Deer processing

[pk67490]

I reviewed the website for high temp cheese and so a ton of choices. Are there any that compliment the seasonings in particular? I would assume the blue cheese and buffalo seasoning would work well, any other suggestions?

[Austin]

pk67490 Yeah, there are several seasonings that are bleu cheese flavored that pair really, really well with the high temp bleu cheese.
If I’m doing something more Italian flavored, I’ll use the Mozzarella high temp cheese.
If it’s something spicy, I use the Hot Pepper high temp cheese (although the cheese is not that spicy).
And the other flavors I’ll use on about anything.
This may not be the most help ever, but, I don’t think you can go wrong pairing any high temp cheese flavor with just about any seasoning flavor profile.

Just as staple flavors, it’s hard to go wrong with High Temp Cheddar Cheese in the Willies Snack Stick or High Temp Hot Pepper in the Jalapeno Snack Stick, if your looking at snack sticks anyways.

[pk67490]

Any idea what is going on with the “W Stick Seasoning”? I had a buddy recommend it as a good base to add some of the smoked chedder to for some of my family members who cant take heat. It looks like its just sold in 6lb packages but the inventory is listed as -10 at the warehouse. Not sure this is the right place to post this question but any info would be helpful.

[Austin]

pk67490 We’ve got a few blends, like this one that still contain MSG and we’ve been phasing them out slowly and trying to transition customers to alternative seasoning blends. This one is just one of the “lucky” ones we haven’t gotten rid of. It is negative because there are already some on orders and spoken for. We are expecting to have more in by next Wednesday, Nov 9th to fill existing orders and replenish normal stock.

I have not personally tried this blend, so I cannot give a direct example of the perfect replacement, but I’ll ask around tomorrow and see if one of the other blends we stock is setup to be a match or very similar flavor profile.

If you are looking for something without any spice to it, I’d really suggest looking at one of the sweeter blends, like BBQ Smoked Stick or Sweet Maple Bacon. They have great flavor profiles!

[pk67490]

Thanks again for the suggestions. When I’ve had deer processed in the past, they have always made some “regular sticks” because I have an older landowner who lets me hunt who essentially likes “meat flavored meat”. Thats why I would looking for something that would be an original flavor or something close to that. Maybe what I’m asking for doesn’t exist but do you have something like that?

[Austin]

pk67490 For something “regular” I’d go with either a Pepper Stick or for a bit more flavor, but still something simple, a Pepperoni Seasoning wouldn’t be a bad choice. The Pepper Stick is definitely a more plain seasoning, and would probably be what I would use to try and get as much of that “meat flavored meat” you are describing. Another thought is too just use a little less seasoning than normal too, and you could use about any seasoning blend then, just with a bit less seasoning than it calls for.

[unreel]

I use the pepperoni mix to make moose sticks and it comes out great I smoke them with alder hickory mix I also use the seasonings to make a garlic sausage and a Wisconsin brat

[pk67490]

I would have never thought of using the pepperoni mix for sticks, but sounds like I need to give it a shot. Any suggestions for jerky seasoning? I plan to try doing some on a smoker with whole meat jerky from the deer hind legs. Tips tricks or pointers would be appreciated.

[pk67490]

Ive been following the YouTube series on Excalibur seasonings, any Excalibur recommendations for deer backstrap or tenderloin?

[Austin]

pk67490
For jerky, my personal favorite is the Bold Jerky Seasoning. Has a bit of spice, but not too much.
Pepper and Garlic is a new one, but I really love it and it has jumped up towards the top of my list already.
Then something a little sweet, with just a hint of spice, there’s BBQ Jerky Seasoning. And I think I’ve made more jerky out of this flavor than anything else.
Or if you want a more traditional “meat” flavor to stay stronger in the jerky, try the Colorado Jerky or the Colorado Spicy Jerky. Both are still great flavors, but a lot more traditional in nature.

For making jerky, my biggest pointers would be to trim off as much fat as possible, slice against the grain of the meat, and put the meat, seasoning, and cure in poly bags with just enough water to slightly cover the meat and let it sit at least 12 hours to marinate. I like letting it marinate like that instead of just dry dusting the jerky slices. Lastly, also make sure you get the jerky cooked at a high enough temp to actually hit a 160 internal temp on the meat, and if you have a dehydrator running at a lower temp, cook it in an oven or smoker first then switch to the dehydrator to finish.

[pk67490]

Thanks for the great jerky advice. I had tried wild game jerky in the past and it never turned out very good, from reading what you posted it seems like I was doing it wrong. Definitely going to try your techniques.

[Austin]

pk67490 Anytime we’re talking whole muscle proteins and we’re keeping the whole tenderloin intact for smoking, I recommend using a injectable seasoning like the Butter Flavored Seasoning/Marinade. Mix up the 0.625lb bag of seasoning in 1 quart of water, and inject into any whole muscle proteins. I inject as much as the meat can hold, but the official usage says add 10% of the meat weight in the injection/seasoning. Then you just need a rub for the outside. For wild game, definitely check out the Wild Game Seasoning, but my personal favorite for any type of loin is probably Sweet & Sassy Garlic Seasoning. The Apple Style Sweet & Sassy is really good too. There a lot more rubs and seasoning shakers too, but those are my top ones.

If you are cutting loins or backstrap to make more of a steak to grill, you can just go with one of the seasoning shakers as a rub, or try out a liquid sauce or marinade. I really like the Smoking Maple Bacon & Ale Sauce, but all of the Excalibur Sauces are really good and I haven’t had one that I’ve regretted trying.

[pk67490]

Used some ground deer burger with the 19mm casing and the jalepeno stick seasoning and high temp cheddar cheese. Made them on a treager set for smoke for about 2 hours then turned up the heat to 225 to finish them and brought the internal temp to around 163. Immediately chilled the sticks and then let them rest for about an hour before packaging. I was impressed with myself with the result and the quality of the casings and seasonings. Can’t wait to try doing some more. Thanks for your help and suggestions.