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  #1  
Old 11-20-2017, 11:16 PM
Joezam18 Joezam18 is offline
 
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Default Butcher etiquette

I shot my first deer this year! It was just a little doe that I cut and wrapped in the garage myself. I have 12 pounds of trim left over that I am going to drop off at the local butcher shop. I want some spicy pepperoni, my daughter won't eat it though and wants something mild. My wife wants some ground meat. I'm already thinking that making pepperoni with just 12 pounds of trim is going to be a pain in the butt for the butcher, and I'm not really willing to split the order up, like into 6 pounds of spicy and 6 pounds of mild, or even worse, 4 pounds of spicy, 4 pounds of mild, and 4 pounds ground with some pork in it.

I've never done this before, had limited interactions with butchers, so I just thought I'd ask here and see what people think about what size orders are too small to ask of a butcher.

Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 11-20-2017, 11:24 PM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Some places want minimum 20 lbs of trim while others will do pepperoni with 10 pounds. I’m not sure if you’ll find anyone that’ll make pepperoni in 4 pound batches. I guess if you want to add 6 pounds of pork to 4 pounds of deer they’d do it. Expensive pepperoni though!

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  #3  
Old 11-20-2017, 11:41 PM
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^ agreed.
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  #4  
Old 11-20-2017, 11:44 PM
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The Flint&Fly Guy The Flint&Fly Guy is offline
 
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I think 10lb min. Is fairly common, personally for me it's a 5lb min. But much prefer at least 10. By leaving it in one bunch you'll make him happier.
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Old 11-21-2017, 12:29 AM
HunterDave HunterDave is offline
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Congrats on your first deer btw.

As an afterthought, you could always throw in some packs of stewing meat or steak to get your weight up.
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  #6  
Old 11-21-2017, 05:54 AM
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Your best bet is to talk it over with your butcher.
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  #7  
Old 11-21-2017, 05:55 AM
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58thecat 58thecat is offline
 
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You may wait a bit so when he does your order he can get others done too, a good butcher will provide the service because they know you will be back for other future purchases, if the butcher doesn't then don't go to them ever.
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  #8  
Old 11-21-2017, 07:58 AM
2 Tollers 2 Tollers is offline
 
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The stores we deal with have 10 or 20 lb minimum's

A suggestion would be to grind it yourself. 12 lbs is not much meat and a hand grinder from Princess Auto is not very expensive. Grinding 12 lbs with a hand grinder will not take much time. When I first started doing my own I used a hand grinder for deer and moose.

Grind it and separate into the weights that you want. Go to your favorite sporting goods store and buy a mix for pepperoni (high country or Cabela's --- I like Cabela's pepper mix -- it is pre-mixed for 5 lbs of meat). Once 5lbs are mixed I split it and keep 1/2 for my wife as is and add 1 tablespoon of spicy pepper to the other half to kick up the heat a bit for me.

For the ground you should try some without adding pork or beef burger --- while it has less fat it is great this way for spaghetti or lasagna. Freezing with pork it can get an off taste if frozen for a long period.
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  #9  
Old 11-21-2017, 08:14 AM
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For most sausages you need to add some fat to the mix or it will be dry. To accomplish this most butchers add pork or beef to get at least a 60/40 mix ( 60 %wild game to 40% pork or beef). If you do a 60/40 mix with your 12 pounds of deer you will get 20 pounds of meat. Doing this you should be able to get a butcher to make 10 pounds of spicy and 10 pounds of mild.
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  #10  
Old 11-21-2017, 08:41 AM
Joe Black Joe Black is offline
 
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for the op. it is my opinion that taking in that amount of meat, this time of year, a butcher will not spilt it up with so many options. most shops have 20-25lb minimum of each type of product. If he does agree, i'll warn you that you probably will not get your own meat back. if you are ok with that, fill your boots.

another option is freeze it and wait till jan-feb. they slow down and may do it(and you should get your own meat back)
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  #11  
Old 11-21-2017, 09:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Black View Post
another option is freeze it and wait till jan-feb. they slow down and may do it(and you should get your own meat back)
This is what I like to do. Leave the trim in your freezer til sometime into the new year when things get quieter in the butcher shop. Also, congrats on your first deer & cutting it yourself!
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  #12  
Old 11-21-2017, 11:22 AM
bb356 bb356 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slopeshunter View Post
this is what i like to do. Leave the trim in your freezer til sometime into the new year when things get quieter in the butcher shop. Also, congrats on your first deer & cutting it yourself!
x307 !!!
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  #13  
Old 11-21-2017, 11:43 AM
boomer boomer is offline
 
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Default Pepperoni

Hey joezam where are you located. I live in Sylvan Lake.will do it for you no charge. after hunting season is over
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  #14  
Old 11-21-2017, 02:24 PM
Ronji Ronji is offline
 
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Default Butcher

We have found that if you take your meat in March or April, you are guaranteed that you will only get your meet. You will not get meat from anybody else mixed in. Take meat in now, and the butchers will combine meat from other hunters to get a full mix. Often that meat is not cleaned as well either.

This happened to us, a long time ago. (Shop to remain nameless) as the meat we took in was completely clean, no hair, no grass, leaves etc. We received sausage that looked like it was processed in a barber shop.
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  #15  
Old 11-21-2017, 03:32 PM
muzzy muzzy is offline
 
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The butchers Ive taken meat to minimum was 20 or 25 pounds
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  #16  
Old 11-21-2017, 04:55 PM
35 whelen 35 whelen is offline
 
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Most butchers are 25 lb minimum batch

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  #17  
Old 11-21-2017, 06:11 PM
TylerThomson TylerThomson is offline
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Minimum here is 40lbs per order.
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  #18  
Old 11-21-2017, 06:59 PM
Joezam18 Joezam18 is offline
 
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Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I will probably cool my jets for a while and either make my own pepperoni/ ground meat, or I will take it in in the new year. Just to add to the discussion, The minimum limit for an order here in Olds is 10 lbs.

I also have a few goose breasts and the deer hearts in my freezer, so It's possible I could get my batch up to 20 lbs to split the order up. But I would do this in the new year, when the butcher is less busy to make sure I get my own meat back, and that I'm not inconveniencing him.

After lurking for a year on AB Forum, I finally posted something, thanks for the positive responses!
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  #19  
Old 11-21-2017, 07:03 PM
2 Tollers 2 Tollers is offline
 
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You will want to keep the goose breast separate from the deer. Very different texture and taste even when ground. I grind my geese and use a jerky gun to make flat jerky sticks.

If I put the deer heart into the ground mix my wife would likely chop me into little pieces as one of her favorite meals is thin sliced, pan fried deer heart.
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  #20  
Old 11-22-2017, 01:44 PM
MinMoose MinMoose is offline
 
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Default enoteca calle

I understand why you would want to bring your meat into a butcher for pepperoni, but as far as getting ground meat goes....wait for a sale at Cabelas and buy yourself a decent 3/4 or 1 HP grinder. They work really well, and the last time calculated it, it would pay for itself after about 3-4 animals. Wish someone had given me the same advice 25 years ago.
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  #21  
Old 11-22-2017, 02:16 PM
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Stinky Buffalo Stinky Buffalo is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2 Tollers View Post
I grind my geese and use a jerky gun to make flat jerky sticks.
I know this is a bit off-topic, but would that work with moose as well? I have a pile of moose hamburger that I would love to turn into jerky sticks in my smoker... Would I have to re-grind it etc.?
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  #22  
Old 11-22-2017, 04:49 PM
35 whelen 35 whelen is offline
 
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You bet get a jerky gun

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