tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9662669491651074962024-03-08T15:37:24.227-05:00Love of the Hunt TVAsk the Expert! Brad Lockwood, wild game processing expert and host of Love of the Hunt TV answers questions about how to best prepare your wild game at home. Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-83656032882188946242018-01-02T17:59:00.002-05:002018-01-02T17:59:44.124-05:00Looking for Advice on Brining a Venison Ham<br />
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Brian, from Great Capacon, WV asked :<br />
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In using the Hi Mountain Buck Board Bacon cure as a brine to inject hindquarters, how much ice water do you use per the 2 packs ?<br />
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I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe and the video! When injecting my venison hams I "attempt" to achieve a 20% gain. However, this can be very difficult to do because venison muscle tissue will only absorb, and hold a certain amount of moisture and then it seems that the more you inject into the ham, the more brine that simply runs right back out of the product! The Buck Board Bacon Cure is in 2 packets 1/2lb each and this is portioned to season 24lbs of meat. A 20% gain on 24lbs of meat would be 4.8lbs of water. I add some additional sugar to my hams because the bacon recipe tends to be to salty of a mix for hams. This is why I increase the water to 5lbs, this will allow for the dilution of the additional sugar that I add to the blend. This should provide you with a good starting point Brian, from there many factors will depend on your own individual taste. I normally cover my hams and place them in the cooler for 5-7 days allowing the cure and seasonings to evenly absorb through the ham. You will notice that additional brine will leak out of the ham over the next few days, I've handled this issue in different ways and achieved varying results, if you empty this extra brine every couple days the ham will have a milder flavor profile as far as salt/sugar is concerned. If you leave the extra brine in the pan and simply turn the hams over every 2 days you will have a stronger flavor because the ham is laying in a bath of salt/sugar brine. After allowing the ham to brine for 5-7 days I rinse off and brine on the outside of the ham with good clean, cold water, then place the ham directly into the smokehouse. Hams are a large product so you can start the smokehouse temperature at a higher level than you would with a snack stick, Jerky or smaller diameter product. I generally will start around 165-170F. If you are looking for a strong smoke flavor you may want to begin smoking immediately, if you like a mild smoke flavor you may want to dry the surface of the ham off for a couple hours before beginning to add wood chips to your smoker. You can slowly increase the temperature by 10F each hour until you achieve a 156F internal temperature, then your product is ready to slice and eat! </div>
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Enjoy Brian and thanks again for the question! <br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
Koola Buck Inc.<br />
Outdoor Edge Knives<br />
Love of the Hunt TV
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-6899178432828515172018-01-02T15:05:00.000-05:002018-01-02T17:38:52.001-05:00What is the best range of temperatures for aging game meat,the highs and lows?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ken asks :
What is the best range of temperatures for aging game meat,the highs and lows?<br />
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Hello Ken!<br />
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Thanks for the great question on one of my favorite topics!<br />
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Proper aging is a true art form based on time and Temperature, the higher the temperature the less aging time.
I know of several top end restaurants that prefer to age as close to the 41F USDA limit as possible, this speeds up the aging process and still allows ample time for the body moisture to evaporate from the carcass. When aging 2 key things are happening, one is the body moisture is evaporating from the carcass and as it is with our wild game animals this allows the "game" flavor to leave the carcass as well. Also the muscles fibers being to break down causing a more tender product, this process it to in depth to describe in this short blog. So the body moisture evaporates changing the flavor and the muscle tissues break down making a more tender product.
The colder you store the meat the slower the muscle tissues break down, let's say for example you choose to age at 34F, not much above freezing, it will take some time for the muscle tissues to break down in these cold temperatures however the evaporation process will occur at basically the same rate. You could age longer and evaporate more body moisture. If you age at a higher temperature the muscle tissue will break down faster so you will not need to age as long and this will leave more body moisture in the carcass.
One key product needed for proper aging is a method of accurately controlling the temperature, I would suggest you take a look at the Koola Buck Portable Walk in Coolers, they are perfect for this task. There is no perfect answer to this question, it's totally based on personal preference, I can only explain what is happening during the aging process and allow you to experiment from there. One guideline that you can use is to age 3 days for every 100lbs of carcass weight at a temperature between 34F and 41F and see what flavor and tenderness is right for you.<br />
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Good luck Ken and thanks for asking one of my favorite questions!<br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
Koola Buck Inc.<br />
Outdoor Edge Cutlery
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-55774949001464018432017-11-17T12:59:00.002-05:002017-11-17T13:05:20.487-05:00Smoking a Wild Hog Ham<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEzYcfWBSOzop5e65Vcgb6-gOKQSgyuCMIW4jLDFN8OzFLCaC0jMW0qHYCTeVt7OBhyphenhyphenVyOafLj_2g7vZQgzROsPwTLKl0-h3NWke3g5nvCA1-v5gZ6wQCDdDOqF06_p-ozGjQ86-uI1o/s1600/pig.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="312" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEzYcfWBSOzop5e65Vcgb6-gOKQSgyuCMIW4jLDFN8OzFLCaC0jMW0qHYCTeVt7OBhyphenhyphenVyOafLj_2g7vZQgzROsPwTLKl0-h3NWke3g5nvCA1-v5gZ6wQCDdDOqF06_p-ozGjQ86-uI1o/s400/pig.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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Cherie asked:<br />
