# meiers game processer in draper?



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Whats the opinion of meiers? If I get my big bull I might pay to have some of it done. I hate paying someone but it's going to be a busy fall for me.


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Thats where I always go. They are a little more expensive, but I like how everything is vacuum sealed rather than just wrapped in butcher paper. The meat lasts alot longer and tastes much better. 

Thompson's out in Erda or Ogden also does a good job


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## Billy Mumphrey (Sep 5, 2012)

+1 to STEVO 

I've always used Clay Meier, the quality is great.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

they are the only ones that get my game. we have been going there for many years.


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## polarbear (Aug 1, 2011)

FWIW I called them recently for pricing. $1.09/lb hanging weight to butcher an elk. Fat added to burger is extra.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Dont take boned out meat to them they will turn you away. Until last year i was a long time loyal customer in fact all my animals since i was a kid went there. But last year i had my wife drop off my boned out elk meat. They helped her unload it and then they noticed it was boned out they turned her away. Didnt even help her load it back into my truck in the rain. Im a thompsons customer now. With that said though their packaging is far better then anywhere. The way they treated my wife was all I needed to move my business somewhere else unfortunately.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

3arabians said:


> Dont take boned out meat to them they will turn you away. Until last year i was a long time loyal customer in fact all my animals since i was a kid went there. But last year i had my wife drop off my boned out elk meat. They helped her unload it and then they noticed it was boned out they turned her away. Didnt even help her load it back into my truck in the rain. Im a thompsons customer now. With that said though their packaging is far better then anywhere. The way they treated my wife was all I needed to move my business somewhere else unfortunately.


seriously? I was going to bone out my elk, that seems kinda crazy.


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## izzydog (Jan 18, 2008)

I've had good luck with Hunsakers in West Valley. Best pepperoni sticks I've ever eaten.


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## hemionus (Aug 23, 2009)

I wouldn't take mine back to Thompsons in Ogden ever again. Maybe you guys have had other experiences but the wrapping was sloppy, loose, and meat has been very dirty.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

utahgolf said:


> 3arabians said:
> 
> 
> > Dont take boned out meat to them they will turn you away. Until last year i was a long time loyal customer in fact all my animals since i was a kid went there. But last year i had my wife drop off my boned out elk meat. They helped her unload it and then they noticed it was boned out they turned her away. Didnt even help her load it back into my truck in the rain. Im a thompsons customer now. With that said though their packaging is far better then anywhere. The way they treated my wife was all I needed to move my business somewhere else unfortunately.
> ...


I know! They used to take boned out before last year as far as I know. The explanation my wife got was that it cost them too much to cut up boned out meat. However, they bone everything out when they package it. Doesnt make sense. But that really wasnt my issue I was pissed they told my wife they wouldnt take it and left her to toat 150lbs of elk meat into the back of my F350 with a lift in the rain. If they would have just helped her load it back in the truck I would still be a loyal customer that just went somewhere else when circumstances made it necessary for me to bone out an animal. Their packaging is by far better than anywhere like I said before. I may get over it at some point and take my business back there because of the quality but it wont be for awhile.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Im assuming they wont take preboned meat because they loose the bone weight.They charge by the hanging weight, bone and all,and @$1.09 per lb. that is alot of cash out of their pockets.-O,-


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

You guys can have Thompsons, they will NEVER see another one of my elk again.


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Fowlmouth said:


> You guys can have Thompsons, they will NEVER see another one of my elk again.


I'd like to hear your experience. Why not? I only took one elk there last year. I thought the packaging was sufficient (no clay meiers for sure) I do find myself picking quite a few elk hairs out of every package I unwrap but their customer service was awesome for the one time I was there. That goes along ways with me.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

For those of you that bone out your meat in the field why even take it to a butcher? You have already done most of the work except for grinding burger and for that you can buy a electric grinder at Cabela's to do that for 1/2 the price that the butcher charges you to cut, grind, and wrap your game meat. You should be able to cut and wrap a elk in a couple of nights after work if it is boned and that way you know what you are getting, and you can do a deer in one night. 

