Rebekah emailed in the following tip:
My husband is a hunter and we love deer meat, but this year he wasn’t able to shoot any deer. We decided to call the butcher shop where we get our meat processed to see if anyone had neglected to pick up their deer meat.
And as it turned out, we were able to get four deer! We ended up with 272 pounds of deer meat for $340 (only about $1.25 per pound) which is by far the cheapest grass-fed, organic local meat you will get.
If you are looking for a great deal on a lot of meat, I’d encourage you to call your local butchers to see if they have any meat available! -Rebekah
You might also check with a taxidermist in your area. I have a friend who does this, and often times the hunter just wants the heads for trophies for the wall, so they just give him the meat. He ends up with freezers full of deer and wild pig, etc. which he just can’t use up fast enough. So it usually gets given away to family and friends. I get most of my red meat this way as a gift from him. And I gift him back with boots that my hubby no longer uses as his company buys him two pairs of work boots a year. It is true that it is not legal for him to sell it, but he can give it away free.
Maybe I’m naive, but I would be afraid that the original deer hunter might have left it draining or laying around too long. Could it spoil, or would the butcher be able to tell that before selling it to you?
My husband is an avid hunter and so we almost never pay for red meat or pork (anybody need some wild pigs? Come to our house!). We process it ourselves and use it in place of beef in almost any recipe. We also spend 1-2 days a year making our own sausage. There have been a couple of years when he wasn’t able to get enough deer to last us the year and we did consider buying it from the butcher, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I’m mostly just worried that we’ll get the deer that had been riding around in the back of some guy’s truck for four days before he finally dropped it off at the butcher. Would be a great way to get cheap meat , though, if you’re not as uptight as me about knowing where it’s been.
We’d take the wild pig!! 🙂 Where do you live? 🙂
Thanks for the great comments on here, everyone. I hadn’t thought of the butcher (although I agree with Patrice, regarding where the animal comes from) or the 4-H.
How about going to your county fair this summer and buying a pig, steer, lamb, etc. from your local 4-H ers or FFA ers at the Junior Livestock auction? Many times the higher placing animals sell for an exorbitant price but many of the rest sell for reasonable prices. Since the economy tanked several years ago many of our local kids have had difficulty finding buyers to pay even a decent price. You could also go in on the bidding with friends or family members and divide the meat up. After the auction is won, you arrange for the processing and then pick up your meat when it is ready. What a great way to support the local youth and get locally grown organic meat!
Fantastic idea, I hadn’t thought of that one!
Ya know, I don’t find hunting deer to be terribly cheap. You have to buy a hunting license, plus the cost of ammo, cost of a gun, for us traveling to a place to hunt, all for about 30-60 lbs of meat. My husband hunts because he likes the family time with the bonus of “free” meat. I don’t think actually hunting saves money unless you hunt a lot.
In some states, you can hunt on your own land for free. It can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.
Deer meat is NOT *organic* in most parts of the country anymore. Deer eat a lot of corn which is genetically modified, treated with pesticides, etc. It’s true that beef cattle also eat this corn so venison is not much different than most beef in this regard. But I wouldn’t say that deer meat is organic.
We have had “road kill”, too, when a deer ran into our chain link fence. We called the sheriff and they came out and gave us the OK.
I’ve actually never had deer meat. Is it “gamey”?
Only if it’s processed or cooked incorrectly.
I’ve never had deer meat from a processor, but I’ve been told that one reason deer has a strong flavor is because when it is processed the butcher doesnt get all the membranes off. My husband hunts and we process our own meat. It takes alot of time to get the membranes off, but he says it will make a big difference in the taste. The membrane is a shiny silvery coating on the outside, if you see any on your meat from the butcher use a sharp knife and peel it off (like you would peel the skin off an apple).
Oh yes, that membrane is terrible! It also leaves a weird feeling in your mouth like your tongue has been coated with something. Yuck!