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My husband and I were wanting to smoke a wild hog ham and were wondering if there was anything special I needed to do and for how long do I need to smoke ?<br />
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Hello Cherie,<br />
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Thank you for the question and congratulations on your hog harvest! I love processing wild pigs and one of my favorite products is smoked wild boar ham and I would be happy to give you a few tips. I've had allot better success injecting my hams rather than simply submersing them in brine. I feel it gets the brine in next to the bone allot better and making sure the ham is well cured next to the bone is very important. If you don't get enough cure/brine down next to the bone you can actually sour the meat down near the bone and no one likes that!<br />
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I mix my ham brine and use a Weston injector to do the job, I inject ample amounts of brine along and around the shank bone that travels down the center of the ham. Next I inject the rest of the ham in a 1" grid pattern on the front and back. Next simply cover and place in a covered pan, place the ham in refrigeration and then in 5-7 days you can remove the ham, rinse it well in cold water and then place it in your smoker. I always begin by setting the smoker at 165F for 1 hour just to dry the surface of the ham slightly, this will prevent the smoke from adhering to the surface to quickly and creating a "muddy" appearance to the ham. After drying the surface for an hour at 165F then increase the temperature to 175F for 3 hours while smoking, then increase the house temperature to 200F until an internal temperature of 156F is achieved.<br />
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Good luck and let us know how your product turns out!<br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
Koola Buck Inc.<br />
Outdoor Edge CutleryBrad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-13005215849809400502017-08-03T15:16:00.000-04:002017-08-03T15:19:08.003-04:00How to keep your meat cool during a hunt in the warm months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nick asked:<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hello doing a Sep elk hunt temp could be high 70 and low 30.<br />
I have heard if it is very hot you should put your meat in a cold creek? What are your thoughts. Its a back pack elk hunt 7-10 miles from the truck. I was going to take your game bags. I was going to pull out the bone. the hang in a shaded area while I take meat back to truck. just wondering if it is a hot day and hanging in shade or should I put in creek if it will be 18-36 hours before it gets to the cooler in the truck.<br />
thanks,<br />
Nick<br />
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Hello Nick and thanks for the great question.<br />
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Dealing with warm meat in warm conditions is always going to be a tough issue, I understand what you're saying about putting the meat in a stream to cool it down but you also run the high risk of contamination of all the meat with contaminated water. As you know in elk country the animals often times roll and urinate in the creeks and streams causing Giardia which can lead to severe illness and even death. I would take my chances with the Koola Buck Antimicrobial game bags and spray. If you really believe it could be 16-18 hours until you can get the animal out I would debone the animal to allow as much body heat as possible to dissipate from the large quarters of meat, I would try not to overload my meat bags to allow the heat to come out and I would use the game bags and spray. Soaking meat in a water source that you're not 100% sure if safe to drink is a tough call. I understand you don't want to loose meat but soaking it in a contaminated stream may not be the best answer either. Keep it up off the ground in the shade and keep spraying it with the Antimicrobial spray. If you could build a meat cash/hut above the surface of the water so the coolness of the water helps dissipate the heat and then cover it wish shade limbs that would help but soaking in the water isn't a good idea. That would be my recommendation Nick.<br />
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Good Luck this fall and be sure to let us know how everything works out for you.<br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-4094453976147969612016-05-25T07:21:00.001-04:002016-05-25T07:22:45.006-04:00How to "Bleed" Your Ground Venison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Mike of Colgate, WI asked:</b><br />
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I recently saw an episode of Love of the Hunt on which you were making jerky. I was wondering how you "bleed" your ground venison. Mine always comes out super bloody and hard to work with. Is this covered in your butchering videos? Thank you.<br />
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Hello Mike! <br />
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Thanks for the great question. The answer is in "Dry Aging" I always hang my game meat a minimum of 3 days for every 100lbs of carcass weight. A good example would be If the hanging weight of my deer carcass is 150lbs then I always hang and age the carcass or quarters for at least 5 full days. This allows all that "Gamey flavor" body moisture and "blood" to evaporate out of the carcass. The second key thing that happens during the dry aging process is the proteins in the muscles begin to break down allowing the meat to become nice and tender. This entire process is called Dry Aging and it makes the meat so much better in flavor and texture! It also eliminates the "bloody" meat you asked about. This is the exact reason why I created the Koola Buck Portable Walk in Cooler. With this product you have a great way to hang and age your meat properly. The Koola Buck portable walk in coolers are perfect for hunters, they set up or tear down in 10 minutes, they're small and light weight for easy transportation and the commercial refrigeration system pulls the body heat form the carcass producing a great wild game meat without the headaches of storing and maintaining a giant walk in cooler in your house! Check them out at <a href="http://koolabuck.com/">koolabuck.com</a><br />
