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The Basics - Butchery

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The Basics - Butchery

Postby Huntrgathr » 10 14, 2015 •  [Post 1]

It's going to take me a few posts to get all the info posted up so the thread may appear incomplete for awhile... Please hold questions until the end :)

As with many things, knowing the basics and choosing the right equipment , or tools, for the job is the key to starting off right with butchery. Starting with the wrong knife, or a dull knife will yield poor results and take much longer to complete the task. If you've tried cutting up an elk or deer with the wrong knife you've probably given up on cutting your own meat long ago because it is WAY more difficult when you have the wrong knife. So, here's a quick rundown on what I use to butcher animals at home :

The Right Knife
For breaking the carcass and boning out the quarters , a semi-stiff or stiff ( this is how they are classified and sold) 5-7" BONING KNIFE works best. There are all kinds of variations on the theme and you can spend from about $30 up to $130+. A quick google search for " boning knife images" will give you a good idea of what's out there. Although boning knives look very similar to filet knives, don't try to use a filet knnife because they're not stiff enough. Since boning knives are almost constantly getting sharpened and abused, I prefer the cheaper " stamp blade" knives like this Forschner.
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They're stamped from a sheet of steel rather than forged. They're also typically made from softer steel which makes them easier to sharpen, although they will lose their edge faster than a forged knife. Starting with a sharp knife is absolutely critical ( obviously ). I'm not going to go into stone sharpening here because there are so many different techniques, stones, etc. but there are tons of videos on the web about how to do this. A dull knife requires more pressure to cut, which makes it much more likely that you will slip when applying that extra pressure and cut yourself. The important thing to know is that you need to focus on sharpening the tip and first half of the knife since that's the part you'll use for most of the work. I use a different technique for sharpening boning knives than I do for other knives because of this . You can pick up a Norton combo stone like the one in the pics for under $30 and it works well for sharpening broadheads too. The Japanese "water stones" are excellent but get your sharpening technique dialed in before you drop the coin for them.
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To keep my knife sharp during cutting, I keep a traditional knife steel and also a diamond steel on hand. The "steel" doesn't actually sharpen the blade but is used to hone it, or keep the edge straight. After some cutting the edge starts to roll over and it needs to be stood back up. It can also develop tiny burrs that need to be removed. I'll do this every 10-15 min while cutting, making about 10 alternating passes on each side (Use light pressure) and then using a finger to check for straightness. You can feel if the edge is still rolled one way or the other and adjust it with the steel.
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After awhile, the steel will not be able to maintain the edge and you'll need to touch it up. Rather than going back to the stone, I like to use a diamond steel like the one pictured below to resharpen the edge. If you've waited to long you'll have to go back to the stone but it's possible, if you started with a good edge to cut a whole elk without having to go back to the stone. Use med pressure and keep taking passes until the knife feels sharp again.

Diamond Steel

The Cutting Surface and Sanitation

This stuff is kind of boring and seems unimportant but I can promise you it's key info. Get a BIG cutting board ( mine is about 2x3 feet). This will make your life easier. Plastic or wood work equally well. Put a moist hand towel under the cutting board to keep it from sliding around. Also use a solid table or counter, not a rickety folding table. You won't believe how big of a difference this makes. It's tough to cut well when everything's sliding all over the place. You're also more likely to cut yourself.

Avoid cross-contamination ! Meat that gets dragged out of the woods is covered in bacteria. Some pieces more than others. For this reason, I keep a small bucket of bleach water solution close by and constantly wipe my knife, board and table throughout the process to stop the spread of bacteria. It's VERY important to choose the right bleach and use it in the right concentration. For sanitizing equipment use a solution of 200ppm ( roughly 1 Tablespoon per gallon). More is NOT better in this case. Don't use "laundry bleach" as it often has fragrances, thickeners, etc.
Here's a link if you want to learn a little more about that - http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/26437.pdf
Wash your hands frequently during cutting and have clean, sanitized containers to put the "cleaned" meat in. I like to use two cutting boards when cutting quarters. One for the initial peeling of the dried skin on the outside (the pellicle) since it's the dirtiest and one that I only cut peeled meat on.
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Re: The Basics - Butchery

Postby pointysticks » 12 04, 2015 •  [Post 2]

Wow!!!

Good basics. We gonna talk meat hooks? Some guys are so fast w hooks
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