MAd CoW

WARNING: this post is graphic and contains a story of blood and slaughter.


The cow in still in the trailer.


Neilio climbs a live oak to set a pulley so we can hang the cow overnight, before taking it to the butchers to further age for 21 days and so they can make the cuts we want.


Bleeding the animal before we beginning skinning it.


Aligning the cow on its back to get a perfect center cut for skinning.



we're taking the skin off just like a jacket. cut around the ankle and wrists so to speak, come down the belly and then separate the hide from the fat and meat, trying to keep as much hard earned fat on the animal as possible.


creasy doggie enjoying a leg bone. she didn't quite know what to think of this whole affair, she was a little scared. the bullet to the head, all the blood, she knew something was up...revel in her instinct as a carniverous dog, or hide under the house? she opted to stay under the house most of the time. a few days later though on the deer hunt she appeared to have come into her nature.


the hack saw may seem gross, but opening up a 900 pound animal requires a little more than elbow grease. mr.cooper is cutting right through the brisket in this picture. this is the part we will make the corned beef out of when we get the meat back. all part of our master plan to practice the art of curing meats.


the cowboys came out to help us with this undertaking. jeff is framed here as we begin hoisting the cow into the tree to finish the skinning and take out the organs.


Dee shows us how to tie off the entrails, gut the animal (see the stomach coming out?)and look for the tasty hanger steaks that are attached to the kidneys and often don't come back with the meat from the butcher.


harvesting the tail for ox tail soup (this was really really good by the way. we made a stock with the tail, a rabbit carcass and added in deer meat to the finished product. a delicious, rich, wild adventure.)


halving the animal with a reciprocating saw.


amanda and meat


spreading out the hide before we transported it to the taxidermist for tanning.



cutting the hangers for a feast