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If you really want to get technical about it you can use Koola Bucks Anti Microbial game bags and keep the surface of your meat moist in the game bags as well as reduce the growth of surface bacteria during the aging process. With this combination you can age for 2 weeks or more making an amazing product for you and your family to enjoy! Aging meat properly is the most important and most overlooked part of preparing quality game meat for your table. You can be the best chef on the planet but if you start with a bad piece of meat you'll have a rough time making a good finished product. Age your meat properly and you will be amazed at the difference! <br />
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God Bless and thanks for the great question! <br />
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Brad Lockwood </div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-23027925088532750932016-03-22T07:00:00.000-04:002016-03-22T07:00:18.587-04:00Wrinkled Casings When Making Homemade Sausage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Dave of Elkridge, MD asked:<br /><br />I make a lot of bologna and sausages and would like to know if you have any idea why my products stick to the inside casings. Also: When I take out the sausages, they are terribly wrinkled. Help!</b><div>
<br /><br /><br />Hello Dave,<br /><br />Thanks for the great question and I believe I have the answer! Water..... Most home processors don't add enough water to the meat block during the grinding and mixing process. </div>
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Here are the facts: Your smoker will steal 12-15% moisture from your product no matter what you do. Adding a pan of water to the smoker helps create some additional humidity in the smokehouse cabinet, but that still won't stop all the evaporation from occurring. If you know your smoker will steal 12-15% , the best thing to do is give it to it! Add it in while grinding and mixing. I'll typically add 3% water to the meat block when I add the seasonings. I do this to help mix and blend the seasonings. If I grind the product a second time, I'll add another 3% before the second grind. After I've finished grinding I finish adding the rest of the water, mix and then let stand unit the water is absorbed into the meat. Last but not least, stuff and smoke. The reason your meat is sticking to the casing and wrinkling so bad is because you don't have enough moisture in the meat to start with. When making a smoked sausage product, no matter if you grind it once or twice, be sure to soak in 12-15% good cold water before stuffing and you will notice an amazing difference in your smoked items. </div>
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One side note, remember this is only for smoked products, not fresh sausage products that are not smoked. <br /><br />Good luck Dave, add the additional water and you'll cure the problem. <br /><br />Brad Lockwood<br /> </div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-56881570325441984522016-03-15T08:50:00.000-04:002016-03-15T08:50:01.030-04:00Stuffed Back Strap How To<b>Craig Newnam of Fort Worth, TX wrote:<br /><br />You had a show on stuffed back strap, but I did not see it. Could you post the recipe? </b><br />
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Hello Craig,<br />
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Here is the Stuffed Venison BackStrap segment:</div>
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You can make some great products from wild game meats if you just think outside the box a little bit. I made a crown roast from a bone in backstrap once that was a big hit! Oftentimes, I inject my backstraps, marinate for a day and then grill them whole just like prime rib, slice medium rare and serve. Shayna Bane with Weston Brands has some great wild game recipes that you may want to check out as well: <a href="http://blog.westonproducts.com/">Blog.WestonProducts.com</a>.<br />
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Thanks Craig and have a great hunting season. <br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-87112907319123084382016-03-08T07:00:00.000-05:002016-03-08T07:00:06.609-05:00How to Make Canadian Bacon from Venison Backstrap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Travis from Hancock, MD wrote in:</b><div>
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<b>Watched your marination video. How do you make the Canadian bacon you mentioned in the video?</b><br /><br /><br />Hello Travis,<br /><br />The process of injecting venison backstraps to make Canadian bacon is very similar to the video segments that you watched for making cured and smoked venison hams. Mix your brine and inject every inch all over the product. The muscle tissue will only hold so much liquid and the rest will run out. The only change that I typically make is to increase the salt content of the brine. Typically the brine for bacon contains more salt than that of a ham, however you can use the ham recipe as a base formula and just add some additional salt to give it that bacon flavor. I would recommend increasing the salt content of a standard ham brine by 4% and that should give you that salty flavor you've come to know and love in a bacon type product. Follow the brine directions for hams, smoke the product in the same fashion you normally would and you'll have a great product. <br /><br />Thanks for the question and good luck! Let me know how it turns out! <br /><br />Brad Lockwood<br /><br /><br /><br /> </div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-29029577216342900182016-03-01T07:00:00.000-05:002016-03-01T07:00:20.034-05:00How to Make Low-Sodium Sausage<b>Greg wrote in:</b><br />
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<b>I ordered the advanced game processing library & learned a lot. Is there a way to make sausages, summer sausages and the like with no sodium or very little sodium? Due to my health, I had to go to a no/low salt diet.</b><br />
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Hello Greg,<br />
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Have you ever heard of <a href="http://www.nutrasalt.com/">Nutra Salt</a>?<br />
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I've used this product many times for low sodium recipes and it works very well. There are cooking recipes that allow you to use different fruit juices to increase salt flavor without increasing sodium drastically, but in meat products you can't do this because the acid from the fruits breaks the protein bind in the meat and your product will turn to mush. Take a look at the Nutra Salt product and I think you will find that it works very well for providing salt flavor without the high sodium content and it also comes with other various flavors that make it pretty interesting! The spicy Cajun works well in jerky products!<br />
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Good luck Greg and thanks for the question.
