Half way...

[growalot]

done with the doe butchering...this ole back needs a break...cutting deer meat bothers my back...baby steps...lol...any ways I have 3 bins....steaks to cube...yes I love cubed deer steaks....jerky and chunks for sausage...which I need to buy some pork for...thinking breakfast...but patties not links this time and of summer sausage...

The jerky I will use my own recipe which I use our home made hard cider to soak it in...hhmmmm tastie

Then after a couple of warm days pass I'll be hitting the woods hard again for a buck....

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Grow, I am with you on the Cube steaks. the first tow deer I get this year are being ground for snack sticks and more Italian sausage. I don't link sausage. I like patties and use more ground that anything. Use it in lasagna, chili and goulash.

Jerky---Do you dehydrate or use a smoker?

[Geno C]

good luck grow! good job on the butchering

[growalot]

We have a big Cabelas dehydrator...I make a lot of deer jerky and it works great

The summer sausages I may do in the oven...a member gave me a salami recipe to use up some frozen meat from last year ...gone by the way..well except the stuff I froze for camp...and The oven did a great job...this way I'll be able to do both the jerky and sausage at the same time....The hard cider really does a nice job on the jerky and never worry about bacteria!!

Thanks Geno.....

Edited October 16, 2012 by growalot

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Might have to try that. I still have 3 gallons of Hard cider from 2010 . I wa'nted to try a maple flavored breakfast sausage but the cost of real NY syrup is through the roof.

[growalot]

That and apples...holy cow!!...we use wild apples for the cider...just get the stuff we drink pasteurized....but this year was a pass..made cider last fall....36 dollars a bushel for eating apples...CRAZY...I'll buy cheap Florida oranges before paying 5.00 a bag for apples...

Rant done!!

Any who it tastes great soaked in H. cider...and when your sausage recipe calls for a little water...use the cider instead

[oneidacountyhunter]

Grow:

It is a time consuming process as you already know but man is it worth it! You know exactly what is your meat. Have you ever done the sausage links?? I did the patties and they came out great. Not sure the links are worth the hassle

[ants]

mmmmmm cuuube steak...Try sprinkling a little parmesan cheese on them right before they're done. oh yeah

[virgil]

Culver, I made jerky in the oven last year and it was really easy and came out great. Just find a marinade recipe you like, marinate the meat strips over night. Lay the strips on a rack set over a sheet pan and cook at 170 for about six or seven hours. I put a little liquid smoke in my marinade. I had never made jerky before and I couldn't have been happier with it.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Virgil, I hae never done jerky but I have a nice smoker. was thinking about a couple bathes this year (assuming I get a few deer) . how thick do you cut to start 1/8"?

[virgil]

I cut it as thin as i could- probably about 1/8"- you could probably pound it to the right thickness. The thinner the better and be sure that the pieces are not overlapping each other.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

My mother just offered me an electric slicer she hasn't used in years. I bet that would do the trick. Thanks

[growalot]

Yep just firm the meat up a bit in the freezer...cuts great that way

We have a Lems stuffer and made links last year...Italian sausage with red wine peppers and Onions....hhhmmmmm

Just put the jerky in marinade..and going to cube steaks as soon as labels are done

The boys are gnawing on ham bones...good afternoon if not in stand...lol

[crappyice]

Are these recipes in the recipe section..you guys are killing me right now! I'm starving!

[Kot2B]

Culver creek, spend some time this winter making your own syrup. It's a nice break from the winter/spring and its pretty simple. I haven't bought syrup in 5 years!

[wdswtr]

Might have to try that. I still have 3 gallons of Hard cider from 2010 . I wa'nted to try a maple flavored breakfast sausage but the cost of real NY syrup is through the roof.

I resent that remark lol. There is so much work involved the price does not nearly reflect what we put into it. Its a year round effort for hopefully 6 weeks of sap. Well unless you are a backyarder tapping a few trees that is.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

My grandfather used to make it. I hauled buckets for his back yard effort. It is crazy how much work it is and the real syrup is delicious! !!!!. It is a weakness of mine as is maple sugar candy. Worth every penny but i am sure you guys got cut short in NY beacuse of that quick warm up. Supply and demand so set your price. I will buy it.....just not for putting in sausage.....will be reserved for ice cream, pancakes ans waffles. I am open to syrup welfare if anyone cares tp contribute....lol

[WNYBuckHunter]

Culver, I have my slicer and dehydrator. I did some jerky in my smoker last year, it was good. I kinda prefer the dehydrator though, as I have the process perfected. 1/8" slices, soaked for 2 days in my marinades, then dehydrated for 8 hours.

I have 2 roasts that I am going to do soon.

