butchering the cow this week I realized I don't have a gambrel big enough I figure she was about 800 pounds lost a lot of weight getting her gut out and I figure about 4-450 of actual meat and bone hanging

not really an issue on salvage animals I hang them by their head and work them down the middle of the back I am not keeping the hide on these typically and more importantly I want that but full of diarrhea to stay down and not get on any of my meat . if I get a salvage animal generally because it has a hernia , Johnes , or twisted stomach or something like that most of them come with a tail full of ick. I get enough ox tail helping around the farm given to me I didn't save this one.

now that I am getting fairly good at these salvage animals I am thinking of buying a few as I get low on meat if that ever happens.

this hunters specialty Gambrell looks to be decent , I am wondering if 21 inches of spreader bare is enough https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1007955076?pid=189999

I measured the one I made in high school that does very nice for deer and will probably work well for hogs also my spreader bare is 17 1/2" which makes me think i am going to want to go bigger for beef than 21"

I have been thinking about making one but I can hardly even touch materials for 13 dollars to buy a ready made one rated to 1500 pounds.

the commercial production gambrels seem to be 30-36 inches I suppose they are also for full grown beef at 12-1400 pounds or even an old bull going over that they are also a chunk of change

If I made one I think I would make it so that it was adjustable and strong enough to hang about anything on , and have bolts to move hooks in or out to do any animal.
I am probably good for hogs using my deer gambrel.

what are you using ?

what are your thoughts ?

Gambrel size depends on how your hanging, If you are quartering a large single hook or narrower gambrel works. If sawing in half and hanging wider is better. Gutting on the ground helps also, open up and roll out. then hoist up to finish the chest and clean up.

Dad always used an old single tree.

I quartered this time , and do quarter most things salvage or deer we are not supposed to cut spines on deer because of CWD so I bone them out.

beef ,pigs and sheep I don't mind cutting the spine or bones

I typically cut around the anus then pull it through with the gut or squeeze the intestine clear for a ways cut it and let the anus go out the back end and the gut out , hanging from the head

with the forks on skid steer and the key always in , when I am on the farm I am welcome use the ski steer any time it is not in use moving bales or other farm work it even has lights as I am often doing this in the dark , because of work

single trees seem to vary in width from about 24-36 inches

I will look around and see what I can come up with

I don't know if there is a gambrel big enough to do a beef. When we farm kill, we use 2 single meat hooks, each on a short length of chain, and secure each one to sides of the bucket of the front end loader.
When you split and quarter the critter, you don't have to worry about the seesaw effect of a gambrel and the one side falling off. Each side is independent.

Especially when it comes to splitting the beast, you want those legs apart to help the cut open as you get down to the longer finger bones in the rib section.

mainly use the forks so I am likening the single hook idea one for each fork the forks are typically a lot cleaner than the bucket thanks

We did in our beef here about a month or so ago. Dressed at 900 lbs. Huge steer. Was all we could do to get him high enough to get the head off.

But then after splitting, we backed a wagon underneath, dropped a front quarter and moved to a hook to hang, came back for other front quarter, then lowered and did each hind quarter.

I know a thing or 2, because I've done a thing or 2....

well that is how we learn

when I did this one last Friday I had it hanging by the neck on a logging chain raising and lowering as I needed with the forks climbing in and out of the skid loader then putting the parking break on that disables the controls work in the light with my head lamp on I for the hind quarters on the fresh snow on my trailer and cut them loose with the sawzall and a 12 inch blade.

then split the 2 sides with the sawzall

cut the brisket off

then took off the shoulders

then took all the ribs out with the saw and laid them in the fresh snow on the trailer , and finally with the the spine and head the only thing left cut the spine free from the head and laid it on the trailer temp was 0 drove it to my garage and it is all hanging from the rafters by clean new uncoated bank line 8 pieces.

not ideal but what I had to work with.

temp has gotten up to 40 this week a few times but the garage stays colder and the steaks I cut last night were still frozen in the middle

Won't get detailed- but we knock the beef in a clean area, then bleed them. Next, we move the animal to where we have some blocking set up where we can roll it on it's back and support it. Then it's feet removal and beginning of skinning process down to about midline or farther on the sides. Hooks are put through the tendons on the back legs and lifting started.

Now the rounds can be further skinned, the bung cut and dropped inside, the tail removed.
As it's lifted higher, the skinning continues down the back, with the weight of the hide helping to aid in the skinning.
By the time is almost fully up the hide is almost all removed, the evisceration process happens, head removed.
Surprisingly, even though is done in the door yard of the barn, it comes out very clean.

We split with a sawzall as well. Just have to understand and respect the limitation of the saw.

On hanging, if possible, we leave it hang in "side form" as long as possible. If rigor can set in before we move it, all the better. Easier to handle (not flopping all around), and the muscle structure holds up better- steaks, roasts, etc don't droop or sag, messing up the quality. If we could, we would hang over night, then quarter or primal in the morning.
All depends on end products desired. If you're grinding it all, doesn't matter. If you want the top cuts made, structure really helps.
Won't get into the whole fight over aging, but been doing this for over 40 years and we cut it and freeze it as soon as possible. Worked in the industry for years, did the math, did the research... The meat we cook and eat is fall apart tender. I put it in the freezer as soon as its ready.

thanks , good info



the vet was coming back the night I dispatched to inspect the gut

dispatched it in the squeeze chute it was already in there for vet inspection blead

gutted

and hung over night at 0 I didn't skin the first night because I can't have exclusive use of the tractor or skid loader and time the next day when they needed to move bails they laid the cow down on her side in fresh snow

I was surprised she wasn't froze up solid 24 hours later it was sunny and 5 degrees that black hide may have helped , but good and cold still

I am not hung up on aging but time and supplies were also factors being my first beef and no notice. so I figured it would not hurt

they do come out very clean.

Good info