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Brad Lockwood<br />
<br />Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-48132634403504082262016-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:002016-01-27T07:00:11.159-05:00How to Grind Meat for Summer Sausage?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Craig from Coldwater, MI asked:<br /><br />One or two grinds for summer sausage?</b><br /><br /><br /><br />Hello Craig,<br /><br />Summer sausage is a twice ground product, but the real secret is to mix very, very, very well. The reason we mix the product so much after grinding twice is to extract as much protein from the product as possible. This protein extraction will help to bind the product together and keep it from crumbling apart after you remove it from the smokehouse, it should slice more like a lunch meat. Also keep in mind to add enough water. This is a big problem when making large diameter products - it takes so long to get them up to temperature. If you don't have enough water in the batch, the product will just dry out. We just released a new <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Game-Processing-Videos-s/80.htm">Advanced Sausage and Jerky Processing DVD</a> that would be well worth the watch. It sounds like you enjoy making your own items, so it's really worth having. There are way too many little tips and tricks to share by text here. Video is the way to go! <br /><br />Thanks again and good luck!<div>
<br />Brad Lockwood</div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-73992002645480465862016-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:002016-01-20T07:00:00.242-05:00How to Make Venison Hot Dogs<div style="text-align: center;">
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Ed M. from Connellsville, PA wrote:<br /><br />I want to follow your directions for making venison hot dogs. In your video you use bacon ends for the fat. What ratio would I use? and my second question is how long do they stay in the smoker and at what temperature? </b><br /><br /><b>Thanks for your help.</b><br /><br />Hello Ed,<br /><br />Venison Hot Dogs are a tricky product to make, but if done correctly they are very tasty! Step one is to grind the meat fine enough, 4 times through the Weston fine grinder plate will work well. Step two is make sure you use enough non-fat dry milk or other equivalent binder along with your seasoning mix to keep the product nice and firm so the fat doesn't run out when it hits the heat in the smoker. Step three is to only smoke long enough to firm the product in the casing. No hotter than 160F and then use a CanCooker for the steam, or use a warm water bath, around 180F and place the dogs in the hot water until you reach a 156F internal temperature. If you are adding bacon ends or any type of fat content always remember the 80/20 rule. If you have 8lbs of good lean venison meat, add approximately 2lbs of fatty trim to get your 80/20 blend. <br /><br />Good luck and I like mine with ketchup, mustard and onions! Enjoy.<br /><br />Brad LockwoodBrad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-56826896762613782472016-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:002016-01-13T07:00:20.833-05:00Looking for a new Vacuum Sealer<div>
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<b>Kathie C from Columbia, NC asked:<br /><br />Looking for a nice vacuum sealer. Any advice? </b><br />
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Hello Kathie,<br />
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I do have some solid advice in that department. I have used the <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-Vacuum-Sealer-PRO-2300-Stainless-Steel-p/65-0201.htm">Weston 2300 series vacuum machine</a> for years and it's a true commercial machine! I love it, lots of power and it keeps on going and going with no issues at all. I have also used the <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-Realtree-Vacuum-Sealer-p/65-0501-rt.htm">Weston Realtree model</a> many times as well in the kitchen for packaging leftovers, marinating steaks and packaging bulk foods. I love all the canister attachments that are available for the Realtree model.<br />
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Really, when making your selection, it will depend on how much work you're going to do. If you are going to seal a couple hundred packages a year, I would go for the Pro-series machine. If you are just looking for kitchen use, I would get the Realtree model from Weston. They are both great machines! </div>
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Thanks for the question Kathie.<br />
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Brad Lockwood</div>
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-80776746047870075092015-11-17T10:23:00.000-05:002015-11-17T10:23:00.051-05:00How to Tie Collagen Casings<b>Dave L from Kinston, NC asked:<br /><br />How do you get collagen casing to stay twisted for links? </b><br />
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Hello Dave,<br />
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I have a pretty cool technique for doing exactly that! I first twist both links together, as you normally would and then feed the leg of one of the sausages up through the twisted links. This locks the twist in place and keeps the sausage from coming untwisted. I then measure off the next links and twist them together, then I feed the opposite leg up through the links keeping the sausages the same length.<br />
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The easiest way to demonstrate this is to show you in this snack stick processing video:</div>
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This same process is shown in great detail in our <b>New </b>Advanced Sausage & Jerky Processing DVD, this title is hot off the press and now available. The video will demonstrate the exact technique you are asking about so please watch and enjoy. If you need more information we have the Advanced Sausage and Jerky DVD for you. </div>
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Thanks again and have a great hunting season!<br />
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-28174596872283318552015-11-10T15:14:00.000-05:002015-11-10T15:14:00.280-05:00Can I Quarter Before Hanging to Age?<b>Stew wrote in:</b><div>
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<br /><br />Thanks for the great question Stew,<br /><br />Aging game meat is one of my favorite topics. Often times its the most important and most overlooked step in producing a quality product. When you age meat you allow the body moisture/heat to evaporate from the carcass, this changes the flavor so we can rid the carcass of the "nasty game tasting" flavor so often associated with wild game animals. The second thing that happens is the enzymes in the muscle tissue begin to break down the muscle proteins making a more tender product. If you allow both things to occur, body moisture evaporation and muscle tissue break down, you'll have a very enjoyable product. </div>
