-Immediate Harvesting Care:

Proper execution of the following steps can assist in maintaining your venison’s quality:

1. Properly field dress your venison.
   
2. Get the cavity of the deer cleaned-out with fresh water. Don’t use leaves, grass or lake water – they all contain bacteria that will speed the spoilage rate of your deer.
   
3. Cool the carcass as fast as possible.
   
4. Bring the deer to a processor as soon as possible. Venison is unlike beef and does not need to be aged. Aging only dries your meat and makes it older.

-What products does Belgrade Meat Center make from venison?

• Country Style Sausage: A mild seasoned, smoked rope sausage used for breakfast or dinner. It is great baked in sauerkraut or just steamed in a covered frying pan. We add 33% pork shoulder trim to your venison sausage.
  
• Smoked Brats: These are medium seasoned, lightly smoked sausage links. The contain 33% pork shoulder trim.
  
• Hot Polish Sausage: This product is a fairly hot to very hot sausage link, smoked with 33% pork shoulder trim added.
  
• Skin-On Wieners: Natural casings help make these a high quality wiener. Your friends won’t believe they’re venison! 33% pork shoulder added and has no shrink from your raw start weight.
  
• Summer Sausage: This venison deli product is great when sliced for sandwiches or serving on crackers. It is a mild sausage with medium flavor. We add 33% pork should trim. Shrink is 1-2% of pre-smoked weight.
  
• Cheese Cotto Salami: It is the same as cotto salami with pepper cheese added. This is a tasty sausage with medium smoke flavor. It contains 33% pork shoulder trim with 1-2% shrink.
  
• Cotto Salami: Tired of Summer Sausage, try Cotto Salami! This salami has lots of taste, it contains crushed whole peppers. We add 33% pork shoulder trim and end up with 1-2% shrink.
  
• Old Fashioned Ring Bologna: This is a quality, natural casing ring bologna you will definitely like. We add 33% pork shoulder trim with quality seasoning and smoke.
  
• Pepper Sticks: We make the best around! At Belgrade Meat Center we add 25% pork should trim, mix with spices, stuff into a collagen casing and smoke. Expect 35% shrink.
  
• Cheese Pepper Sticks: These sticks are a delightful variation of our pepper sticks, made with pepper cheese. They are a little spicier; expect 35% shrink.
  
• Brat Burger: We add 35% pork shoulder trim and mix in a delicate blend of seasonings. Brat Burgers come in one-pound packages to make delicious burgers of any size.
  
• Venison Bacon: Venison Bacon is a variation of venison; we add 33% pork shoulder trim, form the meat, smoke and then slice it. Simply fry this bacon as you would any pork bacon and eat.
  
• Strip Jerky: Our best jerky made from the rounds (back legs) of your deer. We slice, cure and smoke each piece. This product shrinks approximately 50% and comes vacuum-sealed – because of the tremendous labor involved do not expect this product to be done until March.
  
• Ground & Formed Jerky: Belgrade Meat Center makes this product from the trimmings of your deer. It tastes the same as strip jerky but has a softer, easier to chew texture. No pork is added, it comes vacuum-sealed and has approximately 50% shrink.
  
• Dried Venison: This is made from the rounds (back legs) of your deer. It is the top of the line in venison! We must receive your meat no later than two weeks after the second season. Do not expect your Dried Venison to be done until February, it comes sliced and vacuum-packed. Expect 50% shrink.

-Bringing in your own trim from home…

We reserve the right to refuse any deer not taken care of properly.

1. Please freeze the trim meat and keep it frozen.
   
2. Don’t use garbage bags; they contain oils that can harm your meat; use ice cream pails or food safe bags.
   
3. ALL deer MUST be accompanied by PROPER LICENSE and REGISTRATION.
   
4. Keep the meat clean, free of hair and bloodshot pieces or it could be refused.
   
5. Remove all deer fat from trimmings. Deer fat does not make sausage, and will only hurt the taste of your finished product.
   
6. Double check your trim for blood, hair, bone chips, and/or slug fragments. If you can’t make it to Belgrade Meat Center immediately, please freeze and keep frozen until you can.

Please wait for our phone call regarding your finished sausage, we will call you the day it is ready. Remember, Belgrade Meat Center processes hundreds of venison orders each year, checking on orders via phone calls only takes us more time and slows the process.