Under rated Cuts

[ryanonthevedder]

I shot a little whitetail last season and am absolutely savoring every bite. One of my favorite cuts is a front shoulder roast. We polished the last one off tonight and its as good as the tenderloins and yet you don't hear guys talking about them. I ve always been surprised by that cut and I am wondering if anyone else has any secret cuts that produce surprising table fare.

[Gateholio]

Shoulder meat is almost always going to be tougher than loins or hindquarters, but how tough it is depends on the animal. A young animal (like a lamb) will still have very tender shoulder meat. Shanks are often underlooked, and while the shanks of a deer aren't usually that big, a moose has some big shanks, great for osso bucco. Not that you can't use the deer shanks though, i've eaten lots of them.

[Dannybuoy]

You won't go wrong cutting a deer just like beef , although the cuts will be smaller . I cringe when I hear people say they put the whole deer into sausage , But that's their choice so...

[Surrey Boy]

My wife took the belly meat from a couple of does we killed and made a kind of inside-out dumplings in the crock pot. They worked very well.

I like liver and tripe too, tripe in soup is great. Tongue makes a good rarebit topping.

I hate kidneys, my wife is an RN and won't let me touch brains for fear of infection because of something they treated at her hospital.

[Ryo]

The 2 flanks and 2 briskets- treat them like tiny beef flank. Marinate, grill, and slice against the grain.

Used to go in the grinder, but not any more.

[Viper]

Neck roast done in the crock pot. One can of tomatoes, chopped onion,one tetra pack of beef broth, season to taste, one sprig of fresh rosemary, 5 or 6 crushed juniper berries and 8 hrs later tender juicy neck meat and the broth becomes the soup of the week.

[two-feet]

When cooked correctly the toughest cuts (shoulder, neck, flank, shank etc) become the best. All of the connective tissue melts into a silky, tender texture. Every bit as good as back strap etc, just a much longer preperation.

[albravo2]

Anybody doing critter brisket on the smoker? Beef brisket smoked at 150 for 30 hours is tender and delicious but the beef brisket comes with a fair amount of fat cap that drips into the meat, helping tenderize.

[Viper]

I would think the meat is too lean for low and slow but you have made me hungry for brisket. I haven't done one in a long time due to the price and availability.

[ElectricDyck]

I love chicken backs..got some for a $1 a pound, they sell carcasses as soup bones, I cut off the breast bones and kneck and save it for crab bait. I brine the backs in salt water for a few hours, roll them in a rub recipe I found on the web..mostly paprika and cayenne, browned them for 5 minutes at 400f on the grill then turned down to 200f and with no direct flame for 2 hours painting on the bbq sauce, cut them into 2" pieces and grill a little longer painting on the sauce...

Kept a moose tongue this year as well as the femer bones..buddy says tongues the best and steve rinella loves marrow so gotta try it..

[TexasWalker]

Shoulder meat is almost always going to be tougher than loins or hindquarters, but how tough it is depends on the animal. A young animal (like a lamb) will still have very tender shoulder meat. Shanks are often underlooked, and while the shanks of a deer aren't usually that big, a moose has some big shanks, great for osso bucco. Not that you can't use the deer shanks though, i've eaten lots of them.

I've made some damn fine deer shanks braised in wine and stock with garlic and thyme etc.
All that connective tissue rendered out makes for an excellent demi.

[ACB]

MOOSE RIBS! Slow roasted with garlic and onion slices and salt and pepper, and I do mean slow! 250-275f with the roaster lid on, YUM YUM! OR alfalfa and grain fed Saskatabush whitetails loin steaks on the BBQ, done med. rare, mmmmmmm

[avadad]

I used to dread managing the meat from the lower leg of a deer. Now I make this and I'll never go back! Shanks are maybe the best cut you can get off a deer.
https://honest-food.net/?s=Venison+shanks+

[Just]

My wife took the belly meat from a couple of does we killed and made a kind of inside-out dumplings in the crock pot. They worked very well.

I like liver and tripe too, tripe in soup is great. Tongue makes a good rarebit topping.

I hate kidneys, my wife is an RN and won't let me touch brains for fear of infection because of something they treated at her hospital.
Are you sure she won’t let you eat the brains for fear of you becoming a zombie!

[Drewtini]

Second the neck - you can chop it out and braise, or with all of that connective tissue it's prime for smoking. Also second the sadness of hearing that an entire animal went to sausage, though what else would you do with an animal whose meat is otherwise offensive?

I like taking the skirt, seasoning with s&p and ground anise, searing off quickly and adding it sliced to home made pho - throw a ladle or two of your stock into the pan to deglaze and return to stock pot. When I lived in South-East Asia, I found a strong taste for soups fortified with fresh blood and now I try to save whatever I can as a finishing addition. Pour into an ice cube tray and push plastic wrap down onto the tops, then once frozen they can be popped out and kept in a bag.