Our local butchers actually donate this extra meat to an organization that gives the meat to people who can’t afford to put food, let alone meat on their tables. So as much as I love your idea I love that the food is being given to people who can’t afford meat!
Oh wow! That’s incredible! We sure would have loved that when my husband was unemployed for over 18 months. We were too embarrassed to apply for fox stamps and we had no help at all from anyone. Scary times
Our local butcher sells whole ny strips (or other meats) about 4 times a year at about $3 per pound rather than the $9 or higher per pound if you buy them individually. I buy the whole ones & the butcher will cut them for you however you want. I just package them in the #’s I want when I get home. They also sell bulk bundles which will save lots of $.
There is another option for obtaining venison completely free in my area. I don’t know if it’s the same elsewhere. Several years ago when my husband still processed his own deer meat, if he didn’t get one or two while hunting he had our name added to the “road kill” list for a couple of townships in our area. I know, it sounds gross calling it that. But as long as the deer was only injured (for example) in the head and the body has not been damaged and it is a fresh kill it is perfectly safe. The Sheriff’s department in some of our townships are the ones called if someone does hit a deer. They don’t want to pick it up and dispose of it if they can avoid it, so they keep a waiting list each season for people who are willing to come pick it up. They will even give you the same kind of claim ticket (I forget what it’s called) right on the spot that you would normally have if you shot the deer yourself. Then, if you process the deer yourself the meat is almost 100% free (minus freezer paper, etc.) or you can still bring it to the processor (ours costs $80) if you choose. Plus, there’s the added benefit of informing certain family members and friends that you enjoy freaking out that they just ate ROAD KILL! 😀
Ha Ha. My brother in law has picked up a deer that someone hit. My sister always tells my kids please don’t tell anyone that they ate road kill.
Yeah, my dad has told me “I really love the dishes you fix with venison, but I hope you don’t mind if I don’t tell anyone my daughter and her family eat road kill! lol
It is against the law here in SC to sell venison. Not sure if that applies if you are just covering the cost of processing it. My sister-in-law shared some with us and we made chili with it and it was great. . I’ve had it in the past when it was very gamey do I was a little apprehensive but it was delish.
What time of year would be a good time to call about that? Would they still have any this time of year?
find out when your state has its deer season. It is usually the fall months. Here in PA it runs from September-December (I think) for both archery and rifle.
The PA deer hunting season is from Sept to the end of Jan for archery hunters. You have to check with your game commission for bag limits and dates.
My 8 year old son told me “I could never eat a deer”. I replied, “remember those hamburgers you had at Uncle J’s house?”…lol…he didn’t even know the difference!
Oh no, your poor son 🙂 My sons began hunting this year and got 1 deer. I won’t eat the meat. They have to cook it. I also will not eat meat from someone’s house that I know hunts (i.e. my sister. She jokes that she is not allowed to bring meat to family get togethers.) I am so paranoid that at a pot luck dinner, I won’t get meat because I’m afraid it may be deer meat.
Sounds exactly like me around my husband’s dad’s family!
Ha ha! I am the same way! Every time I go to one of our Boy Scout dinners, I avoid anything that resembles beef or venison, just in case!
That’s exactly what happened to me when I was a kid. My extended family made me eat jerky (or maybe something like summer sausage? i can’t remember…) and then after the fact, they informed me that my uncle had shot and killed the deer from which I just ate meat!
It didn’t scar me, though. I like deer meat, even though we rarely have it. 🙂
My Dad is a hunter and gives us venison for Christmas each year. I’ve cooked with it for over 10 years. Here are my tips:
1. If you want “burgers” you need to mix it with equal part of ground beef or sausage. There isn’t enough fat in the venison to grill it as burgers alone.
2. Don’t overcook it.
3. Marinate it.
I love venison in chili. It’s my favorite way to have chili. I also mix it with ground beef in meatloaf and with sausage for “burgers”. I use chops in stir fry, stew and stroganhoff.