I have cut and wrapped every animal that I have ever shot in the last 40+ years of hunting except for one and after I got that elk back I swore that I would never have someone else do it for me.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

If you guys want the cleanest meat possible,take care of it! If you dont want any hair on it take care of it.I could tell you stories that would make you puke!!_/OWe always took a flame to it first then wiped the hair off as best we could.The real dirty ones were saved until last so they wouldnt contaminate other peoples meat.And by the way the butcher did NOT steal any of your meat,he is going to go home and have spaghetti


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

3arabians said:


> I'd like to hear your experience. Why not? I only took one elk there last year. I thought the packaging was sufficient (no clay meiers for sure) I do find myself picking quite a few elk hairs out of every package I unwrap but their customer service was awesome for the one time I was there. That goes along ways with me.


$254 for two apple boxes of meat. I mean it was an elk for hell sakes. I don't know maybe it shrunk after I dropped it off.:?


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

Woah!! Ya I understand your feelings now. Was it whole or something? That is insane. The boned out meat saved me a bunch of money with them. I was around 90 for my two apple boxes. 

Critter Im buying what your selling man. After last year I have really been thinking about trying it on my own. Never done it before.


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## gunner76 (Apr 11, 2010)

Whatever you do,don't take any Devine meat it. They charge double and it gets expensive as hell. I made that mistake once and never again. I cut it up myself.


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## gunner76 (Apr 11, 2010)

I mean deboned meat..


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

gunner76 said:


> Whatever you do,don't take any Devine meat it. They charge double and it gets expensive as hell. I made that mistake once and never again. I cut it up myself.


Are you talking about clays or thompsons? I was out the door for less than 90 bucks. I brought in about 140 lbs of boned out meat. I told the guy my story about clays and he shook his head in disbelief and told me i made his job way easier and my elk was going in front of a bunch of whole ones hung up and i would have it back in two weeks. It actually took a month but i wasn't whining.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

3arabians said:


> Woah!! Ya I understand your feelings now. Was it whole or something? That is insane. The boned out meat saved me a bunch of money with them. I was around 90 for my two apple boxes.
> 
> Critter Im buying what your selling man. After last year I have really been thinking about trying it on my own. Never done it before.


If you can use a knife and have a cutting board you can cut up meat.

If it is boned cut the backstraps as thick as you want them I usually cut mine 1/2"-3/4" thick. If you boned out the hams then you are ready to cut round steaks. Just remember to cut against the grain of the meat. If you want large round steaks you can do it that way or you can separate each muscle group into it's own piece of meat. As you cut throw all the scrap pieces into a bucket to grind up. If you want a roast out of the hams then cut it into 2" thick roast or however thick you want them. For burger I like to grind the meat one time then add ground beef fat and mix it up. You can pick up beef fat from the grocery store, just talk to the butcher and tell him or her what you need.

Now if you have the bone still in you can leave it but then you just need to understand the cuts of meat which you can find on the internet.

Wrapping you can get as fancy as you want. You can use a vacuum sealer for all of it or just wrap it in freezer wrap. I like to separate each steak with a piece of Saran Wrap and then prewrap it in Saran Wrap before I wrap in in freezer paper. Then label it with year, what it is and then throw it into the freezer to enjoy later.

I'm sure that there are video's of how to cut meat on YouTube if you wanted to watch one or two.


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## Canyoncrosser (May 26, 2015)

Is anyone know of a good processor near Nephi? I have a Nebo elk tag this Sept and I ain't from round those parts.


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## RoosterKiller (May 27, 2011)

Gary's meats in Payson does a nice pob. I take boned out game to him and he never minded.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I'll never take anything to a butcher again. Its like throwing money in a hole. The meat is always gamey tasting. They never remove the fat. It always has hair and silver skin. Yuk! I'm never even sure you get your own meat back. 