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As a general rule I like to age animals 3 days for every 100lbs of carcass weight, that's an average. If the carcass has some body fat you can go longer but as a general rule you should age 3 days for every 100lbs. If the carcass is 150lbs then age 4-5 days. This is exactly the reason I created the <a href="http://www.koolabuck.com/Default.asp">Koola Buck </a>Portable Walk in cooler system. So hunters would have a great way to hang and age their game animals whole without having a giant walk in cooler in their house that they will only use a few times each year.<br /><br />The draw back of quartering the animal and then hanging it is the increase in surface area. When you hang a deer whole and age the meat, you will begin to notice the surface drying out and even becoming a little dark in color. This is why I say take an average of 4-5 days, you will get the body moisture out and the muscles will break down enough to have a tender product. If you age longer often times the flavor really doesn't change much and the muscles really don't get any more tender than they would after 4-5 days. </div>
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What does occur though is the surface of the meat dries out so much that you end up trimming it off and tossing in away because its to dark in color and to dry to use. You'll have some dry trim and dark areas even after aging 4-5 days, but as you age longer, you get more waste and I really don't think the benefit is worth the waste. </div>
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The problem with quartering the animal is now you have a lot more exposed area that's going to dry out causing additional waste. Now having said that, if I did not have a choice and could not hang the carcass whole, yes I would quarter and age the animal rather than not age it at all. You will have more waste but still have quality meat. <br /><br />Thanks for the great question! One of my favorite topics!<br /><br />Brad Lockwood<br /></div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-55910357165126941232015-11-03T11:27:00.000-05:002015-11-03T11:27:00.210-05:00What Sized Meat Grinder is Best<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Richard C wrote in:</b></div>
<b><br />I’m thinking about getting a <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-Commercial-Meat-Grinders-s/87.htm">Weston Commercial Meat Grinder</a>, but I’m not sure which size to get. I usually take home about 4-5 deer a season. Thanks in advance for your help!!</b><br /><br /><br />Hello Richard,<br /><br />Purchasing the correct size grinder is a pretty important detail that shouldn't be overlooked. If you were only processing one or two deer a year you would be fine with one of the <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-Home-Meat-Grinders-s/91.htm">#8 Electric grinders from Weston</a>. If you are processing 3 or 4 a year you will need to step up to one of the pro model units like the #8 1/2HP Stainless pro series grinders. <div>
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When you start talking 4-5 deer a year you really need to look at a <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-12-Pro-Series-Electric-Meat-Grinder-p/08-1201-w.htm">#12</a> or <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-22-Pro-Series-Electric-Meat-Grinder-p/08-2201-w.htm">#22</a> grinder to handle the volume of meat and to save time. To explain this in a little finer detail we need to talk about gristle, fat and sinew. Wild game meat, especially whitetail deer has a lot of connective tissue that we end up calling gristle and sinew, this tough chewy tissue gets wrapped around the blade of the grinder and slows the grinder down and even prevents the meat from coming out the head of the grinder, bigger grinders with larger heads allow you to grind for a longer period of time before you need to stop, take the head apart, clean the blade and plate, then reassemble the head and start grinding again. So along with overall speed and grinding power you also have the gristle issue to deal with so with all the reasons pilled together you will need one of the larger pro grinders to handle the volume you're talking about. <br /><br />I hope this helps with the decision and once again, thanks for the great question.<br /><br />Brad Lockwood<div>
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-27045421916354503942015-10-27T11:21:00.000-04:002015-10-27T11:21:32.365-04:00Can You Safely Sugar Cure a Venison Ham?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sue H from Baldwyn, MS asked:<br /><br />Can you sugarcure a deer ham like you do hog ham & it be safe to eat? </b><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable"><tbody>
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Hello
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Thanks
for the question. Yes, you can cure venison hams in the same fashion that you
cure pork hams I have actually produced a few videos on topics exactly like
this one. I have videos that show the detailed processing of bone in Venison
hams, boneless venison hams and Canadian Bacon made from the back straps. If
you really want to expand your processing knowledge you check out my <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Advanced-Wild-Game-Processing-Vol-5-Marination-p/58-3064.htm">MasteringMarination DVD</a> which deals with all these products. <o:p></o:p></div>
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videos are very instructional and I truly believe you will enjoy them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks
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Brad Lockwood <o:p></o:p></div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-25127646705846281292015-08-03T07:00:00.000-04:002015-08-03T07:00:09.965-04:00Can I Smoke Sausages in Synthetic Casing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Steve M. from New Market, AL wrote in:<br /></b><div>
<b>I have always used an oven at a low temp to make sausage and had just figured that with the synthetic casings I use, smoking would just be a waste of time. My thinking is that the smoke would just stick to the casing and not actually penetrate into the meat. Having not ever smoked sausage, I was hoping you could advise if smoking would be worth the extra effort, or if a natural casing is needed to enjoy that great smoke flavor. </b></div>
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<br /><br />Thanks for the question Steve,<br /><br />Yes you can smoke fibrous casings. The smoke will penetrate the casing as long as the casing remains moist. Always remember moisture is the medium that smoke uses to penetrate through the casing and into the meat. Believe it or not, fibrous casings are perforated and the smoke will penetrate into the meat. Of course natural casing will work much better, but fibrous will absorb smoke also. <br /><br />Good luck Steve and have a great fall. </div>
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-1216684952490173712015-07-30T13:52:00.002-04:002015-07-30T13:52:35.862-04:00How do you make Venison Bacon?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Dave from Elkridge, MD asked:<br /><br />How do you make venison bacon? Any good procedures? Is it ground venison, pork shoulder and buck board bacon cure - pressed into a mold?<br /><br />Thanks!</b><br />
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Hello Dave and thanks for the question.<br />
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Yes, you are correct. Venison bacon is made in the same fashion as turkey bacon, the meat can be ground to a couple different textures or plate sizes if you would like and mixed very well to extract as much protein as possible so the product binds together tightly when you press it into the pans.<br />
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There are three very important, key processing points that must be done properly to make the product work. <br />