Thanks so much for sharing this tip! 🙂
Friends from our church raise meat birds (chickens) and hunt for deer/elk. Our family have helped on “chicken murder day” and I’ve helped with cleaning/prepping meat, and we’ve often been given meat in exchange for the work.
“Chicken murder day”. Now with that name, it would sure incite me to start ‘harvesting’ chickens! LOL! I would like to have chickens for eggs and meat as I have heard fresh, home grown, chickens and turkeys are so much better. I still have the Ewww factor in my head though, so being able to help an experienced grower would be an ideal way to make the decision whether I can handle it or not.
What time of year would we call? My family are not hunters, but we definitely like deer meat. Thats a great way to get deer meat and a great price, too!
We call at the beginning of hunting season and get put on a waiting list. As one becomes available they go down the list and call until they get someone to come pick it up. If you’re “more available” than some of the others on the list you tend to get preferential treatment. They don’t want to waste their time calling lots of people. At least that’s how it works with our meat processor in our area. 🙂
Don’t know if anyone would want to try…but sliced deer meat stir fry with ginger pieces, green onion and soy sauce is a very delectable Chinese dish, served with rice.
Yum!
Thanks for sharing. Our son loves to hunt and he and his wife share with us. He did not get to hunt this year but looking forward to next year season! My Dtr. – in -law uses the ground meat in chili beans and it is delicious!
Great idea! I would love to have venison in the freezer again – it has been too many years.
I have several game cookbooks and wouldn’t be without them when cooking deer meat or other types of game. There’s something about the recipes that just brings out the flavor of the meat. I tried using beef in a venison chili recipe once and the results were not nearly as satisfactory. Of course, now you can readily find venison recipes online – I look for recipes with lots of positive reviews.
I believe my Dtr. -in -law uses Paula Deen’s chili bean recipe and subs ground deer meat for beef.
I agree that Deer Meat is one of the BEST meats out there. And my husband loves too hunt as well. So it is a win-win for us both.
When we drop deer off to be ”prepared” we must sign a form saying, if we do not pick it up so many days after it is done they have the right to sell it to someone else. Their freezer is only so big. They sell it at the same price you would have paid for it. I know it is against the law to re-sell it once you have bought it. I gave half of ours to our in-laws for free.
Great idea to soak the deer meat in Coca Cola or Salt water! We have a houseful of hunters-4 now soon to be 5! My husband took a butchering class so we even save on the processing. Him and his buddies dedicate a day to making sausage (mix with pork) for italian sausage and we pay to have hot dogs and summer sausage made. Deer meat is the leanest meat you can eat! We also bought 80lbs of Zaycon chicken breast this year and a half of pig that fill the rest of the freezer along with last years 5 deer! A huge savings on meat this year.
I’d love your recipe for the italian sausage made from deer!
The last couple of years my hubby didn’t get his own, but he helped friends with theirs, so they were more than glad to share both elk and deer.
I’ve always liked the taste of it fine. You do have to be careful not to overcook it. I think because it’s so lean, it’s easy to do and then it’s tough.
My hubby says that meat handled properly in the field rarely gets a game-y taste. I did a milk soak when I first cooked with it, but I haven’t found that to be needed since then. This is pretty much the only red meat we eat, except on very rare occasions.
You can also ask the butcher to sell you chicken carcasses, bones and pork fat they have cut off. You can make stock for fractions without buying any chicken and you can use the pork fat for flavoring to beans or to grind with homemade sausage.
Wonderful idea! I’ve heard of buying 1/2 a cow and having different cuts made from it and storing it fot the year. I’d love to do that but don’t know where to look- I’m not sure even where there’s a butcher in the town we just moved too
We just placed our first order for 1/4 cow. I found the farmer at a local farmer’s market. Farmer’s markets haven’t yet opened for the season where I live, but if they are open in your area, you might check there.
Mary, try localharvest.org – I just looked and they list all the local places I knew about where I live, and several I’d never heard about. I wouldn’t limit your search to just “Meat Processors,” though, as that didn’t turn up the farm market where I got my amazing meat. Good luck!
