Not wanting to waste any meat, I've spent countless hours trimming. Your method is definitely worth a try. Thank you for this straight forward video. You say you're not a butcher, and cook, but you certainly sound like you know what you're doing in both areas. Keep up the good work!

I butcher probably 10 deer a year. I always ground and jerkied the front shoulders. This gave me some good ideas. Thanks for sharing

This is exactly how I do it. I prefer roasts over grind. This is a recipe I use for my roasts: For the roast gravy: -2 cans of cream of mushroom -Cut mushrooms (went with baby bellas) -1 grossly cut red pepper -1 grossly cut green pepper -1 grossly cut onion -Whole green beans -1 small bag of yellow potatoes cut in half and roasted -Rosemary (fresh) -Thyme (fresh) -Chunked out venison meat or whole roast. Seasonings (all to taste): -SPG (salt, pepper and garlic) -Parsley -Paprika -2 packs of pot roast seasoning (McCormick) Roasted potatoes recipe (can eat standalone if you want). Season potatoes liberally with SPG, parsley and paprika (seasoning is your crust). Heat oven to 450 and put potatoes on a cooling rack in the oven for 20 minutes. Potatoes should be crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. If you want more crunch, cook for 25 minutes. Throw roast in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low. If you don’t have a crockpot, throw it in a covered roasting pan at 275 for 6 hours.

Gla I found this. Started saving the shanks a few years ago for osso bucco. Never thought about leaving the rest of the shoulder on the bone. Great idea!

Great video. I too learned this method several yrs back and will never debone a front shoulder again!

I do the same things with my front quarters. Whole shanks, "blade roasts", etc. Whole pieces... I started out with the same Meat Eater recipe. It's great but is a lot of work. I wound up browning them, coating in Montreal Steak seasoning, adding a can of Miller Lite and slow cooking them in the crock pot. Pulls and tastes great. Then I make gravy from the crockpot juices. I keep all the silver skin and unwanted trimmings and grind them up for dog food.

My experience is that fat ruins the flavor of venison. Connective tissues or silver skin can be tolerated if not excessive like you say. But I make sure 99% of the fat is removed and the only way to do it is by completely deboning the shoulders. If you leave those roasts intact you will get some imbedded fat that will get cooked in the roast. That’s fine if you don’t mind the gamey flavor caused by the fat. I suppose you can find recipes that have so much other stuff such as mushroom soup and peppers , garlic etc., that will wipe out the flavor of venison and make a good meal.

I've taken to cutting the whole shoulder down in to drink can size chunks and slow cooking the whole lot in a pot. Stews, curries etc. I don't do any trimming. Comes out great!

For what it's worth.... the shanks amd those shoulder pieces make outstanding potroast-like meal. Give 2 or 4 of them ..depending on how many servings u want?.. a quick browning in pan. Then place in baking dish or Dutch oven with 1 pack of onion soup mix and 4 cups water. Season with garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 6 hours in the oven, always covered. Add potatos and carrots, Brussel sprouts, acorn squash halves.. whatever u like...with 2 hours to go. Make gravy outa the juices. This seriously hard to beat. We do this with all shanks now... moose, elk, and deer. The slow covered cooki g process breaks down ALL connective tissue, the meat is beyond for, tender, and the gravy is second to none. We used to grind the shanks. Never again.

Great video. Im all about wasting as little as possible, but I usually bone all that out, and you're right, you lose some meat that way. Definitely gonna try your method on my next deer. One thing for you to try though on the smoking. You mentioned starting on the smoker then transferring to the crockpot to avoid drying it out. Instead of transferring it, try wrapping it with peach butcher paper (some like to wrap their meats with aluminum foil, i prefer to avoid aluminum because aluminum leeches into food and is toxic) and put it back into the smoker. You can add your choice of fat before wrapping too if you like, beef tallow, pork fat, olive oil, butter, etc.

Great video. Wish I would of watched it a few weeks ago. Next year. Anything that saves time and meat is worth a try!

I really need a better bone saw LOL. Great video. Really good takes on how to use the front shoulder.

Great video young fella, nothing like using as much deer meat as you can salvage. We harvested 1 large whitetail yesterday & skinned & sectioned in the bush. Hoping to get another but @ minus 20 gonna be a long shift out there tomorrow, 74+ 🍁 Manitoba hunter Yorkshire expat

Absolutely, cook those shanks in the crock pot. I toss a couple in with a quart of beef broth, packet of onion soup mix, 2 cloves of garlic, plus whatever root vegetables I have on hand. 10 hours later...good to go!

I don't trim much, just bone it and grind it. I do add some beef suet to the grind.

after getting your deer home what processes do you reccomend? hang time? skin on/off etc

Excellent thanks

I don't put much bone in my freezer space. I trim roughly close to bones, ,then they go in crock pot .

What about the glands?

Should try the bone marrow on a steak but bake the leg bone for a bit then its like butter. only tried on a moose though never tried on a deer.

I make dog food out of all the shanks and gnarly stuff. Usually get a five gallon bucket full out of a whitetail buck. All the smaller pieces will go into stew/grind meat. I used to try to grind everything but you spend more time cleaning out the grinder than you do grinding. All my stew meat is 99% clean and ready to use. It's not quick the way I do it but nothing gets wasted.

U need.a new grinder i juat 15 lb In 5 minutes by stop watch

Was a meatcutter from 15 to 30.....a freindly tip.....reduce the angle on your knife grind and honing.......17 to 22 degrees max.......thin and slicey...once under the silver skin angle your edge slightly upward and edge will float along as long as your smooth and don't force it....you don't drift into the meat that way good job on breaking it down for rookies....im part irish and why do you think lambshanks are such a thing? It just makes sense and the flavour all the bone and tissue gives is incredible

Sharpen your knives

How is some one gonna watch this and think this is good advice? Watch the bearded butchers deer butchering, for the love of God. Watch professionals and learn

Would've watched if you didn't talk more than anything!!

Oh yeah, the crockpot is a home butcher's best friend. We do a lot of "Mississippi roasts" with shoulder and they make a killer French dip sandwich the next day if there is any leftovers