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- I like to grind about 3/4 of the meat through the fine grinding plate twice and the other 1/4 through the coarse sausage plate to provide some larger pieces of meat for texture when eating the final product.<br />
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- Mixing: After the product is ground you will need to mix for a solid 5 minutes very vigorously to get as much protein extraction as possible. You want that meat batch to be as sticky as possible. <br />
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- Spray your pans with a non-stick spray and pack the meat in tightly with no air pockets. <br />
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During the grinding process, it's important to add your seasoning and non fat dry milk to the product as a binder, or if you can find it: sodium tripoly phosphate works very well. If you enjoy making these type of products, getting my <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Advanced-Wild-Game-Processing-Vol-5-Marination-p/58-3064.htm">Mastering Marination DVD</a> would be a wise choice. In that DVD, we make a variety of product similar to restructured Bacon as well, I think you would really enjoy it. <br />
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Thanks and good luck with the product.<br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-103310393727200522015-06-08T07:00:00.000-04:002015-06-08T07:00:04.880-04:00What's the Process for Dry Cured Venison Hams?<div>
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Dave from Elkridge, MD asked:<br /><br />I'm going to take a hind quarter of a deer and make a ham - bone in. With hogs, I salt them for 21 days, take them out and wash them, then use a sugar cane, red pepper & honey cure and let it hang at 38 degrees until ready.</b><br />
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<b>Can I use this same procedure on a whole deer quarter, or do you suggest something else?</b><br />
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Hello Dave,<br />
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Old-fashioned dry-cured hams! Yes sir, you can process those venison hams in the same exact fashion but you'll find that the drying process will be a little shorter because of the moisture content difference between pork and venison. </div>
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Pork contains a higher moisture content and takes longer to dry. If you really want to speed up the process, you can smoke those hams up to an internal temperature of 138°F and hold that temperature for 1 hour. Then remove that well-smoked ham from the smoker and hang in the cooler to finish the drying process. I like this step because it speeds up the drying time and adds that great smoked flavor. <br />
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Good luck this hunting season and thanks for the question. <br />
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Brad Lockwood<br />
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-86264862635183474942015-06-05T09:26:00.001-04:002015-06-05T09:26:49.364-04:00Bobcat / Cougar / Mountain Lion Recipes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3r9xsMCbroyyAtm3SCBsO1AjFlbDEUz0txQS5JDCqpH5L1bJ7CMRn6YXRuF4XoUQ1f-l2C4O7WM0THBt_UFiaH9ac5h8xr7TqZIswaYiNJTmz2jQd1rKw8ZXSH1whrfXiAVgsujCV3Tk/s1600/Dollarphotoclub_63547545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3r9xsMCbroyyAtm3SCBsO1AjFlbDEUz0txQS5JDCqpH5L1bJ7CMRn6YXRuF4XoUQ1f-l2C4O7WM0THBt_UFiaH9ac5h8xr7TqZIswaYiNJTmz2jQd1rKw8ZXSH1whrfXiAVgsujCV3Tk/s400/Dollarphotoclub_63547545.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><b>Dave from Port Angeles, WA asked:<br /><br />Do you have any good recipes or recommendations for Bobcat or Cougar? I can't seem to find many recipes, or people for that matter, that seem interested in eating these animals.</b><br /><br />Hello Dave,<br /><br />Mountain Lion and Cougar! Now that is a field I don't have a lot of experience in - but I have dabbled with it some. The meat is very lean, but it's also wet - a little like turkey, so it soaks up seasoning well. So be sure not to overdo it on the seasoning! Don't add that little extra that we often times tend to do. <div>
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I've enjoyed the overall flavor of Mountain Lion, but the texture always seems to be tough and chewy - so I highly recommend marinating the meat and using a <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Weston-Meat-Cuber-Tenderizers-s/90.htm">tenderizer</a> to break the muscle fibers down so you can enjoy the eating experience. Just keep in mind not to over do it with the marinade because lion meat absorbs seasoning very well.<br /><br />I hope this helps and let us know how it turns out!<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Brad Lockwood</div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-40431271486808789562015-05-26T10:06:00.003-04:002015-05-26T10:06:55.966-04:00Adding Liquid to Dry Jerky Seasonings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBFOXFHlsj4RTYfuXa5qvqrjgNuQvsXy8znxMy3xZdSZJbB2A8Jb3LSbvOWGxdH-RKBX1M65JyrXF3xk9yVMMDPwAHNqFbhbeC8I5IY327MA4_Cf-GcJpFS93xsxpKspC6bWYgUmyQdM/s1600/Jerky-Seasoning-Add-Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBFOXFHlsj4RTYfuXa5qvqrjgNuQvsXy8znxMy3xZdSZJbB2A8Jb3LSbvOWGxdH-RKBX1M65JyrXF3xk9yVMMDPwAHNqFbhbeC8I5IY327MA4_Cf-GcJpFS93xsxpKspC6bWYgUmyQdM/s400/Jerky-Seasoning-Add-Water.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>
James Russ from West Farmington, Ohio asked:<br /><br />When you made processed jerky, you put seasoning on the meat then added water. Would mixing water and seasoning together work?</b><br />
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Hello James, <br />
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Thanks for the question and yes, you can do that. Weston actually makes a variety of <a href="http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Jerky-Seasoning-s/74.htm">Jerky Seasoning Tonics</a> that have dry and liquid ingredients already mixed - very similar to a liquid marinade. This makes it very simple to portion and skips over the step of adding the water separately.<br />
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When I'm using dry seasoning, the reason I add the water after putting the seasoning on the meat is so I'm sure to get all the seasoning on the meat. If you mix the water into the seasoning in a separate container you'll always have some seasoning left in the measuring container, then you have to rinse it out again. Both ways accomplish the same thing, no matter if you add the water to the seasonings or the seasoning to the meat and then the water. The water is only used to moisten the meat and liquefy the seasonings so they begin to dissolve and penetrate into the meat fibers quickly. <br />
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I hope this answers your question. Good luck this hunting season!<br />
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- Brad Lockwood</div>
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-4378727440682847342015-05-11T12:40:00.001-04:002015-05-11T12:40:21.129-04:00Soaking Wild Boar in Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqHITmvrUttzPAGoxRoiHS3fQGrxf4NKiq_DGL0OnWySiE_YzJnkaAemaroR37PBlCz1It12cxX3QfAP-18eFK7phOlCxOluVVZHVCXVn6XkaJlTErVdky13dIPMs5UrmoCtJiUOwG6w/s1600/Dollarphotoclub_78952678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqHITmvrUttzPAGoxRoiHS3fQGrxf4NKiq_DGL0OnWySiE_YzJnkaAemaroR37PBlCz1It12cxX3QfAP-18eFK7phOlCxOluVVZHVCXVn6XkaJlTErVdky13dIPMs5UrmoCtJiUOwG6w/s400/Dollarphotoclub_78952678.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Dave from Elkridge, MD wrote:<br /><br />Hi Brad,<br /> Come this fall, we are fixing to go boar hunting to get a couple hogs in the 250lb range. Now we know that wild hogs are red meat.</b><br />
