham in about 30 yrs. Hope I remember how to do it right.

[Iron mike]

I like venison jerked smoke and salt cured but which ever you choose be careful it is easy to get your self sick

[10eckid]

The way I remember it, we let the meat cool overnight then covered in salt for 24 hrs. Wipe off any excess salt and put in cheesecloth bag and then we took pepper and rubbed it all over the bag real good to keep the skippers (fly maggots) out. We always hung the meat on metal (clothes hanger, wire, etc.) to keep mice and rodents off (will crawl down string or rope to meat). Then cold smoked in the smokehouse for a couple of days. Then hang in cool, dry place to cure good and is ready to eat in as little as a few weeks and will keep for up to 6 months.
Does anybody out there still kill their own hogs? Let me know if this sounds right. Like I said, its been 30 yrs. since I've done this and I'm having more and more "senior moments" all the time. Between old age and having acute CRS, I'm lucky I make it home at night without a breadcrumb trail to follow.

[10eckid]

and put in cheesecloth bag

This has always been a point of contention between our families. My dad's side of the family used the cheesecloth sacks and my mom's side was adamately against it.
Also my mom's side also left it in the salt longer (for 2 or 3 days) and smoked it longer (5 to 7 days).

[Yukon BushRat]

I have no experience with whitetail as I live in the Yukon. I do however have a lot of experience with moose, and I can tell for sure that one man in mid summer can turn a whole moose into dry meat in a week. Thats 800+ pounds of meat using no salt, Just smoke and sunshine.