We moved across country and when we tried store bought and thought YUCK!! We looked on craig’s list and found a local guy who does beef (ohio Dayton area). It has worked out great and we will be using him again.
Kristen,
I live in Dayton, OH area as well. Would you mind to share with me how much you pay and who your guy is? We are looking for some local beef that is hormone/antibiotic free.
The farmer’s name is Kurt King. I am not sure if it is hormone and antibiotic free you would have to call him. It has been awesome meat. we bought a half and it was butchered up in Liberty, Oh. The butchering cut and wrap was 121.00 ish and the meat was around 400 I want to say, I can’t find that reciept. The butcher’s ndame is Tracey’s Meat Packing in East Liberty. He could get you in touch with Kurt, or you could look up Kurt King. if you want numbers email me I don’t want to give out that info on here. krabastobin(@) hotmaildotcom
Mary, you can search eatwild.com for grass fed beef farmers in your area. We puchase 1/2 a cow every 12 -18 months from a local grass fed farmer for about $3.50 per pound. It’s an awesome deal!
Great idea!
We have a deer in the freezer for the first time this year. It is amazing how much it saves on groceries. I soak it first in coke to get rid of the “gamey” taste. Then it is the perfect substitute for other kinds of meat in recipes.
I hadn’t heard of soaking it in coke! My husband has just begun hunting this past year and is hoping to get lucky enough to bag a deer this year. We are really hoping to cut down on our grocery bill this way!
I live in S. California and local grass fed beef farmers are few and far between. The websites of grass fed beef farmers in N. California all seem to process meat at this time of year or within the next several months. Would the best time to call to see if they have leftover meat be in a few months? Sorry, not sure about all of this as we Californians have to have our grass fed beef flown in or trucked down. Local farmers and butchers are rare in these parts! Thanks for the tip.
Yes, our butcher also told us that it was unlawful for him to sell any venison that hadn’t been picked up b/c of USDA regulations. There must be many that do this, anyway, as I’ve often heard of butchers doing this.
My husband killed his first deer this past fall and we have enjoyed eating it this winter. I’ve always been hesitant of the taste but I just substitute it for red meat (hamburger, roast, etc) and cook it the way I normally would…and you can’t tell the difference!
One tip I picked up from an avid deer meat eater….if you are cooking a deer roast, and don’t want the “game-y” taste that deer meat sometimes has, soak it at least overnight (or 2 days) prior to cooking it in a salt-water bath. When the water gets too red, change it. I did this and my deer roast was very tender…and no funny taste!
You can also soak it overnight in milk! We do this for the “steaks” we cut out.
Considering the cost of milk, I hated soaking it in milk. So I did some research and found that if you cook a deer roast in a crockpot and put in lots of celery, it also gets rid of the gamey taste. I tried it and coundn’t tell the difference! It was so good! And celery is cheap!
I grew up in Georgia with some colorful relatives. know this sounds terrible, but my uncle used to help people who hit deer dispose of the meat by taking it home and freezing it. Apparently Alaskans do the same thing elk with elk. Waste not, want not I suppose.
I’ve only had deer hamburgers. Where should I start if I think deer sounds like a good option for my family?
My new favorite venison recipe (albeit a very fattening one) is by the Two Fat Ladies. My mom saw it on their show-
Venison Pastry-
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/venison-pastry-recipe/index.html
Since it’s a meat that is not USDA regulated, it’s illlegal for any butcher to sell deer meat to anyone other than who held the permit to shoot it. Maybe try paying a local hunter to get an extra permit in their name (if you’re not a hunter yourself) and you can reimburse them for the processing, etc.
Ann, if I understand correctly, the butcher is not charging for the meat, just for processing fees…so it comes out to about the same thing as reimbursing a hunter.
