FROM QUARTERS TO STEAKS - How to Butcher an Elk

Our elk has now aged for three weeks in the cabin. Today it became burger, steaks, roasts and tenderloin. Mmmmm. Here's how we did it.

First, we cut the hard, dry outer layer of the meat away and discarded it. This had formed over the last three weeks while the meat aged, due to enzyme action.


The remaining meat was then cut off in sections and any excess fat and gristle was removed.




For this we needed sharp knives.We used our hunting knives, made of good quality steel.


Once the meat was cut from the bone we washed it thoroughly in cold water.


Shoulder meat tends to be a little tougher than other cuts, so we turned that into elkburger.The rest has been saved as steaks and roasts.

All the meat has been wrapped in good quality meat packing paper. We prefer to double wrap. We separated the elkburger into one pound packages. Each package is labeled with the type of meat (elk), the cut (burger/steak/roast/tenderloin) and the year (2006). The meat will now be stored in our freezer for the winter.

MARVELLOUS MEAT - THE LOST ART OF AGING

WARNING - SOME OF THE PICTURES BELOW ARE GRAPHIC AND MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME PEOPLE. THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO HORRIFY ANYONE BUT ARE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

I complained yesterday, in a post on my other blog Scary's West that Becca and I had been unable to get meat for this winter. While we didn't shoot any, it really is not what you know, but who you know, and some dear friends donated an elk carcass to us.

Naturally, you might be inclined to think that we have our winter made, and we are now enjoy elk steaks every night. Not on your nelly. First the meat must be aged. Apparently, the process of aging used to be a common one. However, aged meat in any butchers shop would be pricy, since it reduces the water content of the meat and the time it takes sends the price per pound soaring. Such unfortunate consequence have forced the practice out of the mainstream meat market.

The purpose for aging is simple. It allows the natural enzymes in the meat to break down the tough connective tissues, thus rendering a much more tender cut.

We have our elk hung in a cabin on the ranch.
The ideal temperature for aging meat is between 36 degrees and freezing. Freezing and below, the meat freezes. Above 36 degrees, you run the risk of the meat spoiling. You can see we had to allow our cabin, which has no central heating, warm up a bit. So we put a small space heater in there.

We then hung the meat, shutting the curtains and have left it for close to two weeks now. It will take it between three weeks and a month to get tender.

After that time, the outer layer of the meat will be removed and discarded and we will be left with tender , flavorsome elk cuts.

I'll let you all know how they taste.

ECO FRIENDLY CLEANING

Living in the "service industry" there isn't a whole lot of opportunity to introduce eco-friendly measures once season is up and running. Once the crazy season is over and down-time winter sets in, we have time to think about such important issues. Two days ago, I cam across an earth friendly spring cleaning article that I had cut out and saved from a magazine. I noted down some of the ingredients that I needed for such product as all purpose cleaners and made the necessary purchases at the grocery store yesterday. I started out small, and will keep you updated as I make more and more products.

For an ALL PURPOSE CLEANER fill a bottle with one part white vinegar and three parts water. Alternatively, dissolve 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of warm water.



For a TOILET BOWL CLEANER, sprinkle baking soda in the bowl and squirt with white vinegar.


For a DISINFECTANT mix 1/2 cup of Borax with 1 Gallon hot water. Add either fresh herbs or essential fragrant oils.

My favorite are Lavendar and Rosemary. I purchased these from the Co-op.

HUNTING GROUNDS

This Fall was spectacular, and although we didn't harvest any elk, we certainly saw some. The images from our hunt made such an impression on my memory, I thought that I would share some with you.

We had thirteen pack animals working for us this fall, twelve of which were mules. We often had a string of eight going. Working with such steady, powerful animals as ours is a wonderful feeling. Not all strings are so solid so we really appreciate our mules. All but one of our mules are girls. A fact that Becca and I are very proud of in this male dominated corner of the world. Since we pull our strings riding the bell mares, Cheyenne and Beauty, most of the time our two strings are all female.

One misty morning, a herd of cows, calves and spikes let us know that there were bulls around during our last week of rifle. They were all on the move though, part of their annual migration over into the Madison Valley. There were close to a hundred. They were all talking back and forth to each other making their eeeeoouw calls. This morning struck me as being very similar to sea gulls. Although I know that isnt true. Perhaps it was the size of the herd all communicating, or perhaps it was the mist distorting the sound, but it sounded like the seaside.


