What Cuts Should I Order From My Deer?

Build a processing order around the way you actually cook and eat venison.

One of the most common questions at deer drop-off is also one of the most important:

“What should I get?”

There is no single perfect cutting order. The best order is the one that matches how your household cooks, how often you use venison, and which products disappear first from your freezer.

Steaks

Steaks are a great choice for hunters who enjoy quick-cooking whole-muscle venison.

Backstraps are naturally well suited for steaks or medallions, and some hindquarter muscles can also make excellent steaks when cut and prepared properly.

If your family rarely cooks venison steaks, however, there is no benefit to filling the freezer with packages that will sit untouched.

Roasts

Roasts give you flexibility.

They can be slow-cooked, braised, smoked, sliced, shredded, or turned into recipes such as pot roast and pulled venison.

They are a good fit for families that like set-it-and-forget-it meals or larger weekend dinners.

Ground Venison

Ground venison may be the most versatile option in the freezer.

It can replace ground meat in chili, tacos, burgers, meatloaf, pasta sauces, casseroles, and countless other meals.

If you want your deer to become an easy weeknight ingredient, dedicating a larger share to grind can make sense.

Sausage and Specialty Products

Snack sticks, summer sausage, brats, breakfast sausage, jerky, and other specialty items are popular because they are convenient and easy to share.

They are also a great way to create variety from your harvest.

Think about which products your family already buys and eats instead of choosing something only because it sounds interesting at the counter.

A Simple Way to Decide

• Keep premium whole-muscle cuts you already know you enjoy.
• Choose a few roasts if your family regularly slow-cooks or smokes meat.
• Use ground venison for flexibility and everyday meals.
• Put a portion toward sausage or snack products your household will actually finish.
• Adjust next year based on what is left in the freezer at the end of the season.

Your cutting order does not have to look like anyone else’s.

A hunter who loves smoking roasts should order differently than a family that goes through ground venison every week.

The goal is simple: turn your harvest into food you are excited to use.

From our family to your table.