Brandon Twp.-For the past 20 years Richard Walker has processed deer each season from Jim’s Cracker Barrel, IGA 5500 Oakhill Road.
From October through December–during the gun and archery deer seasons–many successful hunters that venture out in the woods opt for professional deer processing like Walker, a professional meat cutter offers.
‘Hunter spend a lot of money and time in bagging a deer,? said Walker. Why not get something good for the efforts? Venison is very lean and healthy–it contains no steroids, it’s all natural. If it’s processed and not over cooked it’s as good as any piece of beef..?
During the past few years the trend for hunters is to get the whole deer de-boned resulting in a better taste says Walker.
‘Only about one-in-100 hunters want the bone left in the meat. There’s less freezer space with the bone removed and less contaminates from bone fragments produced by a meat saw.?
Perhaps even more important than how the deer is processed is how the hunter cares for the deer right after a kill.
‘Taking care of the deer after it’s shot until we get it here to process can make a huge difference in the taste of venison,? said Walker. The biggest thing hunters can do is make sure exposed areas are clean of blood and hair. Remove all the internal organs–including lungs liver and intestines.?
Walker recommends that hunters pay close attention to details including raising the blood out of the carcass, packing ice on the inside if the temperature is much above 45 degrees and applying pepper on exposed areas to ward-off flies.
‘A lot of hunters are disappointed in the amount of venison they receive from their kill,? he said. As a rule about 33 percent is actual meat the other 66 percent is skin and bone. An average deer has about six pounds of choice cuts–similar to tender loins on a cow.?
Jim’s Cracker Barrel, IGA, is inspected by the health department and double wraps all venison which can be kept in the freezer for about one year.
Jim’s Cracker Barrel, IGA offers a wide range of custom cuts including roasts, steaks ,burger, back strap chops. Also, venison sausage links and bulk mixed with either beef or pork is available.

David’s best marinate
Salt
Coarse, Ground Black Pepper
Green Onion Tops or Dried Chives
Worchestershire Sauce to cover
(Boil together)
1 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup lemon Juice-more for a stronger lemon flavor
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce
2 Diced Jalapeno Peppers
Marinate Venison for 30 minutes to 2 hours to absorb flavor. The longer the time, the stronger the flavor. Apply sauce to marinated steaks before grilling on low coals till centers are hot and pink to taste. About 3 minutes per side. Baste with sauce during grilling and after removing from fire.