Have you replaced beef with venision? Or would you?

[j-bird]

I don't raise my own but we get our steaks from the local locker (same place I take my deer) so we are supporting the locals and not the wal-mart's of the world. Pretty easy to get a beef or hog in my area. At the close of the county fair the local family owned market buys the "leftover" fair cows and then makes them available to everyone and they go quick as well. Again trying to keep it local.

I take for our household on average 3 deer a year. As the kids get older we go thru it quicker. My father looks at me with disgust if I show up for family gatherings without the summer sausage, cheese and crackers. He doesn't share well either!

 

[Reagan]

My family of four can get by an entire year on 3-4 deer. Four gives us more than enough 3 gets us by. I haven't purchased much beef in 8-10 years.

This year I did not kill a deer. My daughter killed one and we miss the venison very much. I purchased ribeyes and my daughters didn't like them. They want more deer! Fixed beef burgers tonight and the are just OK. I plan to shoot more does this year but unsuccessful elk hunting and work cut into my deer killing last season. Barely saw any deer during the late season when I had more time to hunt. Weather was either too windy, too warm or too rainy.

I've been researching sources for grass fed beef. It sounds like it is more lean and venison like. That might be the only way we get through the year

 

[sandbur]

Have you guys in the Midwest noticed a difference in ground hamburg over the past year or two? Here in New England the hamburg has changed. The fat and taste is much different that a couple years ago. They're putting very little fat in now compared to a few years ago. A lot more water and other liquids. Now most of the local stores do not make up their hamburg any more. Brought in bulk.

Due to complaints from consumers they have changed the process of meat recovery from carcasses. This might have caused the change you have noticed. We are now losing about 5 pounds of burger per carcass.

My family prefers venison in most cases. We like younger deer for the table, but my wife's 2.5 year old was good. Northwoods, I prefer a 1.5 year old.

 

[SD51555]

Have you guys in the Midwest noticed a difference in ground hamburg over the past year or two? Here in New England the hamburg has changed. The fat and taste is much different that a couple years ago. They're putting very little fat in now compared to a few years ago. A lot more water and other liquids. Now most of the local stores do not make up their hamburg any more. Brought in bulk.

Wouldn't know. We've got cattle in the family as well. Periodically I've bought a pound here and there, but for the most part it's all had a name and I've likely pet it on the head before I grilled it. One stark difference I see is that the store bought burger looked like paste, where our homegrown stuff looked like ground meat.

 

[j-bird]

My locker adds beef talo to the venison burger but it's still a lot leaner than ground beef at the store - I hate beef burgers on the grill with all the fat and grease to contend with. Even just browning it in a pan - you don't strain off near as much if at all when using venison burger.

Just an odd question here - would you be willing to hunt out of state for antlerless deer for the freezer?

 

[wiscwhip]

Just an odd question here - would you be willing to hunt out of state for antlerless deer for the freezer?

I actually have j-bird. The first time I went out to WY to hunt with my little brother all I had was a mulie doe tag. Filled it on the last day we hunted. Butchered it that evening and left in the morning with a cooler of boned meat.

 

[sandbur]

I actually have j-bird. The first time I went out to WY to hunt with my little brother all I had was a mulie doe tag. Filled it on the last day we hunted. Butchered it that evening and left in the morning with a cooler of boned meat.

My family did that for years in Montana. I hope Montana manages their doe tags better than Minnesota has done.

 

[wiscwhip]

My family did that for years in Montana. I hope Montana manages their doe tags better than Minnesota has done.

I only did it that one time, and it was more because it was a spur of the moment, 4 day trip and I didn't have a tag for a buck and didn't want to dole out $300+ dollars for an over-the-counter General Mule Deer tag for my first trip out there and end up not seeing a buck and shooting a doe anyway. The doe only tag was like $42, IIRC.

 

[SD51555]

I've tried penciling out a salmon trip the same way. Not so much to break even, but to cushion the cost considerations.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

The small country butcher shop I use to have my venison ground into burger is a family of hunters. They add a little beef tallow to the venison to put a little juice into it. Not much - but they know just the right amount to give me a nice, lean burger that's not dry. They usually grind a little beef into it and double mix it and it's the best burger I've ever eaten. I guess being hunters, they have it down to a science on the mix ratio. Very lean - very tasty. We use it ( mainly ) in chili, tacos & burritos, and my own recipe for BBQ sandwiches.

Buffalo and moose - GREAT eating !!!

 

[John-W-WI]

Buffalo and moose - GREAT eating !!!

I shot a moose 10+ years ago on a fly in trip... That was the best red meat I've ever had, hands down. I love a venison steak, and can tell a good ribeye before I cut into it. Moose meat rocks!

-John

 

[dipper]

Venison is our red meat for health reasons, until we eat Cwd deer, which is bound to happen.when prepared properly, I can't tell the difference between the 8 year old doe I shot and a fawn. Cut thin and tenderize, don't over cook.
We eat our own raised chicken and pork which is my vice.
Gotta love it, they are getting so cheap they can't add fat a tallow to their hamburger, gotta love America. I'll take my ground vennie over this insanely priced garbage! Don't forget the cellulose that's in it too. Hahaha

 

[Turkey Creek]

We live in cattle country so it is pretty much a mainstay in most peoples diets. With that said I would gladly trade a elk roast for a beef roast any day of the week.

