Big game processors in/near Boise?

[1idahoguy]

I realize this isn't a fishing question per se. But sorta related and I figure there's lots of folks on here who both hunt and fish. .

Does anyone on here know of a good big game processor in or near Boise? With luck, I'll have a deer in the next couple of weeks and I'd like to have some meat turned into pepperoni, maybe salami, maybe jerky. I've used Meats Royale previously with excellent results for burger. But they've told me straight up that any pepperoni I have done, I won't be getting my animal back as they send it off site for batches in 500lbs.

Advice or input appreciate.
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[AverysAdventure]

save your money and do it yourself
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[1idahoguy]

I'm not opposed to that but I've never done it before. And I don't want to risk botching any of my harvest.

Do you happen to to have a salami or pepperoni recipe?
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[idahoron]

The price is outrageous now for cutting and wrapping. A lot of them are charging 2 dollars a pound hanging weight. That means if you take in a 100 pound deer on the hook you pay 200 dollars and if it was skinned and ready to cut your going to get back about 30 pounds of meat. Now add to that the fees for Pepperoni and salami. That is 4 to 8 dollars a pound so you could easily be into that deer for 300 to 400 dollars.
I do everything myself. I cut wrap and I have a 1 hp Cabelas grinder to grind the hamburger. I have a hamburger wrapping system that uses bags and an automatic taping machine.

The grinder is about 500.00
The packaging system is about 45 dollars.
Jerky gun extra large is 50.00
Seasoning 5 to 15 dollars.

You can make slim jims and jerky with the same jerky cannon. You can make sausage by grinding the hamburger and mixing it and doing it and the jerky and slim jims in a oven. I do this all the time and it is awesome. You can stuff sausage tubes with the grinder or the jerky cannon.
I make a lot of pepperoni aka slim jims. If you bought a set up your looking at 600 dollars give or take a little. That is the price of having two deer done, and with that equipment you can do a life time of game. SO lets look at the big problem. " I don't want to risk botching any of my harvest" I hear that all the time. If I go to your house to have a BBQ hamburger and you serve it. Did you botch it up because it doesn't taste like Burger king? No you did it YOUR way. When people tell me that they can't cut and wrap because they will screw it up, I tell them so what! That stake is yours if it looks like a piece of meat it is a piece of meat. Now if you want it to "look" like a stake cut it like one it is yours to do your best with. I have butchered hundreds of deer and elk. I have also cut up dozens of cattle. The biggest was a 1400 pound cow. It took me 8 hours to bone and remove the fat from that animal. I ground the whole animal. SO what did I have after? I have super lean hamburger made from the main muscle groups. Very expensive meat to buy from the store. My home cutting system has paid for itself many times over and as I cut and processed more the better I got. Your not selling it so don't worry about messing up it is yours take pride in it and test in small batches.

Here is a link to LEM. I get my flavor mixes and grinder supplies from them.
http://www.lemproducts.com/

My grinder is a 1 hp Cabelas. This one is a great grinder. It will plow through a lot of meat in a hurry. I joke that if I pinned their ears back the grinder would do the rest.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-C...l+Products

If you would like to do this I would be glad to answer questions and I am sure other guys here do it too. Ron
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[lowe-185]

sounds expensive down in the Twin Falls area. Year or two ago I dropped off a cow elk in Cambridge, a week later I wrote a $200 ish check and loaded my elk. Yes I had to drive back to Cambridge, but I figure a few hours hunting chukars in the morning and picked up my elk made the trip worth it.
But as to Rons point, it is good to be able to cut up your own meat.
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[idahoron]

Depending on the size of the elk your price was probably not far off 2 per pound. I had a place that would grind my hamburger for .10 per pound at the end ofthe day and no wrapping. After a few years they started to charge me 1.80 just to grind. My wife bought me the grinder after that. I still have a place that will take my ground meat and make it into salami for 4 dollars a pound. I take it in way after the season is over so I get my meat back. I have them do a couple sticks a year for christmas presents.
I don't trust meat cutters, tire guys, mechanics, bankers, lawyers, or Hospitals. There are a lot of others I don't trust but I don't have the room here to list them.
My Daughter in law told us this year she would never eat a deer. She after eating a few meals at our house and finding out later it was deer she is raiding our freezer. I told her it is all how you take care of the meat. Ron
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[Biigfish33]

" all how you take care of the meat" something my dad told me when I was a little kid, probably the truest words anyone can say about wild game. I've also had people claim they hate the taste of deer until they they try the meat I've prcoessed myself. I will never take meat to a butcher, ever. Not worth the money or the frustration of getting something back that isn't as good as it would be if it's butchered by yourself.
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[Idaho]

I would fish Sturgeon.


Council, Idaho. Most of us. Still like a back strap. ELK.


