Last month I put 2 deer in the freezer, and 3 55-gallon drums of meat and bones for the dogs (got free from the processor). The two I put in the freezer I packaged this way:
- Tenderloin (backstrap) -- Packaged separately. You can slice it into little silver-dollar steaks and grill, or wrap in bacon and bake in the oven.
- Roasts -- Any chunk of meat that can be removed from the bone and is of decent size for a roast. I sear it on both sides in a little bacon grease, then put it in my cast iron pot, along with copious amounts of potatoes, carrots, onions, and seasonings, put the lid on, and simmer over the fire for about 2 hours.
- Everything else I cut up as stew meat. When I'm ready to use it, I have the option of grinding it into hamburger (for burgers), dicing it smaller (for spaghetti or chili), or cooking it in a stew.
A little bacon or bacon grease, and some good seasonings, and a properly killed deer (a clean kill with no panic just before they die) tastes like beef.