Venison in the Freezer

Both of this year's deer are back from the processor and my freezer is full. Today I made the 55-mile one-way trip to Muenster, Texas to pick up one of my deer at Muenster Meat Co. (formerly Walterscheid Meat Co.).

You might be wondering - Why on earth would I drive over 100 miles to have a deer processed? The answer: Deer Sticks! Some people call them snack sticks, smoked sticks, or hunter sticks, but whatever you call them, I call them "Good"! They are kind of like a Slim Jim, but not nearly as greasy and taste way better.

As you can tell from the name, Muenster is a German community and this processor is known for producing some excellent German sausage and specialty meats. They are the only place relatively close that I have found who offers these deer sticks. This year I ordered 30 pounds of them, so hopefully that will last me several months.

When I shot my second deer, I was in a bit of a hurry, so I decided to use the local processor (Rick's Outpost) that is just a couple miles up the road. I had the basic cuts done on that deer, but I also decided to try their summer sausage. I ordered 5 pounds of the jalepeno and cheese variety, and I have been really impressed with it as well.

The deer sticks from Muenster are on the plate and the summer sausage from Rick's Outpost is on the right.


These specialty meats are definitely pricey, but I figure if I'm going to put all that time and effort into harvesting a deer I should at least have some really good meat to show for it. Maybe someday I can learn how to make these sausages at home and save some money on processing.