Skinning Knives

[saucisson]

I remember seeing a documentary 20-30 years ago on genuine Eskimoes where they used every bit of every animal even down to bone sewing needles. Just about everything was made/prepared using one of those knives.

Dave

[The Good Life]

All you need is a steak knife or boning knife. Put the meat skin side down and start off using the knife to free a couple of cm of the skin. Then hold the blade angled down slightly push the knife and pull the skin with your hand. With practice you should have one piece of skinned pork and some skin for crackling.

[pokerpete]

Skinners are more for removing hides from animals like sheep and cows which don't have such a heavy layer of subcutanious fat as pigs. I usually just lay the belly skin down on a board and slice it off with a narrow and sharp carver, a drop or two of water or oil helps the blade glide.

I spent a lot of time in abbatoirs, and the hides from the dead hot beast or sheep were torn off after splitting the leg hide. If there was a problem with the hide holding the flesh the dresser would would use his his hiding knife to continue the process of pulling down the the hide without damage.
You must remember that the hides were eventually examined by the fellmonger who looked for consistent quality to supply his customers, who were the tanners.
As far as pigs are concerned, it's a different matter. That's why they have auto re-rinders.

[Fallow Buck]

I think most animals if skinned immediately while still warm the hide wil pull off as pete says. I find this with deer that I skin straight off. However if an animal is hung in the jacket like Fallow, Red or Sika deer then after a week or two the beast is very difficult to skin in this way and a knife is much more necessary.

Incedentally, Roe and Munties and CWD are usually skinned and then hung, or at least that is what I do.

Rgds,
FB

[fatnhappy]

hmmm sausages

Although I have a good variety of Victorinox knives that I use, I have not felt the need to buy the skinning knife. I generally use a thin bladed boning knife to remove the pork skin from a belly or loin. It is effective and I can almost see through the skin afterwards. I keep the knife almost flat with just a slight angle, holding the skin and cutting with an arc type movement.. difficult to explain, but with practise you'll get there.

Regards, Paul Kribs

Using the right tool for the job makes it ridiculously easy compared to a boning knife. I use a russell green river skinner, the blade shape is comparable to the victorinox hmm sausages linked.

[hmmm sausages]

fatnhappy, is that for skinning the rind off belly pork or for taking the hide off wild game you have caught, deer etc?

[fatnhappy]

removing the hide off of deer. I would even dare say, that a good skinning knife works better almost dull. Just my opinion.

[Fallow Buck]

Fatnhappy,

You are right about skinning knives working well when a bit dull.

While in Africa last year I watched a guy skin out an Eland that I had shot with a folding swiss army knife!! This thing weighed nearly 800KG!! It wouldn't cut meat so well but he did a hell of a job on the cape and the hide.

I took the skinners and trackers some pocket knives as presents but the owner of the ranch wouldn't allow them to use sharp knives on hide preparation as he didn't trust them with it!!

A sharp knife will go through the skin rather than take the easier rout separating the fat layer away.

FB

[tristar]

While in Africa last year I watched a guy skin out an Eland that I had shot with a folding swiss army knife!!

Wow FB that must be some Swiss Army Knife! What calibre is it?

[TJ Buffalo]

While in Africa last year I watched a guy skin out an Eland that I had shot with a folding swiss army knife!! This thing weighed nearly 800KG!!

I know I would be impressed to see an 800kg swiss knife, doubly so to see it wielded deftly.

[Wohoki]

Oh, stop being rotten. I know what he meant.

[vinner]

We skin freshly harvested animals by haning by the back legs, and cutting around the tail (etc.!) until we have the skinnjust off the rump Then we put a rock in the loosened skin around the rump, tie one end of a rope around it, the other end to the pickup truck and drive the whole hide off in one piece.

[Fallow Buck]

Tee Hee!!!

If the knife was 800kg then imagine how big the Eland was.... what's my missus going to say when the taxidermy arrives!!!



FB

[tristar]

Hi FB,

I think she would probably say something like "Stuff That!"

[fatnhappy]

We skin freshly harvested animals by haning by the back legs, and cutting around the tail (etc.!) until we have the skinnjust off the rump Then we put a rock in the loosened skin around the rump, tie one end of a rope around it, the other end to the pickup truck and drive the whole hide off in one piece.

I've seen that done, although it was done at the neck instead. The deer was head up, a fold over flap for the rock was skinned off, and the hide was cut down the neck and each of the legs. I've also see it down with a 2 ton hoist at work. Quite impressive.

Hanging deer around here is weather dependent. I like to leave the hide on while hanging so rarely skin while the deer is warm enough to "just pull it off." A skinner is worth owning IMHO.