I visited a meat shop in Calgary today. Current price for cut and wrap is $0.69 per pound. Next week's price is $0.89 per pound! $100 for skinning!! Somebody has got wet dreams of early retirement.

Does anybody know of a shop that still cuts and does sausages at 'normal' rates?

Frans

Some butcher shops can be irritating to say the least. The cheapest that I can find in my area is 39 cents a pound and that is an hour drive away. Amazingly enough .. there is a butcher where we have our buffalo in far off Saskatchewan .. who charges only 30 cents a pound ... but that is way too far to take anything from around here ...

Which part do you think is excessively priced? The skinning or butchering? Skinning an elk is a time consuming thing that will take a skilled worker away from his regular work. Butchers cut meat, they don't normally have skinners on staff.
You really should think it terms of the guy doing you a favour if he says he'll skin an 800 plus pound animal and cut it up too.

I think the going rate around PG is about 50-60 cents a pound. A couple of years ago there was an outfit out of their house that were only 39 cents but they have moved to I think Salmon Arm.

Frans, you should come over with your moose. I'll show you how to do it-then you won't be a slave to that anymore. All you have to do is take your sausage meat in to the butcher and pay for that. If I don't get a moose this year I'll trade my time for a few roasts. If I do get one it'll be a beer trade!!

quote:

Originally posted by sunray:
Which part do you think is excessively priced? [...]You really should think it terms of the guy doing you a favour if he says he'll skin an 800 plus pound animal and cut it up too.

Ha! Good joke!

You can come by and have me do you the favour of skinning you deer for you anytime. What's $100 among friends, eh? In fact, I invite EVERYBODY to drop off their deer, just call in advance. For $100 I'll skin'r, and give you a beer to finish while you wait. You'll be back on your way before you know it!

I don't mind paying for a service, but I do mind paying $0.20 per pound more for that service just because I happen to be a few days later.

No, I definitely do not see it as being done a favour.

Frans

quote:

Originally posted by calgarychef1:
Frans, you should come over with your moose.

Sounds like a plan! There'll be more than a few roasts to be shared on an animal like that!

Frans

@ .89 cents a pound plus $100 skinning ... we are looking at $500 to do a 5 point bull elk .. not counting sausage ... I always cut up my own deer and antelope but am reluctant to do a big animal as I don't have storage . The deer and antelope I always cut up the next day. I would/will cut up the elk myself for the $10 worth of wrapping paper and the couple of nights of hacking and carving that is my style.

Hey Frans:
Aren't you putting the cart before the horse? First you gotta get the moose, but I have faith in you and am counting on a couple of roasts. You guys arrange the time and place to cut him up and I'll bring the beer.
Grizz

Grizz, I can drink a pot full o' beer!!! You might have to bring the truck.

the ever thirsty chef

Butcher shops that process game meat get busy in a hurry in hunting season and are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of animals that arrive on their doorstep.They do not have the business volumes to keep enough meat cutters and sausage makers on staff outside of hunting season.So, often they hire temporary help. Every time they have to direct someone off of the cutting table to skin an animal they lose momentum and time. Health regulations get tighter every year and inspectors offer to close the operation and condemn all of the meat in his cooler if it does not reach the proper core temperature in a given time frame.Kind of hard to guarantee that an animal is properly cooled in September when it arrives with the hide on.

I have contracted to meat processing shops in the past both as a cutter and a sausage maker.

If you can I would suggest that you could skin your own animal and bone it out into the large muscle groups and freeze it.

Come back to the shop in January or Febuary when the butcher can give your meat the care it deserves. The prices will be back in line and he will appreciate your business once he can stop and take a breath.

Huntnturn, that's great advise. And I'm sure that the guys that follow it get better sausage etc. because the butcher isn't as busy. Although I make my own sausage, I always suggest what you've said to the people who don't make their own.

the chef

I'm appreciating the info, but help me understand something about Huntnturn's message. I've always heard that you shouldn't refreeze meat. Wouldn't the butcher have to thaw it to trim & cut?

Life can be a compromise.

The water in the cell walls of your meat will expand when it freezes. The quicker it freezes, the smaller the crystals.If you freeze meat slowly and thaw it completely and freeze it again slowly then when you thaw it again it will be subject to excessive moisture loss because the cell walls have ruptured.

This can be somewhat minimized by very rapid(blast freezing). Keeping the meat as whole muscle as much as possible will keep the cut surfaces to a minimum. Downside is it will take longer to freeze solid than small pieces.

Perhaps a better alternative if cost is not a factor, would be to process the prime cuts immediately and have everything else boned into vacuum bags for sausage making later in the year.

Also possible to keep the loins whole, freeze them and take them to be cut from frozen and wrapped while still frozen.

If the ultimate in meat quality is the goal,then you could introduce yourself to a butcher during game season. Volunteer your services for a few nights.You will learn to process meat in a very short time and he will likely cut your animal with you as an expression of gratitude for the help.

If you want to make sausage prefreezing it won't make too much differtence. I always partially freeze meat before grinding anyway as it grinds so much better. The not refreezing thingy, is to get housewives not to poison their families through improper thawing. If meat is thawed in the fridge and not held too long at refrigerator temperatures it's absolutely fine to refreeze. Although the quality will be damaged a bit it won't be "unsafe" to eat.

the chef

If you can skin and butcher a deer, an elk or moose is no different. Sure larger but I see offers of beer and help so your laughing . I have done all my own game since day one, though I had the help of my father who was a butcher for 15 years in his younger days. So far skinned and cut/wrapped 4 elk this year we harvested, it takes us 20 minutes to skin, dump the guts and prep. This week my partner and I did 3 does we harvetsed in 2 evenings. Today I tackled my buddies bull moose he harvested last week, we weren't trying to break any land speed records so it took us most of the afternoon but a great time to chat about the moose, etc. The real bonus is you know exactly what your getting. Their will always be a grind pile so the first time it might be a bit larger but certainly not wasted. In time you'll get faster and better. Storage of the larger animal poses some problems but what we have done is bought used fridges, they are a dime a dozen and cheap. If to warm to hang in the garage, shed, etc we simply bone out the quarters, remove the loins and create a trim bag then fridge it till we can finish the job. All that is required is a few boning knives, steel, cut top, brown wrap, tape, meat safe bags, meat hand saw(or recip saw)for the larger game and a few hands on deck. It is a rewarding adventure and really not as hard as you may think, especially if you have an experienced offer of help!

Or you could pay the price to have it done! Here .35-.65 for cut and wrap. Very few skin anymore and they all are supposed to charge a bone disposal fee of $20 for deer and by the weight for elk & moose.

BTW when I don't make my own sausage I take it well after the hunting season, then you know your getting your animal back for sure and it is done right.

I have been doing my butchering of moose and caribou for years but bring in ground meat to have sausages made. This year hopefully I will try making sausages myself
regards
dan