Podcast Episode 159: Butchering and Cooking Big Game Front Shoulders
Justin and Adam dive deep into their first official cooking-by-cuts episode to discuss the whole front shoulder. They chat about shot placement to save meat, the anatomy of the front shoulder, butchering techniques, culinary nuances, melting collagen, braising, smoking, roasts, and so much more!
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Show Notes:
The Front Shoulder
Commonly destroyed
Shot placement and damaged meat
Resources for shot placement
Onx has a good article about shot placement.
Organ location
Texas heart shot and headshots
The versatility of the front shoulder
The butchering walkthrough
The Scapula, Humerous, (elbow), Radius, and Ulna
Removing the hide
Adipose tissue
Being careful around specific cuts
Removing the front quarter from the carcass
Hooves, feet, and trotters
The foreshank
“Shanks and Praises”
The arm roast, clod roast, arm chuck steak, swiss steaks
Blade roast
Flat iron
Mock tender
Thinking about ways to use the cuts
Description of collagen to gelatin process
Grinding the whole shoulders
The lean muscle can be overcooked easily
Braising, slow cooking, and smoking
Pork-based cuts vs Beef-based cuts
Justin’s Whole Roasted Pork Shoulder
Using other fats to help moisten
Mop sauce
Larding and Barding
Braising
Fitting the meat in the pot
Fond
Cooking until shreddable
Reducing the braising liquid into a sauce
Big bold flavors
Cool liquids
Sous vide and reverse sear or shred
Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
Jerked Deer Shoulder Recipe
You don’t always need fancy equipment for cooking
One shoulder break down and one shoulder kept whole
Deboned, rolled, tied, and braised roast
