deer neck

[.270]

i've mentioned this before on here but right now when a lotta folks are gonna be flush with deer meat, i figgerd i'd do it again. and seein' as how i just got done with a green chili burro made out of it, it is fresh on my mind. we shot 2 really large bodied bucks in new mex last week and cut em yesterday. mine field dressed almost 250. big, fat, alfalfa fed buck about 7 years old. extremely fat. we are lucky enough that we usually end up with a fair amount o' game meat every year. we process it ourselves. have a big grinder to make burger and sausages and brats and whatever with too. and we like to get every bit o' meat we can off an animal. for a couple reasons. 1. it is good stuff and b. it is the right thing to do. i mean a critter died. you oughta make the most of it. anyway, one of the hardeat things to deal with is the neck. on anything. real hard to bone out and not leave a lot on the bone. real sinewy so it doesn't make the best burger. but it makes one heck of a roast. anything works great too. deer, elk, pronghorn, whatever. for many years we have been cooking the neck real slow, bone and all, and making either green chili or just shred it up. sometimes put them in the pit but usually just in the oven in a big pan or in one o' them roaster ovens you can buy. trim the fat off and clean it up. season it with salt, coarse black pepper and dried minced onions. you can use whatever else you want, but the more you do, the less you taste the deer. anyway, put em in whatever you're gonna cook em in, a big pot with lid or pan with a lid, if you're gonna do it in the oven, or in the roaster oven. just turn it up to 300 or so and leave it there for 12-18 hours. depends on how much meat you use. these necks my wife did yesterday were really big so they were about 18 hours. when it falls off the bone it is done. when it is done, the neck bone just comes out. not a speck o' meat on it. then she takes it and shreds it up and makes green chili outta about half of it and the rest she leaves like it is. puts it in vac packed deals of a couple pounds each and toss it in the freezer. it you wanna make bbq or enchiladas or shredded tacos, whatever, you nuke package and go to town. this same method works really well on the lower legs, front and year, too. chunk it all in the pot and cook it up. you get every bit of meat there is. nothing is left on the bone. and all the sinew dissolves into juice and makes it taste excellent. anyway, if you wanna a real simple way to make some great groceries that are really handy to have around, try this. don't ever throw away a neck or lower leg. if you do it right, it is some of the best meat there is. you'll be wishin' they were all neck meat. a guy needs to utilize every bit of meat he can. it's the "ethical" thing to do. and this is a great way to do it. try it. Lark.

[Pine Donkey]

I agree. We end up eatin a lot of the "crap" meat by using the crock pot. One trick my wife uses is that when she puts it into the crockpot, she adds a can of cola. The sugars help break things down and make it even more tender.

[ROBERT RIVERA]

Good Infor.

[billrquimby]

Agree on the Crock Pot for the neck and hocks. About eight hours at low heat or six hours at high. We line the bottom with onions, carrots, and potato quarters. The au jus makes great gravy. Separate it from the grease, and saute in a separate pan with flour, corn starch, milk and lots of pepper.

 

Bill Quimby

[azmetalman]

Bill I too agree that the crock pot does a nice job on necks and hocks. I always add a bottle of dark beer each time. It adds a nice flavor.

[desertdog]

i've mentioned this before on here but right now when a lotta folks are gonna be flush with deer meat, i figgerd i'd do it again. and seein' as how i just got done with a green chili burro made out of it, it is fresh on my mind. we shot 2 really large bodied bucks in new mex last week and cut em yesterday. mine field dressed almost 250. big, fat, alfalfa fed buck about 7 years old. extremely fat. we are lucky enough that we usually end up with a fair amount o' game meat every year. we process it ourselves. have a big grinder to make burger and sausages and brats and whatever with too. and we like to get every bit o' meat we can off an animal. for a couple reasons. 1. it is good stuff and b. it is the right thing to do. i mean a critter died. you oughta make the most of it. anyway, one of the hardeat things to deal with is the neck. on anything. real hard to bone out and not leave a lot on the bone. real sinewy so it doesn't make the best burger. but it makes one heck of a roast. anything works great too. deer, elk, pronghorn, whatever. for many years we have been cooking the neck real slow, bone and all, and making either green chili or just shred it up. sometimes put them in the pit but usually just in the oven in a big pan or in one o' them roaster ovens you can buy. trim the fat off and clean it up. season it with salt, coarse black pepper and dried minced onions. you can use whatever else you want, but the more you do, the less you taste the deer. anyway, put em in whatever you're gonna cook em in, a big pot with lid or pan with a lid, if you're gonna do it in the oven, or in the roaster oven. just turn it up to 300 or so and leave it there for 12-18 hours. depends on how much meat you use. these necks my wife did yesterday were really big so they were about 18 hours. when it falls off the bone it is done. when it is done, the neck bone just comes out. not a speck o' meat on it. then she takes it and shreds it up and makes green chili outta about half of it and the rest she leaves like it is. puts it in vac packed deals of a couple pounds each and toss it in the freezer. it you wanna make bbq or enchiladas or shredded tacos, whatever, you nuke package and go to town. this same method works really well on the lower legs, front and year, too. chunk it all in the pot and cook it up. you get every bit of meat there is. nothing is left on the bone. and all the sinew dissolves into juice and makes it taste excellent. anyway, if you wanna a real simple way to make some great groceries that are really handy to have around, try this. don't ever throw away a neck or lower leg. if you do it right, it is some of the best meat there is. you'll be wishin' they were all neck meat. a guy needs to utilize every bit of meat he can. it's the "ethical" thing to do. and this is a great way to do it. try it. Lark.

 

 

You are right Lark. The meat off the bones is great stuff. We always do all the bones and we use a pressure cooker. No waste and great meat.

 

http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24797

[tjhunt2]

Your right on the money Lark. My wife and I butcher our own meat as well and we don't leave nothing to waste. It is the right thing to do for the meat the good Lord has supplied us with.

 

TJ

[Coach]

That's really good advice. The neck and lower parts of the legs are something I always struggle with. So much meat there, but it's so full of sinew and connective tissue - the things that usually lead to gamey tasting meat. Gonna have to try this out next time as I hate seeing any edible part go to waste.