Yes, Bethany. You are right- not charging for the meat. Only the processing fees, which is not illegal.
hmmmm, folks better check with their individual state/county game conservation officer ~ to see if it is legal to possess and, if so, if such a kill volume is legal without a permit(and the “use by” date if legal, too). ALSO ~ check on the legality of the charge of processing fee to other than the original hunter. Example on the last one(scroll down to deer processors): http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/huntingregs.html
What may “seem” cheap can mean steep fines.
goes for those picking up kill on highways, too. and if gifting over a certain amount is an issue. If permit is required and/or if an action is illegal, $$$ CHA CHING.
a little background ~ my dad was a state conservation officer overseeing a county and so do know folks with medical needs and other circumstances were granted venison with permits while others paid a price for crossing the line.
Circumspection matters, folks.
🙂
Goes for those considering picking up kill on highways and if gifting over a certain amount is an issue, too. If permit is required and action is illegal, $$$ CHA CHING.
a little background ~ my dad was a state conservation officer overseeing a county for many years so do know folks with medical needs and other circumstances were granted venison with permits while others paid a price for crossing the line.
Circumspection matters, folks.
🙂
sorry for the double post ~ computer issues using a proxy. 🙂
Living in the ‘burbs of So. Flo. I doubt we’re going to encounter any deer.
However, hubby used to work in the meat department of Publix. We discovered that buying whole roasts and cutting our own steaks was much cheaper than buying pre-cut/pre-packed ones. About half the cost! Out of a single roast, we can easily get 30 steaks, plus bits and pieces for stew beef! 🙂
I never thought about doing that before, but it makes sense. Thank you for sharing this tip with us!
What type of roast would you purchase to do this, I am thinking I might be able to find a decent price for different roasts at Sam’s but not sure which roast to buy.
We do this with whole ribeyes, new york strips (both of which can be as low as $3.99/lb when purchased whole, which is super cheap for steak here) and with whole sirloin tip ($1.99-$2.68 lb. in the past year). You can also do this with whole eye of round, and whole pork loins. I also do something similar with rump roast to make a replacement for round steak, which has been a ridiculous price here this year.
We are in micigigan and beef is so high that it is a like a treat to have. Hambuger is 2.79 on sale every blue moon.
Very good tip! And like Melissa said, what kind of roast?
Great idea Ashley…I am also in S. Florida and the Publix meat prices are beyond ridiculous! Thanks for the tip!
I know it is not the exact same thing, but we do something similar with chicken. We buy whole chickens sometimes because it is cheaper than buying the breasts.
Crystal, we buy whole chickens, too. Generally, we either wind up using them for fryers or soup. For some reason, I just can’t let go of Boneless skinless. But I eat chicken in virtually everything. I did find that buying the restaraunt portions from Sam’s was cheaper than buying the pre-cut individual breasts, though. So we do that, and freeze them. I love Sam’s when it comes to meat. We buy the whole pork loin roasts and cut our own chops from there too!
It’s a sirloin roast. We get one at Sam’s every few months or so. It’s a $30 investment, but well worth it when steak night rolls around.
We saved up our money and bought a commercial-grade meat grinder. Now we process our deer ourselves. My husband cuts the meat off the carcass and I clean it up inside by cutting out any fat or other parts you don’t want to eat. It’s something we can do together and it is way cheaper and way cleaner than the stuff you get back from the processor’s. I know exacty what goes into my meat and how well it was cleaned before getting ground up. Deer meat is also really healthy!
Yep!! We managed to put 5 deer in the freezer last year, but it isn’t enough for us to last the whole year. So we have done the same thing- asked our butcher if he had any deer not picked up. He had 8 left the year before, so we are currently waiting to hear if he has any left this year.
You can’t beat the price. Our butcher skins, cleans and grinds our deer for $2.05 a pound. For fresh meat with no fat, no cholesterol, and plenty of protein. Organic eating at its best!!
I’d have never thought of that! What an excellent idea!!
I love deer meat! I grew up in Texas and my family hunted deer (although I don’t like to think about it) and we ate deer meat often. This may gross you out, but it’s good with maple syrup 😉