Doing your own is the way to go! I'll cut stakes out of back straps. Cut a few roasts, bottle or burger the rest. Every year I didn't pay for the meat cutters service I bought meat grinders, vaccume sealears, smokers, hamburger pattie makers, ect. This year I'll get a good meat slicer and be done.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

swbuckmaster said:


> I'll never take anything to a butcher again. Its like throwing money in a hole. The meat is always gamey tasting. They never remove the fat. It always has hair and silver skin. Yuk! I'm never even sure you get your own meat back.
> 
> Doing your own is the way to go! I'll cut stakes out of back straps. Cut a few roasts, bottle or burger the rest. Every year I didn't pay for the meat cutters service I bought meat grinders, vaccume sealears, smokers, hamburger pattie makers, ect. This year I'll get a good meat slicer and be done.


I'm with swbuckmaster. 
I honestly don't know the names of the cuts of meat or all that fancy stuff. I just butterfly the backstraps and cut the bigger muscles into steaks. The smaller muscles and scraps are turned into cubes for stew or canning and the rest into burger.
There are times when I take animals to a butcher just because I'm tired of cutting mine up and helping everyone else that year. I need a break some times.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I've used both Hunsaker and Meier's. I pay more at Meier's but the quality is good and I prefer the vacuum sealer packaging to the paper wrap. My Elk cost me about $150 but it was skinned and quartered. My sons deer cost more for the same treatment but I had a lot of jerky made.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

here are a bunch of guides to cutting your ownImages for deer meat cutting chart Shows where the cuts come from etc,


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## BigT (Mar 11, 2011)

I didn't want to knock Thompsons, but I wouldn't take game there. I know for a fact you don't get your own deer back.

The last deer I took to them was a heavy mature buck, cost me $100 and I got a paper sack back that was 3/4 full. I take care of my game! When I dropped my deer off, they hung it at the door and when we were hooking it up I noticed several employees cutting deer up and throwing into the same hopper or larger wheel. 

I have a guy that works at Tooele Valley Meats, has been in the industry his whole career that has a great set-up on his property in Erda. About 3 minutes west of Thompsons. He's got a couple commercial freezers, and does one animal at a time so you know your getting your game back. He can do EVERYTHING you could ever want and its the best taste I've gotten back. Takes it boned out, or the carcass. Doesn't vacuum pack your steaks or roasts, but it's good stuff none the less. I would be happy to give you his number if anyone would like. Just send a PM.


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I sooooo want to start butchering my own animals. To be honest, I'm a little intimidated by it.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Vanilla said:


> I sooooo want to start butchering my own animals. To be honest, I'm a little intimidated by it.


There is nothing to be intimidated about. Just start cutting, if nothing else you can turn the whole animal into burger.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Elk Hunter magazine did a great series on butchering an entire elk about a year or year and a half back. It was a great read and helped me know WHAT I was cutting up. I had done my own animals for years prior to that but just cut steaks out of the straps and hamburgered or jerkied the rest withe a raost or twould for good measure. The meat was always good BUT I think it's been even better knowing what is being cut and wrapped.

Your biggest priority is to keep the meat clean and to remove as much of the fat, grissle, and silver skin as possible. I probably go too far on this, but the meat I process is pretty dang good 98% of the time, so it's worth it to me.

Don't be intimidated by it. It's already dead. The first couple may be awkward but after that you'll be an old pro!


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

Back when I used to bring my animals to a butcher I used to use Clay Meiers. Those guys donate a lot of meat and they do their part to support sportsman. Fortunately I have found great pleasure in butchering and wrapping my own game and it has definitely contributed to more of the experience. Quality sky rockets when you are caring for your own meat from sagebrush to the table.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Anymore I just get my wife and kids to help me cut and wrap. It takes us a couple of nights to process an elk, and one night to do a deer. I'm no pro at it, but at least I know who to blame when I find a hair.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Vanilla said:


> I sooooo want to start butchering my own animals. To be honest, I'm a little intimidated by it.


Sounds like it is time for a UWN class at Dunkem's shop ........:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen: :EAT::EAT::EAT:


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## BYUHunter (Oct 7, 2013)

I have taken many game animals to Meier's over the last 25 years and have noticed a steady decline in their customer service, quality, and the competitiveness of their prices. 

