Butchering troubles . . .

LomahAcres · #1 06/14/08, 07:11 PM

We butchered for the first time today, well our first goat anyway.

The skin was really really hard to get off, we started at the hocks cutting around and it slipped down, cut across leg to leg, and down the front of the belly. Most of what I was reading said you could just pull it off, but it just wouldn't budge, so we cut most of it off, and were able to pull a little but it was real slow going. It took us almost 2 hours just to get the skin off!

Gutting/cleaning was a lot easier, although it did take longer then we hoped.

Our biggest problem was hair on the meat, and I'm hoping it doesn't taint the flavor. It just got all over it, and it took for ever to pick and clean/wash it off.

Has anyone tried skinning with an air compressor? One site I read said you could cut the skin around the leg and then insert the the compressor head and inflate the skin, seperating from the hide, then cut and remove. Sounds easier, if it works. I've seen it done on chickens but didn't know if it would work for goats.

Live weight was about 50# and she dressed out about 20# so that was nice, but a little less then I thought.

BTW this was a 3 1/2 month old kinder doe if that makes any difference.

I have 2 more to do on Monday, so just looking to see if I'm doing something wrong?

Alice In TX/MO · #2 06/14/08, 07:34 PM

When I have done pigs and calves, it helps to have someone pulling the hide perpendicular to the body while I carefully cut the membranes between the inside of the hide and the outside of the body.

Did you have it hanging? That helps tremendously, too.

buspete · #3 06/14/08, 07:44 PM

Peel the skin backwards so it's own weight pulls it away from the meat. There are membranes that connect the skin to the carcass, and there are special curved "skinning knives" that make it a snap. Any sharp knive will do though, and you have to be careful to not cut the meat or your fingers. I've used a scalpel, an antique skinning knife, or even a good sharp pocket knife.

I don't have a goat-skinning picture, but here is a link to a picture of a pig being skinned, take a look and see how the skin folds back away from the incision and it's own weight holds it back, but it is helpful to keep some hand-tension on it to make the membranes easier to slice.

It gets easier with practice.

http://www.middlesexvillagetrading.c...ningHog10R.jpg

Alice In TX/MO · #4 06/14/08, 08:21 PM

Knives:
http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?item...CT&itemID=5176

LomahAcres · #5 06/14/08, 09:08 PM

Yes, I was thinking we may need to try some better knives. We did hang the carcase, and we we're pulling it down/over. Towards the end I would pull the carcase back/up while I had my father pull the skin down, and it was still not wanting to budge.

sgian · #6 06/14/08, 09:25 PM

what size blade do you all find easiest with goats?

Alice In TX/MO · #7 06/14/08, 09:34 PM

Also works better if the carcase is warm.

deafgoatlady · #8 06/14/08, 10:03 PM

My uncle and I always do this with deer. We cut little hole of the leg (the end) and Use air compressor and water hose too. And it WORKS and more cleaner. After that it falls off. As long u hang it up and be very careful.. It does work good for us. We do that all the time.

**mygoat** · #9 06/14/08, 11:19 PM

To begin, I slit the stomach down, then slit up the back legs. I have a knife in one hand (those retractable razors work well, too) and just slash and pull the skin off the sides of the belly. Then I go around the back legs and down, then pull out the anus and cut off the tail while attached to the hide. Then I go down the back and whatnot.

My hardest spot is the front legs. It's SO hard to pull the skin out and slash at the membranes while the carcass is swaying, lol.

The skinning process probably takes me 45 minutes or so, and I've done 5? now.

Jcran · #10 06/14/08, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafgoatlady

My uncle and I always do this with deer. We cut little hole of the leg (the end) and Use air compressor and water hose too. And it WORKS and more cleaner. After that it falls off. As long u hang it up and be very careful.. It does work good for us. We do that all the time.

I would certainly love to hear a more detailed explanation of this method; we've got a pressure washer. could we use something like that?

goatsareus · #11 06/15/08, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LomahAcres

We butchered for the first time today, well our first goat anyway.

The skin was really really hard to get off, we started at the hocks cutting around and it slipped down, cut across leg to leg, and down the front of the belly. Most of what I was reading said you could just pull it off, but it just wouldn't budge, so we cut most of it off, and were able to pull a little but it was real slow going. It took us almost 2 hours just to get the skin off!

Gutting/cleaning was a lot easier, although it did take longer then we hoped.

Our biggest problem was hair on the meat, and I'm hoping it doesn't taint the flavor. It just got all over it, and it took for ever to pick and clean/wash it off.

Has anyone tried skinning with an air compressor? One site I read said you could cut the skin around the leg and then insert the the compressor head and inflate the skin, seperating from the hide, then cut and remove. Sounds easier, if it works. I've seen it done on chickens but didn't know if it would work for goats.

Live weight was about 50# and she dressed out about 20# so that was nice, but a little less then I thought.

BTW this was a 3 1/2 month old kinder doe if that makes any difference.

I have 2 more to do on Monday, so just looking to see if I'm doing something wrong?

A goat hide does not pull off nearly as easily as a deer hide, there is no comparison. Goat hide will not just pull off. We have to cut off every inch of hide, but it should not take two hours. It takes us maybe 10 to 15 minutes, with two of us working on it. With every cut, you will get hair on the carcass, this is not good but unavoidable. At the end we hose off the carcass with cold water to remove the hairs.

Ernie · #12 06/15/08, 11:08 AM

I always had immense trouble getting the hairs off, and if you don't get them all it will taint the meat, at least in the area immediately around any hair you left. Smells bad when roasting too.

I don't know that I'd go with the compressor method. I don't want to blow particulate into the meat where I can't easily rinse it off.

Having the right equipment and sharp knives helps immensely.

deafgoatlady · #13 06/15/08, 03:36 PM

Jcran,

Anything will work. But be sure dont get ur self hurt. Just insert small hole and turn on. My uncle said he used do the regular straw then blow like we do blow bubbles. He said that works too but too much work. That is when he was younger. It does keep the hair off of the meat. But if there is another hole somewhere it wont work 100 percent but partial will work and will reduce the time of pulling and cutting. U know..

mamajohnson · #14 06/15/08, 04:30 PM

I did the compressor thing with a hog once. It is just as easy to pull down and use a sharp (I mean sharp) skinning knife to loosen it up. Some places it just pulls, others you need to run that knife along. have one person pull down, while you cut. That way the hair on the meat is kept down.

It always takes me a bit longer to butcher than I plan. Usually a good portion of the day for one big goat.
But, that is including grinding and boning etc...
canning what I can up usually takes another day.

LomahAcres · #15 06/16/08, 09:32 AM

I had seen this video on YouTube and thought, *That looks easy*. But then his goat looks a lot younger so I'm wondering if that has anything do to with it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rose

Also works better if the carcase is warm.

I had just shot her, and it took maybe 5 min to get the head off and hang her up, so I would say she was still body temperature (102) when we started, shouldn't that be warm enough?

Thanks for all the tips, I have 2 more to do this week so maybe I'll try something a little different, or see if I can find a better skinning knife.