[wdswtr]

My grandfather used to make it. I hauled buckets for his back yard effort. It is crazy how much work it is and the real syrup is delicious! !!!!. It is a weakness of mine as is maple sugar candy. Worth every penny but i am sure you guys got cut short in NY beacuse of that quick warm up. Supply and demand

so set your price. I will buy it.....just not for putting in sausage.....will be reserved for ice cream, pancakes ans waffles. I am open to syrup welfare if anyone cares tp contribute....lol

If only it was simple as a bad spring to set pricing. The major influence in pricing is the global syrup reserve in Canada. Market has held steady on price past few years. It will take Canada to have a few bad years in a row to make any significant increase in pricing. Last year they had a normal crop. Even with the great maple syrup heist this year of 22 million dollars of syrup stolen.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I only buy NY syrup. Might be in my head but i like ot better...lol

[wdswtr]

Its not in your head. The chemical compound of maple syrup does vary from state to state and even from acre to acre. For example sandy rocky soil will produce a much different flavor than say swamp bottom maples. Im willing to take a bet that most people do not realize this at all. You will find a difference in flavor from one producer to the next within the same grade standards. Most I talk too about flavor really like syrup produced from the sandy rocky soil. Which makes up a vast of NY producers land. Some producers even go to the extent of keeping sap seperate from different sugarbushes on there property. For example a sugar maple dominate bush versus a soft maple bush, or a wetter section of land versus a dry hillside. We could even take it a step further in the discussion and talk about organic syrup, which is for the most part and probably the vast majority of producer no different that what is being produced by all syrup makers. The big difference is the amount of money they paid for the certification. Its not like syrup producers are out there spraying herbacide on there trees lol. The one thing I can think of off the top of my head that will justify the organic lable is tapping roadside trees. Even so the natural filtration process takes care of that for them. Bottom line is Organic is a great way for a producer to charge more for the same product. Whether you buy in NY or Canada the price is still set by the Canadian reserve. Sure some charge a few bucks more per gallon and some are a few bucks lower but the massive reserve keeps the pricing in tack from going substantially higher. Local competition is a big factor in where the pricing falls within the low end or the high end of the scale. Which is mostly between 40 to 60 dollars a gallon. One last thing is connsumers and producers are going to have to be re-educated on the grading standards around 2014. The standards vary alot between state to state and the US and Canada. This will be standardized across the world and will be based on color and flavor.

Edited October 18, 2012 by wdswtr

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have often said about game that you are what you eat (especially bears), but I never thought about it in the syrup. Makes perfect sense and a very interesting read. In your opinion is there a difference in taste in a 100% boil down vs the use of an RO?

[virgil]

Sounds like the same concept as wine- wines made from the same grape variety but from different regions are very different.

[wdswtr]

I have often said about game that you are what you eat (especially bears), but I never thought about it in the syrup. Makes perfect sense and a very interesting read. In your opinion is there a difference in taste in a 100% boil down vs the use of an RO?

Oh boy if you only knew how that topic is debated lol. Yes and No. There has been many taste test studies done on RO syrup versus traditional syrup. There is also a current study going on to determine the breaking point of where the flavor starts to change at what percent sugar content its RO'd to. Maple syrup achieves its flavor through carmalization. You get carmalization through boiling it to the proper brix. The longer the sap is boiling the more the carmalization takes effect. BUT the real question is after it reaches a certain stage of carmalization does the flavor remain the same or change more? I personally think that if a sugarmaker keeps his sugar content to say 12% or less there is no change in RO'd flavored syrup. Its when those percentages start getting up there to 20% concentrate that the effect might really start showing. The one thing I do know that RO effects color more than anything. RO guys seem to consistantly make lighter syrup. Since you come from a background of your grandfather making syrup you probably know back then the light syrup was highly desireable over the darker grades. Such is not the case any more. Consumers are now demanding higher maple flavor and less sweeter syrup which you get from the darker stuff. But the odd part is if you are a producer that does not sell commercially and rather sell bulk to packers, the lighter grade syrup brings a higher price. That is because of several reasons. The main one is they can blend it with extra dark syrup and turn it into a possible medium grade. And of course confections like maple cream, maple sugar and your favorite maple candy, all of which makes a far superior product using light amber syrup. .

[wdswtr]

Sounds like the same concept as wine- wines made from the same grape variety but from different regions are very different.

That is a perfect example. The one difference is that there is absolutely nothing added to PURE maple syrup. Its raw sap straight from tree to bottle. Adding anything to syrup is considered adulteration. That is illegal and will put a hefty fine on your bank account if you still label it as PURE. In recent years there has been a few major brand stores trying to pass adultered syrup off as PURE. Sugar makers take an overwhelming pride in there product and spend alot of time policing the market themselves. It is darn near impossible to pass such a scam off with so may eyes watching the end product. So unless you buy a bottle that says PURE MAPLE SYRUP or 100% PURE MAPLE SYRUP you are not buying the real deal.