Then we saw this guy! He was pretty spectacular, all the more so, because we were only 40 yards from him and he couldn't have cared less. He was inside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park so he was safe. Even if he hadn't been, on that particular day I was only armed with my camera!

GETTING STARTED

It turns out that making life choices are hard. Especially when they involve a whole other human being (my husband) and their money. But, either I do it or I don’t right? So here is what I have come up with so far.

A few summers ago, I worked through a book called The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron. One of the tasks set for me was to write “Morning Pages” every morning for the duration of the eight weeks that I was working through the book. The basic idea of these pages was brain drain. Not to be a diary, but written in longhand, three full pages of whatever happens to pop into my head. Read the book to get the full explanation.

I decided that however I was going to make changes in my life it would be easier if I didn’t have a load of stuff on my mind, sapping my concentration while I needed to get it off my chest. So now, I have begun a new habit. Every morning, the very first thing that I do when I get up is I write my Morning Pages. For the rest of the day, I am free of thought.

The second habit that I have developed is Yoga. I am fairly new to Yoga and throughout the last summer have practiced intermittently whenever I felt the need. It got me through the horse wrangle: a very fast, very steep ride, which jarred my back the first time. After that, I did Yoga on Sundays and felt nothing in my back. But I have felt the need for a new habit to form, in order for me to continue on my practice of Yoga. Now, after my morning pages, I practice Yoga.

I have run into some snags. It turns out that there are sacrifices I have to make. Accomplishing both these tasks is difficult if I don’t allow myself time. I need to get up at least an hour earlier than I would normally. Otherwise, my mind is not on Yoga, it is on everything that I need to do for the day. So I sacrifice sleep. However, I can go to bed earlier, since my husband and I watch T.V. usually before we go to bed. T.V. is not important to me, so it is an easy sacrifice and I get to sleep earlier.

The third habit that I have formed is reading before I go to sleep. I used to believe that I could only read a book if I had time to get through it all in a few days. Otherwise, I would lose interest. This boiled down to me never reading. Now, instead of watching T.V. I lay on my husband’s lap while he watches it. I read. That way I get some reading time in before I go to bed, I can get a little more in when I get into bed, and then I am fully relaxed and ready to fall asleep when I turn the light out. Perfect.

I have it all thought out. Now I just have to keep it in practice. Develop the habit. I’ll let you know if it is still going………

THE COLOUR OF LIFE

My world is grey. My world is black and white. Life is full of contradictions, and mine isn’t short of any. It seems to be progressively more involved in the grey areas of existence: emotion, relationships, time. Though I find such situations increasingly vague, I am beginning to see them with a better clarity than ever before. I didn’t get around to doing the laundry today, in my grey world, translates to I didn’t do it, in plain black and white. I didn’t give my husband a back massage because I was so tired, translates to I didn’t do it. Even though we can’t afford it, I really felt that I needed a pair of boots to wear in town this winter; I bought them anyway.

Yes. Life is grey. But it is my life, according to me, that is. Not my life according to others. Not my life according to the dog, or my sister or my husband. Not life outside of me. My emotions, my feelings, my desires are all grey. Should I act on them? Maybe. But I should be aware that my actions are black and white. My actions decide the person that I am. Maybe I feel that I love my husband. Maybe I say that I adore him. If I don’t act loving or adoring towards him, if my love is only in my words then I am two things: not loving or adoring, and a liar. Plain and simple. Black and white.

So, out of my (newfound and possibly short-lived) wisdom, I have concluded, like many others before me: life is what I make it. It is what I choose through my actions. For the most part I have waited around for things to fall into my lap, and they have. I think my run of good luck is at an end and it is time for me to start taking action and taking control. I do not want to get to those pearly gates and have God ask me, “What did you do with your life” and for me to say, “Well, I was going to do such and such, but there was this really good movie on T.V. so I didn’t.” From now on, I am going to do it! Hah! While I am aware that this is going to be a habit that I must acquire: it is not going to happen overnight, I must also be aware that saying that I will try and do something, and actually doing it are two different things. So, this is the beginning of my diary charting my action-taking progress. I am not sure how it will go. Perhaps I need a plan of action. Long-term goals and short-term goals. I will let you know how it goes. Wish me luck……You can hold me accountable.