One of the most noteworthy benefits of a successful hunting excursion is the ability to bring home fresh cuts of the most natural and organic meat available. Of course, getting it from the field to your freezer often requires some specialized equipment and tools or at least the space necessary for some messy work. Finding a professional to process your game meat is an easy way to simplify the matter, but there are important things to look for in order to ensure the safest handling possible.
Where to Start Your Search
Whether you're new to hunting as a source of meat, or simply accustomed to processing it yourself, finding a reliable game butcher means knowing where to look. Start by contacting local taxidermists, as many of them will process whole carcasses during the course of their work. Some offer game processing services as well, and even those who don't will likely be able to refer you to someone who does.
Another great resource to look at is specialty butcher shops, especially those that focus on hard to find or exotic meat. You may end up paying a premium price for their skill, but their facilities and skills are hard to find anywhere else. You can also look for local and regional meat processing facilities, but these are few and far between due to the FDA regulations imposed on industrial meat processing plants.
Warning Signs to Watch For
Avoid any facility that doesn't have a dedicated space for processing a carcass, though the best will have a space set aside specifically for game meat. Processing facilities should also have the distinct scent of antiseptic cleaners or some other sign of industrialized sterilization. Bleach is common, but so is steam cleaning equipment, and you wouldn't be out of place to ask to see the tools used to sterilize the facility between uses.
Any lingering smell of blood or decay, signs of recent butchering, or improper storage of tools should all be red flags for anyone hoping to process game into usable portions. Make sure to also avoid facilities that aren't willing to let you oversee the process personally. Though you may not be allowed on the slaughtering floor directly, many facilities have glass partitions or other means of observing the process.
Eating what you hunt helps connect you to the land and allows you to provide food for your table in a way that supermarkets can't match. However, a certain level of skepticism and caution are healthy and can help you avoid taking home meat that you might otherwise pass up.
For wild game processing, contact a company such as Custom Butcher & Smokehouse.
Share22 March 2016
My favorite part of every meal is dessert. Whenever I have time, I enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, brownies, and an assortment of 3 layer cakes. Unfortunately, family and job responsibilities prevent me from baking sweet treats as much as I would like to do so. Thankfully, I now have a piece of kitchen equipment that makes the task of preparing tasty desserts much easier. My sister-in-law gave me a mini cake maker for Christmas last year. This ingenious item allows me to bake several small cakes in less than 10 minutes. Now, my family can enjoy a different homemade dessert every night of the week. On this blog, you will discover the benefits of investing in a mini cake maker.