My first gripe is they have taken to doing their own very lousy taxidermy (I won't get started on that can of worms), and harass each customer asking if they want taxidermy (Even asked me this for a spike elk. Seriously?)

My biggest gripe with Clay's is their prices, and the amount of meat I get back. The last two cow elk I have taken in weighed close to 400 gutted. Each one ran me close to $350 for just a basic hamburger/roasts/steak order (no jerky or other extras). My last deer I took to them dressed about 150 and they charged me just shy of $200. After these recent price hikes, and a lot of general rudeness after being a customer for as long as I can remember, I have started processing my own game.


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

butchering is soooooo easy. step 1. cut out the loins in one long strap, slice into steaks. step 2. take the hind quarter and cut the biggest piece of meat from just above the knee to the hip off in one giant piece... easy to do, simply slice along the leg bone and peel off. now, slice this across the grain into roasts about 2 inchs thick. step 3. cut around the hip bone and make some smaller roasts. step 4 - hopefully you have the tenderloins already cooked and eaten. step 5 - everything else is hamburger or jerky - front quarters, neck, etc. 
done.
i never do the ribs as the potential for contamination is high with a bullet or several cracking ribs, etc.
dont be intimidated. just do it. after a couple of times it will be like clockwork.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

I've had great luck with Carson's in American Fork. They have never disappointed me in their quality, the amount I get back, or the time it takes. Clean, honest people who have been cutting for as long as I can remember. 

I cut my own deer and lopes, but elk and moose are too much for me to handle in the Fall. I liked SWs idea of buying equipment with the savings. Just wish I had the time.


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

Packout said:


> I cut my own deer and lopes, but elk and moose are too much for me to handle in the Fall. I liked SWs idea of buying equipment with the savings. Just wish I had the time.


This is my dilemma this fall. I have done my own always and even cut up my friends bull for him while he mostly watched and complained about silver skin and complained how he hates cutting up animals... But I will do my deer like usual this year but a big ole stinky bull elk I just can't have sitting around in game sacks until I have time to cut it all up.... Eventually I'll buy a grinder and all that and learn to turn all that meat into nice burger and sausage.


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## Caddis-n-Cutts (Sep 28, 2007)

Fowlmouth said:


> Anymore I just get my wife and kids to help me cut and wrap. It takes us a couple of nights to process an elk, and one night to do a deer. I'm no pro at it, but at least I know who to blame when I find a hair.


.
The wife and kids... right? LOL

.


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## Grey ghost (Jun 19, 2013)

What grinder do you guys use that process your own meat?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Grey ghost said:


> What grinder do you guys use that process your own meat?


I have been using a #32 meat grinder for longer than I want to think. It is a manual grinder and will go through over 100 pounds in a hour but your arm gets a workout.

I have thought about putting a pulley wheel and a motor on it ever since I bought it but never have. I even broke it out Saturday night to grind some old deer round steaks to make some jerky. It went through 10 pounds of meat in about 3 minutes.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

One other item that I think makes a difference if you cut up your own meat is to buy your own vacuum sealer. They actually are fairly inexpensive and work well for frozen fruits and vegetables, poultry on sale at the store, fish, as well as cut up game. We usually eat our game fairly quickly, but I've found a package or two of deer meat from a couple years back hidden in the back of the freezer and it still tastes great if its vacuum sealed.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

Butchering your own deer is easy; it's just time consuming. Before I did my first deer I did a good amount of research on how to do it. This site was most helpful for me. I looked through the butchering and deboning tabs several times before the hunt and once after I had the deer back to my apartment before starting the cutting. One deviation I have from his method is, I leave the shanks on the bone and braise them. They're super good that way.

I use a #10 manual meat grinder that I got at Cabela's when I first started and still use it now because I'm too cheap to buy a motorized one. It works fine for me, but I only grind in smallish batches. I don't like grinding all my meat at once and freezing it. Instead I package it in 4-5 pound portions and grind as I run out. Cubed meat seems to keep longer than burger to me; I've eaten cubes or roasts that got stuck in the back of the freezer 2 years later that tasted fine, but it seems like any burger left over 6-8 months has an off taste. Probably all in my head though.

