I tend to be a perfectionist and thus butcher my own game. It isn't hard to do but I am not very fast at it. I like thick cut steaks as I live off my grill. Thicker cuts just seem to cook up nicer and stay juicier.

Pieces of meat I want to use as ground stay in chunks until I thaw them. Simply cubing the meat and putting it into a food processor with a chopping blade gives you very fine quality ground meat in a few seconds.

I also have a vacuum sealer to greatly extend the freezer life of meat. This past hunting season for me netted three whitetail does and two buck pronghorn. I have no need to buy any red meat at the store.

I fish when I can AND I also raise my own chickens and don't buy poultry meat or eggs in the store either. I also grew a year's supply of winter squash (butternut) and oh are they yummy!

Almost 'living off the land' here!