Meat processing question...

[Chuck86]

I plan on processing my elk for the first time this year (if I am successful). I got an instructional DVD and I am confused about one thing. In the video the guy first tells you to throw away the silver skin when cleaning up the cuts then later says he's throwing all the silver skin in the burger bin to be ground up with the rest of the burger meat.
I always thought silver skin was not edible and that it would even make you sick eating it. So which is true? Do grind the silver skin into the burger meat or throw it away?

 

[B_BOP_A_LU_LU]

If you eat/buy Burgers You've ate it before!

When I cut my own,I only use the best small scraps for Burger!



For GAWDS Sakes Guys,We Got Kids on this Site,Some of them are 65 years Old!

I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!

 

[BeanMan]

I throw out the silverskin. Your burger will only be as good as the meat you put in it.

 

[bucklover]

That's the main advantage of processing your own game. You get the best of the best. I know what's in there and I can enjoy every bite. I always trim and separate until I have nothing but pure red meat. As long as you're learning to do your own, look back in the past posts that talk about bottling. It's another very easy and great way to preserve and enjoy wild meat.

 

[TOPGUN]

I can't believe a guy would say that as the only thing it's good for is plugging up a grinder!

 

[nickman]

Topgun is dead on......most grinders will not grind the stuff.

In game animal processing, we do all our own,....."If it ain't red meat, with NO white, or silver on it, you won't like the taste.."

Your dog cannot digest that silver stuff either, by the way!

Now, that said, if you have people pestering you to give up some of your game meat, send them some really "marbled" steaks. Next year, you won't be asked.....!

".....but by God, I never said a word to a pig!"

 

[beavis14]

like the others said the meat you put in the grinder is the same meat when it comes out.

 

[npaden]

Maybe there are different opinions on what "silver skin" is?

I wouldn't put silver skin that I trimmed off other cuts into the grind pile, but I don't cut the silver skin off what is in the grind pile.

You wouldn't have anything left to grind and it would take a week to butcher if you took the time to trim the silver skin off of everything in the grind pile.

Take the hock for instance. There are about 12 different tiny muscles that come together there. If you wanted to get rid of all the silver skin you would have to cut each muscle apart and skin it off. When you were done you wouldn't have anything left. I just cut it into pieces that will fit in the grinder and with it. Pretty much the same with the front shoulder. Never had my grinder clog yet and I butchered 2 elk, 2 deer and a mess of pigs last year.

 

[ZBB]

No silverskin in your edible meat. A fillet knife is your best friend. Backstraps are easy to take care of. Fore legs- a lot more tedious. I get rid of most of the silver skin on the forelegs, but a little always seems to end up in the grind. Don't worry, you will be pulling out of your grinder later!

And like stated above, if you want to keep someone away from your prize elk meat, give them a package of foreleg meat and call it "steak". They will be chewing on it like a dog on a bone. They won't ask again! LOL!

 

[MeatMissile]

Just last night I ate a pack of last years ground meat. The butcher left some silver skin in there. I was disappointed. It does stay in tact and you can definitely pick it out when you're eating it.

 

[Jeff46]

I worked for a sausage maker for 3 years, we'd process a lot of venison. We would trim of the silver skin off the bigger pieces for sausage or burger, but its impossible to get it all off some cuts. It won't hurt you if you eat it, but it's not pleasant.

 

[MeatMissile]

Yea, it didn't hurt. I understand that some will get missed with the amount of meat they process. But it's unpleasant to be chowing down on some sausage and get a big long string of silver skin stuck half way down my throat. They do a good job overall, but if I was processing my own meat this would not happen as I go to great extents to make the meat table worthy for my wife. So it's a bummer when you pay a hefty price and don't get the same quality.

 

[npaden]

Sounds like something was wrong with their grinder. I've never had anything in my burger or sausage longer than 1/4".

I bet I've processed close to a ton of meat in the last 4 years and never noticed anything in my burger or sausage.

3 elk, 6 deer, 1 antelope and over a dozen pigs ranging in size from 250lbs to 50lbs.

 

[MeatMissile]

hmm that's odd. I was thinking about how weird it was too. They processed my mule deer from September muzzleloader and it was fantastic, nothing wrong. Then my whitetail from mid November had all this silver skin in the sausage. So maybe it was a grinder, maybe it was they had gotten too busy. Guess I'll have to fill all of my tags early this year.

 

[birdbuster]

I've worked everywhere from meat packing plants to grocery stores and processed 100's of wild animals. Nowhere has there been any effort to worry about 'silver' skin. It is between all muscles and you eat it in the best steak houses. If anything comes out of a grinder bigger that 1/8 inch ball something is wrong with the grinder. IMHO more bad meat comes from people not getting it cool, clean and processed fast enough. Aging doesn't help wild game it just makes you throw more away by trimming it. After 30 years of working in all kinds of meat I process my deer/elk as soon as they are cool which usually means the next day. I never worry about the silver and the elk is always great. Deer meat is deer meat so I always throw some lean pork in with the grind. For whatever reason it makes it very mild. Try it sometime 30% pork.