I package in plastic coated butcher paper. I've never had a piece freezer burn on me. I wrap tight and wrap twice. I did recently get a vacuum sealer though, so hopefully I'll see how that works out this year.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

One thing that you will find with a vacuum sealer is that they don't like blood, water, or other liquids. So if your meat is extra bloody or when you start to seal a piece of meat and you see liquids running out of it just put the meat into the freezer for a while and let it start to freeze before you go to seal it.


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

one thing that has greatley reduced the time and hassle is the use of a propane torch with a flame diffuser. a tip that spreads the flame instead of concentrating it. while the carcass is hangin or quarters or whatever, simply take the torch and lightly flame over the exposed surface - immediately all hairs are reduced to basically nothing. makes the rest of the job a bit easier...


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Critter said:


> One thing that you will find with a vacuum sealer is that they don't like blood, water, or other liquids. So if your meat is extra bloody or when you start to seal a piece of meat and you see liquids running out of it just put the meat into the freezer for a while and let it start to freeze before you go to seal it.


This is true. Also, when I do burger or sausage, the same thing occurs.

A trick my wife came up with to alleviate the problem is to place a strip of paper towel between the meat and the open end of the sealer bag. When the vacuum sealer starts to suck the air out, it sucks the juices into the paper towel, where it is absorbed before getting sucked into the sealer.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Catherder said:


> This is true. Also, when I do burger or sausage, the same thing occurs.
> 
> A trick my wife came up with to alleviate the problem is to place a strip of paper towel between the meat and the open end of the sealer bag. When the vacuum sealer starts to suck the air out, it sucks the juices into the paper towel, where it is absorbed before getting sucked into the sealer.


I only really bother to break out the vac sealer with fish, and the process that I learned working in restaurant is this:

Start by placing the meat in the freezer for a few hours unwrapped. The ideal stage is where it starts to be "crispy" but not entirely frozen. Then place it in the vac bag and seal. You get an awesome, tight seal, and no troubles with blood/water interfering with the seal edge.


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

Carsons has always been great. I took one to Ford's in provo when Carsons was overwhelmed and I needed it quick. I'd recommend either of them.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

johnnycake said:


> I only really bother to break out the vac sealer with fish, and the process that I learned working in restaurant is this:
> 
> Start by placing the meat in the freezer for a few hours unwrapped. The ideal stage is where it starts to be "crispy" but not entirely frozen. Then place it in the vac bag and seal. You get an awesome, tight seal, and no troubles with blood/water interfering with the seal edge.


I do this with fresh sausage. It keeps the sealer from smashing them and pushing the sausage out of the casing.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

johnnycake said:


> I only really bother to break out the vac sealer with fish,
> 
> 
> > Yeah, it makes all the difference in the world with fish. Fresh caught flavor for several months with vacuum sealing vs Yuck _/O after a few weeks with regular freezing.


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## mjensen1313 (Jul 29, 2015)

*Process it yourself*

I know the feeling of thinking it will overwhelm you to process your own. got my first muley last year. Called up my bro that is still yet to get anything, we just pulled it out of the fridge and went to work cutting. Absolute best deer I have EVER had! We kept it clean, and worked as fast as two newbies could.

I grew up with Clay's son David and absolutely love their jerky, but after butchering my own I don't think I would ever pay for someone to do an animal for me. Now I just need to find a couple great jerky recipes to try out...


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

I forgot to mention to be sure and pick up some of their version of powerbait called Predator; it works pretty well. Nastiest smelling stuff around, which makes it work well.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Grey ghost said:


> What grinder do you guys use that process your own meat?


Goob has a review on the $100 grinder in the recipe section that you mind to be helpful.


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## Grey ghost (Jun 19, 2013)

Thanks Huge!


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Grey ghost said:


> Thanks Huge!


Here it is, I meant to paste it previously but forgot. http://utahwildlife.net/forum/26-recipes/30250-100-meat-grinder-review.html That is a little dated, maybe he can offer an update how it is holding up after another season of use.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Wow,good or bad Clay is getting a lot of free advertising from this!!


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