 

[UP Powers]

I cooked up two pounds of 85% hamburg last night for lasagna. After i removed the meat I let the pan sit to see how much fat was in it. I bet there was less than a tablespoon full of fat. The rest was sone sort of liquid.

Matters what kind of meat it was and how it was processed. LFTB sometimes produces a tad bit more liquid and also most commercial ground beef found in run of the mill super markets use AMR processing. Plus most commercial meat has organ meat in it and the water retention in those products are a little higher. Most chicken you buy is pumped and you are paying for any solution that is added at the per pound price of the chicken. Hence why I NEVER buy pumped chicken or pork!

To answer the question.. There are some great cuts of beef out there and also some great quality beef. Being in the food business for a long time you can appreciate a very good steak. There are a few commercial suppliers whose beef in my opinion is some of the best in the business. I think Nolan Ryan Farms (yes the baseball player) has some of the best beef in North America, Joyce Farms in NC has spectacular grass fed beef that is in the Never/Ever category, Knee Deep Cattle in Oregon is another great beef company in the Never/Ever category. I would encourage anyone to look at local producers that sell beef.

In my opinion when someone walks up to a meat counter at a big box grocery store and pays 9.99 for beef tenderloin that is literally splayed out with zero texture or density they think they are buying a Filet. When they walk up to a REAL LOCAL meat counter and see the tenderloin is 19.99 a pound people ask well they have it at the local big box grocery store at 9.99. The one you are looking at in the meat case is REAL tenderloin from a REAL beef cow raised for REAL beef production and it's never pumped! It stands tall, its firm, it has rich color, and the flavor will knock your socks off. So, give me a NY Strip Prime, Grass Fed, Never/Ever, cooked on my pellet grill to M/R with a baked potato and a salad. Very happy. I love Venison, but I also love beef. The old saying goes you get what you pay for...

I remember my college professor telling me get to know three people in your life. Your Mechanic, accountant, and your butcher because any one of three can take your money and you would never know it!!!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

What is " Never/Ever " UP ?? No hormones, no antibiotics ??

 

[Steve Bartylla]

We very rarely buy hamburger. On most of the deer I keep, I save the straps & TLs. All the rest I freeze to grind when running low...Nothing added, just prime venison ground into "burger." That said, I've eaten all sorts of venison cooked by many people over the years and none of it can top a properly prepared, quality beef steak...not even close, in my book.

The only wild meat I've ever had that was comparable has been some moose steaks I've had over the years. I don't know enough about moose meat to know why, if it was the cut, the way it was prepared or something completely different, but some moose steaks I've had were every bit as good as the best beef steak I've had and some others weren't very good. On a beef steak, I can point to why it wasn't good. I just don't know enough about moose meat to say why some wasn't very good.....but the top stuff is almost obscenely good.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

I sure wouldn't argue with that, Stu. I'm EXTREMELY picky when it comes to beef steaks (and BBQed baby backs). I'm pretty easy going in most everything not deer related in life, but am a flat out steak (and BBQed baby backs) snob. I have very particular tastes on how they must be prepared. Two huge pet peeves of mine are how 98% of the top end steak houses believe medium somehow = medium rare and they try to drown bad cuts of steak in fancy sauces to hide that they are bad cuts. I agree that "a "really good" venison steak is better than an "average" beef steak"...and buying steak at Walmart....That should be considered the 8th deadly sin.

 

[tooln]

Walmart and steaks shouldn't be used in the same sentence.

 

[dipper]

I just got done with salmon we caught early in the week, one of my new favs. It's gonna be a good year on the lake.

 

[UP Powers]

What is " Never/Ever " UP ?? No hormones, no antibiotics ??

There are generally three types of beef commercially available for consumption. The largest percentage is the animal is treated with hormones and antibiotics. The next category is Natural and some call horomone and antibiotic free where as the animal is weaned at 120 days of hormones and antibiotics. The last category is the animal has Never/Ever had hormones or antibiotics throughout the entire life of the animal.

Then you add sub segments to each category. Grass Fed, Non GMO, Certified Humane, GAP certified, Locally produced, and etc. Most of my favorite steaks come from Grass fed and Never/Ever beef. I am NOT a freak on the hormones and antibiotics being in the beef. But, my choice is about getting it out of the system. The last stat I heard is that 71% of all antibiotics used in the world are used on farm animals, that kinda freaked me out. And you wonder why we have a antibiotic resistant strains of viruses out there???

My own personal rant... McDonalds announced late last year that they were removing antibiotics from it's chicken production. Lots of us on the inside read it more carefully, they are ONLY removing the antibiotics that are used on humans!! The antibiotics specifically used for animals are still OK. That is a joke! The reason I say this, that announcement put many of us in the industry into a state of holy crap where is the supply going to come from of antibiotic free chicken and the prices are going to sky rocket.

Without disclosing too much. I can tell you that a couple of very popular burger places that are highly regarded looked at never ever beef for their restaurants and the answer came back with a NO and a HELL NO. There isn't enough supply out there and when they heard the price per pound the CEO and CFO at one of them mouths dropped. Its more than three times-four times as expensive per pound.