Idaho
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[AverysAdventure]

Ron gave some great advice but don't think you need to run out and buy all that stuff this year. I'm sure many have acquired the stuff like I have over the years. One only needs a knife and some butcher wrap to start. YOU CAN"T MESS IT UP!!!! Roast, steak, stir fry, and stew meat. Make real jerky out of the stuff that would normally get ground. I love making jerky out of the hocks. The tougher and more peppery the jerky is the better IMHO. Bones and scrap can be baked, boiled or smoked for dog treats. Next year pick up a hand grinder at a second hand store so you can start grinding burger. It's a little messy and usually requires 2 passes but they work fine. Add a cheap hand stuffer or jerky gun and now you can start playing with pepperoni and sausages. It's fun doing it yourself and very rewarding.
When you find the money to step up to a electric grinder someday do not skimp on it or you will be sorry. Also remember that things made 50 years ago were made to run forever and can be better than new. My 80 year old Enterprise stuffer will last for another 80 years no problem and coast me $40. They can sell for hundreds and hundreds of dollars but watching CL payed off. Now I'm looking for a 50 year old Butcher Boy meat saw so I can do bone in steaks. You can buy a new BB for a few hundred dollars but they are no where near the quality of the old ones. One day I will find the deal I want but until then I will make do. Just like I made do the first time with a knife and butcher paper 33 years ago.

Rod
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[1idahoguy]

Thanks for the advice all.

I agree that doing it yourself is the most rewarding, no doubt about it. But until my kids get a little older and we can start going after larger elk (instead of the smaller deer), spending a bunch of cash on my own equipment just isn't in the cards right now.

I had meat ground into burger last year and wrapped for about $.60/lb, which I was more than happy to pay. They did a great job and I was very pleased with the service. I cut and wrapped my own steaks so total amount paid was only about $20, very reasonable. No way I'd pay hundreds!

I've got a jerky recipe passed down to me from my late grandfather that I've never before tried so maybe I'll just do burger, steaks, and jerky this year and call it good.
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[idtroutfool]

I doesn't have to be expensive. I bought a cheap hand grinder for $40 and have been using it for 3 years now. When I lived closer to home I would take all of my grind meat to my parents and use their big electric grinder and do it all at one time. That would be exhausting with the hand grinder so now I just do 10 lb batches and when I get close to running out of burger I grind another 10 lbs.

Other than that all you need is butcher paper. I also use press and seal so that I can get a nearly air tight seal around the meat to prevent freezer burn. Wrap in press n seal then wrap in freezer paper.

There are plenty of youtube videos that can show you how to separate out the muscle groups and which cuts are best for roast or steak or grind/stew meat.

It really is simple, all you do is follow the natural seams between muscle groups. Cut into steaks or leave the roast and wrap.

[1idahoguy]

Grinding 10lbs at a time is a great idea. Leave frozen till ready to grind. I like that idea a lot.

For those of you that do grind your own burger, I've heard that grinding with bacon results in a great tasting piece of meat. So dumb question: do you just buy a package of bacon off the shelf for this? Or should I request a specific type of bacon cut from the butcher?
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[setthehook]

Do it your self!! Its not rocket science! Watch a couple of you tube videos and go for it. I've been processing my own for years now. Its time consuming but very simple. Buy a vacuum sealer and take your time!
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[wiperhunter2]

I can't speak for others but pork fat will give you a good result. Lots of folks use beef fat because wild deer and elk is so lean but pork fat works great as well and gives it a great flavor imo. Beacon will work but it cost more. I have gone in and ask the butcher for just the trimmed fat off pork meat, some times they will give it to you for free.
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[idahoron]

[quote 1idahoguy]Grinding 10lbs at a time is a great idea. Leave frozen till ready to grind. I like that idea a lot.

For those of you that do grind your own burger, I've heard that grinding with bacon results in a great tasting piece of meat. So dumb question: do you just buy a package of bacon off the shelf for this? Or should I request a specific type of bacon cut from the butcher?[/quote]

Maybe it is me but I wouldn't want to dig out the grinder and the bagging stuff for 10 pounds.

I don't put anything in the meat at all no fat no nothing.
I have been taking all the meat to grind and I soak it in ice water and about a cup of salt. I started to do this for antelope to remove the blood. The blood, and fat is what causes meat to taste off. I remove as much of the fat as I can. Then I put it all in a cooler with ice water and salt and let it soak the blood out. I stir it a few times and take it out after about 24 to 30 hours. Then I rinse it real good to get rid of the salt then I put it in pillowcases and hang it in the tree to let it drain overnight. The next morning I put the bags in a old refrigerator in the garage and I grind it that night. One of the things I hear is people add fat to help the meat stick together when making burgers. Well the added moisture from the water does that too without adding fat. I like hamburger to be lean. Ron
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[AverysAdventure]

I usually grind half of my burger with bacon so I got both to choose from depending on the recipe. I get those 3# packs of trimmings and end pieces that you can find for just a few bucks at the locall stores.
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