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<b>Question is: How do I get the hogs to the right shade color of meat - like in a store? I have been told that you soak the hogs for a few days in pure ice water, changing water each day till you reach the color you want. Do you have any insight on this? </b></div>
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<b>Thanks, </b></div>
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<b>Dave</b><br />
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Hello Dave,<br />
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That's a crazy wild hog question! I've never been a big fan of soaking meat in water. I like to dry age and let the body moisture come out of the carcass for flavor reasons, rather than soak meat in water adding additional body moisture. <br />
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The only experience I've had soaking meat in cold water is when it's down in a cure brine. Rather than dry rub bacon, I make a brine and soak them for 6-7 days and then rinse and smoke. You get a more consistent product that way. Often times, pork bellies will have serious inconsistencies. Some are fat, some are lean, some are moist and some are dry on the surface. When you dry rub these bellies, each one seems to take the dry rub a little differently. With soaking in a brine, the moisture penetrates more consistently. <br />
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Why the concern about color? It won't affect the flavor. Soaking the meat in water for several days may change the flavor - it will certainly water log it. To answer your question: I would dry age and not soak in water. I would focus on the flavor rather than the color.<br />
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Good luck on your hunt and I hope these little tips help you!<br />
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Brad Lockwood </div>
Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-3349343057072106632015-05-04T09:31:00.000-04:002015-05-04T09:41:17.567-04:00Should I Leave Processing of Wild Hogs to the Professionals?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTURCXotzicIO0azehElsy6lKdY7TYSWzQSjJTspN9yeFsl6Y3VP47H-cI8ECw4sk1MJEUz4JO4HwOjDpT5xMdHa-ZtRZ5Yb_iKcUNK3RnB0GcmViC7U8R5WtGV7PJihWPakGAhoLqC4/s1600/Dollarphotoclub_31699858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTURCXotzicIO0azehElsy6lKdY7TYSWzQSjJTspN9yeFsl6Y3VP47H-cI8ECw4sk1MJEUz4JO4HwOjDpT5xMdHa-ZtRZ5Yb_iKcUNK3RnB0GcmViC7U8R5WtGV7PJihWPakGAhoLqC4/s400/Dollarphotoclub_31699858.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Grant from Dallas, TX wrote in:</b></div>
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<b>Hi Brad,<br /><br />Saw two of your three seminars at the NRA Annual Meetings in Nashville. Great work and thanks for putting those on.<br /><br />I live in Texas and try to shoot as many wild hogs as I can fit into my freezer.<br /><br />When I get the meat back from the processor it has been frozen solid as a rock. Friends of mine say this "flash freezing" helps kill any parasites that might be in the meat. Is that true? If so, should I leave processing of wild hogs to the professionals or is it ok to age them in my refrigerator and store the pieces in vacuum bags in my freezer?</b></div>
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Hello Grant,<br />
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Flash freezing will kill some parasites but the better method is cooking the pork properly. Cook your pork well and you will be just fine.<br />
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You can age your pork just like beef and deer with no worries, Simply be sure to cook it well, bloody pork is no good, much different than beef. I prefer to process my own game under all conditions no matter what the animal is. </div>
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The only one I trust with my food is me. That way I'm sure it wasn't cut on the same dirty cutting block with 10 other animals. That way I know the grinder was cleaned properly before my meat was put in. And that way I know it didn't sit out in the warm cutting room while everyone takes lunch breaks. Yep.... I prefer to do it myself! </div>
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I love my garden, my canned deer meat, my own smoked hams, my own bacon. I need a green house in my back yard so I can have my own fresh tomatoes and lettuces year round! Maybe some chickens for fresh eggs. Now I'm getting overboard! However I do feel much better when my food comes from my own hands! <br />
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I hope you enjoyed the seminar and I hope to see you next year! <br />
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Brad<br />
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-47507762382987840102015-03-09T10:00:00.000-04:002015-03-10T09:26:15.105-04:00Using Muslin Cloth for Sausage Casings<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNQx-OGKTJZPIyRzq4KjqgwDtRd5fupDpbLD6QXjbvJkdlJ_cs9_ChcDfWNKnimOvTNq2saKtMHm1NCAH5Q3iM-hnPuM6T7Pwh3JYhjvPHYVfsh6-XYDi6MflSlcooXW5gfzh_-1yRng/s1600/IMG_2846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNQx-OGKTJZPIyRzq4KjqgwDtRd5fupDpbLD6QXjbvJkdlJ_cs9_ChcDfWNKnimOvTNq2saKtMHm1NCAH5Q3iM-hnPuM6T7Pwh3JYhjvPHYVfsh6-XYDi6MflSlcooXW5gfzh_-1yRng/s1600/IMG_2846.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo I took while at an old sausage shop in Germany</td></tr>
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<b>Dave from Elkridge, MD wrote in: </b><br />
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<b>Back in the early 60's, we used to butcher the hogs to make sausage and stuff them in muslin cloth. Now, can we use non bleached muslin cloth that has been sewn into 2 inch tubes? We get our muslin cloth from a fabric store. Also, how well would venison sausage keep in the cloth? Should we freeze it or do you have a better idea?</b><br />
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Thanks for the question Dave! I also like the old fashioned cloth sausage casing! I haven't made sausage that way for a long time, but it really looks good in the cloth casings. Reminds me of trips to the sausage shops in Germany where they still use a lot of the cloth casings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZBTShx0SspIFi7R4lLAeTMLnA8WOld313q_Vynzo-4zllremR93J3OueY3vR0LD3MZwTGfIP1XDjykqqa-Fh76rtMeBBNv6BGhURuedutgy9b94NxP432gw-se4AdH9nUdU99yXrnyo/s1600/IMG_2847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZBTShx0SspIFi7R4lLAeTMLnA8WOld313q_Vynzo-4zllremR93J3OueY3vR0LD3MZwTGfIP1XDjykqqa-Fh76rtMeBBNv6BGhURuedutgy9b94NxP432gw-se4AdH9nUdU99yXrnyo/s1600/IMG_2847.JPG" height="297" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you want to make your own casings, you can do that for sure or you can do a search on the computer for cloth sausage casings and there are several companies that can supply them to you.<br />
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When freezing I would still recommend using a Weston Vacuum Machine with their thick, commercial grade bags to prevent any quality loss on smoked products. Smoked products don't keep as well as fresh products in the freezer, so the vacuum machine and a good quality bag will help a lot!
