Deer butchering, getting hair off meat
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: cowboysdaddy
19-Nov-08
cowboysdaddy's Link
I have always butchered my own deer. Been doing it the way my Dad taught me ever since I started hunting. The biggest headache is getting the hair off the meat after skinning, we usually just spend hours "picking" it off with our fingers before cutting up the deer.
I came across this website and it claims that these "Bone Scrapers" are great for removing the hair from the carcass, anybody ever use one? or have any other ideas for removing the hair?
Thanks,
Mel
From: fuzzy
19-Nov-08
propane torch works good, but I usually just scrape the meat ligthly with the knife blade....after skinning a couple dozen I learened to keep most of the hair off
From: playin' hookey
19-Nov-08
I skin them hanging up and after the initial cut slip the knife under the skin and cut outwards. Precious little hair gets on the meat.
From: Ty
19-Nov-08
FIRE
From: Butts
19-Nov-08
Agree. Propane torch, 2 minutes and your done.
From: cowboysdaddy
19-Nov-08
I have heard of the propane torch method before, but in my mind, that still leaves the hair on, it's just burnt hair now.
I would like to find a way to remove it completely.
From: John Scifres
19-Nov-08
Just curious but how are you getting so much hair on them? I've done a bunch of deer and don't get that much on the meat.
From: cowboysdaddy
19-Nov-08
I've done quite a few myself, and always get some hair on the meat during the skinning process. I'm just looking for a better way to deal with it than spending an hour or more "picking" it off with my fingers.
From: Ole Coyote
19-Nov-08
I have always used the local do it yourself car wash. The high pressure rinse works great. Cleans the inside rib cage really well also making it easy to scrape the ribs for that little extra burger meat!
From: drahthaar
19-Nov-08
Yep, I just use a wet cloth and wipe it, or the scotch bright pad works too.
I dont get a lot on the meat, but always some.
From: TONTO
19-Nov-08
You can hose down the skinned carcass, and after a about 30 minutes (In a cool atmosphere) it will form a light, clear film over everything. Pull/slice this thin film off and everything comes off with it and you have really clean meat to work on and package. It is by far easier to be really careful when you skin and not let any get on the meat. I hang by the head, skin downward and pull the skin down as I work and veery little hair gets on the meat. I'm like someone else; I don't want burned hair on my deer steaks!
From: TD
19-Nov-08
Woody if I saw you doin it I'd just figure you liked your meat rare...
From: dustyvarmint
19-Nov-08
Yeah, I don't get enough on the carcass to worry about needing a torch. Maybe all total of just picking hair from field to freezer would be 3 minutes?
dv
From: racer76j
19-Nov-08
I just cant get the image of ole coyote at the car wash with a skinned deer spraying it off like it was just another day at the car wash.LOL>>>>
From: TD
19-Nov-08
I've found I get very little hair if I cut the hide from inside out. Cutting the skin from the outside in cuts the hair, dulls the knife, etc. Hair goes everywhere right from the start.
I have a blade on a Browning folder that has a gut hook blade on it, the hook itself works like crap. But it has a blunt end with a sharpened side that is sharper than sin, hollow ground like a straight razor. Once you get your initial cut you just push this blade under the skin from inside out, it works similar to a gut hook in that respect. Maybe a better designed hook would work similarly. Bottom line is very little hair is cut to get on your meat. What does is easily picked or wiped/washed off.
Honestly, it's the only good thing about that knife. And the only reason I still carry it.
From: dustyvarmint
19-Nov-08
Try taking your boiled skulls to the car wash to clean the final bits off. That gets a few looks.
Linoleum hook blades at the hardware store make cheap, disposable gut hooks. Put them in a light-weight, cheap plastic utility knife or wrap one end in tape and use the other.
dv
From: Ole Coyote
19-Nov-08
LOL; folks there is never anyone there at 3 AM ! The car wash that is !
From: Deacon Dave
19-Nov-08
After I bone the deer I place the meat in a cooler. Deer hair will float. I run a waterhose in the cooler and let the hair float out as the cooler overflows. I let it overflow for maybe 5 minutes. I then drain the water and cover meat with ice for a week to ten days. Rarely do I have any hair on the meat when I am ready to cut and wrap. DD
From: Rubline
19-Nov-08
I use a wet cloth and a litte fresh water to clean them up; if any is left I catch while thawing before cooking.
From: thesquid
19-Nov-08
I get very little on the meat but a torch does the trick in a short time.
From: TJS
19-Nov-08
I certainly try to keep meat clean of the hair, but after deboning into roast sizes, I just wrap with freezer paper and plastic bag. When prepping to use, I thaw, then soak in some salted water for an hour, then rinse. I am then ready to cut up into thick steaks, marinade overnight, cook, eat.
The soaking and rinsing takes care of hair and any extra unwanted blood.
Okay, I'm hungry now.
From: Davy C
20-Nov-08
To me the problem with hair is not the hair itself but the bacteria, dirt and glandular secretions that are on the hair that can give the meat a "gamey" taste. I use the torch because it kills the bacteria and incinerates any residue on the hair.
From: Shuteye
20-Nov-08
Hang the deer by the head, not the hind legs. Cut the front legs off at the joint, use a pocket knife and you can take them right off. Take off the hind legs at the joint. Up next to the head cut all the way around the neck and pull down a few inches of hide. Now slip a rock about the size of a baseball under the hide and hook a cable around it. Hook the cable to your truck hook or hitch and back off. The hide will come off in seconds with no hair on the meat except where you cut around the neck. Just make sure what you hang the deer to is very strong, I pulled down a small shed one time. Of course this isn't for anyone wanting to cape a trophy but it sure is the fastest and cleanest way to skin a meat deer. I don't mount any deer so I skin em all this way.
From: Hoyt Hunter
20-Nov-08
We always were careful as possible when skinning. Then whipe the whole deer with a terry cloth towl wet with white vinegar and water. I never heard the torch thing before. I think a combination of the two methods might work pretty well. No hair and reduced bacteria. I will give it a try on my next deer. The problem with the hose down approach is that it will help in the growth of bacteria sometimes greatly depending on temperature and how long before the meat gets into the freezer.
From: sticksender
20-Nov-08
Once the carcass surface dries up a bit, roll it with an adhesive lint roller. The kind made to remove pet hair from clothing.
From: masemaamed
20-Nov-08
Do you hang your deer before you skin it? I use one of those leg spreader hangers they work great. Never had a problem with getting hair on the meat that way......
From: cowboysdaddy
21-Nov-08
guys, I appreciate all the opinions and advice, but what I was really looking for was if anyone had any experience using these "bone scrapers" to remove the hair?
From: Bowsage
27-Nov-08
I hang my deer , skin, gut, then rinse with a scrubby (the ones with the handle on top shaped like a boat)and it will grab the hair as you go.
From: DBLUNG
27-Nov-08
Hi, I just used the bone scraper last week. It worked ok but it was not amazing. If you are ordering something from the site anyway its worth six bucks to give it a try. I got it from D&R processing’s web site. Hope this helps.
From: SteelyEyes
28-Nov-08
I was going to go into depth but Hoyt Hunter covered it very well.
From: GreenMtn
28-Nov-08
Just use a shopvac with a brush attachment
From: Bowman
28-Nov-08
I read that it isn't a good idea to introduce water to the carcass unless you plan to wipe it dry. The water promotes bacterial growth on the meat.
