Post by tripleh on Oct 27, 2006 21:26:09 GMT -5
Hello there... here are some pictures of me butchering a steer... the girl taking the pictures did not capture all of the steps on my digital camera, she took some with her regular camera but since my scanner is on the blink I do not have a way of getting them for you... I may try to take some pictures of the pictures (that sounds weird!) with my digital and see if that works. Hope this helps folks who have never butchered a steer before. By the way... I am 5'2" and weigh 125 lbs... so if I can do it... anyone can
After shooting the animal and sticking the jugular in order to get a good bleed, I prop the carcass up with a chunk of wood on either side just behind the shoulder. I then remove all four lower leg sections... making sure I do not cut into the hind hock area as you need that tendon nicely attached so as to make hanging easier.
I skin down to the ground with the animal on its back before hoisting the carcass up to finish the skinning process.
finishing skinning the carcass
Once the carcass is fully skinned and the head removed, I carefully slit the abdomen open... making sure you do not inadvertently puncture the innards. If you hold your hand inside the abdominal wall as you gently cut, your hand will protect from gouging the intestines and will also help keep the intestines from spilling out too soon.
Once the abdominal wall is slit down to the breastbone (brisket) I locate and grasp the bladder, pinching it off at the top before cutting it free and throwing it out the way... then start to loosen the large intestine from the back of the abdominal cavity... this is where you need to cut the bung (anal opening) free of the surrounding tissue. Grasp the top of the intestine and pull it down and toward you making sure no manure is released into the abdominal cavity.
After loosening the bung I am freeing it from the pelvic area
Pulling out the bung as you do not want any manure on your carcass!
Starting to remove the innards
Once the large intestine is free you need to pull or may have to cut the attaching membranes free of the back (spine) of the carcass in order to draw the remaining innards out of the abdominal slit. This can take some doing if you have not kept the anilmal off feed the night before as the rumen will be engorged.
Freeing up the innards from the diaphragm
Cut the diaphragm so as to enter the thoracic (chest) cavity. When removing the abdominal organs, make sure not to cut the liver as you may gash the gall bladder... you need to remove this intact so no bile contaminates the liver or surrounding tissues. Once the rumen and intestines are outside the body cavity, you can make a simple cut where they are attached at the diaphragm and this will free them from the carcass. The liver may now be removed from the other innards. Do not remove the kidney and surrounding knobs of fat from the carcass at this point as they will protect the tenderloin from drying out during hanging.
You will have to reach deep into the chest cavity in order to loosen the lungs, heart and windpipe from the carcass. Pull the "lights" up and out of the chest cavity. At this point I wash the whole carcass down with a strong jet of water to remove any excess blood which if left on the carcass will make it want to "spoil" more quickly... as opposed to age.
I quarter my beef before hanging in the cooler. Our beef usually hangs for 21+ days to age before cutting.
Rose
ps... any other questions I can answer I would be happy to do so!
After shooting the animal and sticking the jugular in order to get a good bleed, I prop the carcass up with a chunk of wood on either side just behind the shoulder. I then remove all four lower leg sections... making sure I do not cut into the hind hock area as you need that tendon nicely attached so as to make hanging easier.
I skin down to the ground with the animal on its back before hoisting the carcass up to finish the skinning process.
finishing skinning the carcass
Once the carcass is fully skinned and the head removed, I carefully slit the abdomen open... making sure you do not inadvertently puncture the innards. If you hold your hand inside the abdominal wall as you gently cut, your hand will protect from gouging the intestines and will also help keep the intestines from spilling out too soon.
Once the abdominal wall is slit down to the breastbone (brisket) I locate and grasp the bladder, pinching it off at the top before cutting it free and throwing it out the way... then start to loosen the large intestine from the back of the abdominal cavity... this is where you need to cut the bung (anal opening) free of the surrounding tissue. Grasp the top of the intestine and pull it down and toward you making sure no manure is released into the abdominal cavity.
After loosening the bung I am freeing it from the pelvic area
Pulling out the bung as you do not want any manure on your carcass!
Starting to remove the innards
Once the large intestine is free you need to pull or may have to cut the attaching membranes free of the back (spine) of the carcass in order to draw the remaining innards out of the abdominal slit. This can take some doing if you have not kept the anilmal off feed the night before as the rumen will be engorged.
Freeing up the innards from the diaphragm
Cut the diaphragm so as to enter the thoracic (chest) cavity. When removing the abdominal organs, make sure not to cut the liver as you may gash the gall bladder... you need to remove this intact so no bile contaminates the liver or surrounding tissues. Once the rumen and intestines are outside the body cavity, you can make a simple cut where they are attached at the diaphragm and this will free them from the carcass. The liver may now be removed from the other innards. Do not remove the kidney and surrounding knobs of fat from the carcass at this point as they will protect the tenderloin from drying out during hanging.
You will have to reach deep into the chest cavity in order to loosen the lungs, heart and windpipe from the carcass. Pull the "lights" up and out of the chest cavity. At this point I wash the whole carcass down with a strong jet of water to remove any excess blood which if left on the carcass will make it want to "spoil" more quickly... as opposed to age.
I quarter my beef before hanging in the cooler. Our beef usually hangs for 21+ days to age before cutting.
Rose
ps... any other questions I can answer I would be happy to do so!