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Thanks again for the question Dave!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHFk4XYid8sxNtGO5w-kfgSh7oDuzksAPxO67dSHLyamVyaHWOyU6Y7Cv1ChViDGV5HWQT2hteoCTKF1Lsi4U2F4o5H2nv6WiVh9IAnkoLFggF3jonupSVjtybbVJ8FLBoIlcP2P9hdU/s1600/IMG_2848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHFk4XYid8sxNtGO5w-kfgSh7oDuzksAPxO67dSHLyamVyaHWOyU6Y7Cv1ChViDGV5HWQT2hteoCTKF1Lsi4U2F4o5H2nv6WiVh9IAnkoLFggF3jonupSVjtybbVJ8FLBoIlcP2P9hdU/s1600/IMG_2848.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-966266949165107496.post-71663144136352085722015-03-06T09:48:00.000-05:002015-03-06T09:48:00.555-05:00How Much Trimming Is Too Much?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwapjNoRpJGKHDLuqpVzvLAF921-SvcUBSPozBZ9j7sCLeE5hE3ZJwetX8gNA0xRGICDBVz1gHMTLde9gK50YthNP37fWugod0LmLnOWft9eSzC499zB97yZTB9awk-ZlN1w3Dh8sjlsk/s1600/Dollarphotoclub_59901167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwapjNoRpJGKHDLuqpVzvLAF921-SvcUBSPozBZ9j7sCLeE5hE3ZJwetX8gNA0xRGICDBVz1gHMTLde9gK50YthNP37fWugod0LmLnOWft9eSzC499zB97yZTB9awk-ZlN1w3Dh8sjlsk/s1600/Dollarphotoclub_59901167.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Jon Lindner of McArthur Ohio asked:
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<b>I just watched your TV show where you smoked a ham from the rear quarter to make some lunch meat. When you took it out of the cooler after aging you "trimmed" it - but the video showed what you trimmed, and it still had quite a bit of silver membrane on it. I have been processing my own deer for 8 years, and have always trimmed ALL the silver skin off - even what goes to the grinder.
But....it takes forever, and I feel like I waste a lot of meat. Every piece of meat that goes to our freezer or grinder is completely free of any fat or silver skin. I have done this because I believe deer fat and silver skin leave a "wild" flavor. Am I overdoing it? Will leaving some silver skin give a wild flavor - even on steaks and stew meat? I have all your DVDs - I don't remember you addressing this specific question. Thanks!
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Thanks for the question Jim,<br />
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You are exactly right on the fat! Trim all the fat that you possibly can. Wild game fat does not store the oils in the same fashion that domestic animals such as beef, pork and lamb do. Wild Game fat has an undesirable flavor and an equally nasty texture to it.<br />
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Now the silver skin, or connective tissue, that's a different story. You're not going to notice an off flavor from the silver skin, just a really bad texture and no one likes a bunch of chewy gristle in their hamburger, roast or steaks. We have a saying in the meat industry called "Trim the Heavy." What this means is: if it's heavy gristle trim it out! The reason we use this method is for the exact reason that you're noticing. If you try to trim every little bite, you end up losing a lot of good meat in the process!<br />
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So with that being said, "Trim the Heavy" and let the grinder handle the rest. You can only do so much. When I say let the grinder handle the rest I mean: Weston Grinders do a great job of separating the silver skin when grinding. What happens is: the gaps in the grinder blade allow the gristle to wrap around the blade and not go out through the grinder plate and into your finished product. One downside is that you'll have to take the head apart if the grinder starts slowing down on the grind and remove any gristle from around the knife, reassemble the head and start grinding again.<br />
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Now, fat, on the other hand, can be much easier to deal with than gristle and silver skin. So I do my very best to trim all the fat possible. You can use a good boning knife and remove the fat much easier with less waste than gristle.
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Thanks for the question and good luck this season!<div>
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Brad Lockwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523906613808594105noreply@blogger.com0