"So, usually I start by hanging it. I like it to hang without freezing for a minimum of a fortnight, but the closer to a month it hangs the more tender the meat is." He started, talking as he took to removing the left haunch of the beast. "Once its hung, I'll make all different cuts from it. Then, I'll take those cuts and preserve them in different ways. Large chunks that can be roasted I'll freeze and those will be good in the right conditions indefinitely." When he mentioned freezing, he carefully pointed with the hilt of his boning knife to the covered hole in the floor behind her. "Other pieces I will dry and salt, or salt and smoke, and those will last if I keep them dry for upwards of a few months. Smoked and dried meat can last for a few years, even." He said, starting to take the hide off of the leg once it was severed from the body.
"As far as the actual processing, you want to be picky." He used the tip of the knife to show Alys what he was talking about, and tipped the leg so he could show her. "Deer-like animals don't always have very good fats for eating. They get tough and are just all sinew-y. So I cut away most of the fat and render that down over a low fire to make tallow with. I'll sell that to the candlemakers." All of this teaching and conversation was happening while the hunter skillfully worked. He took the fat and sliced it away, setting it aside, and then worked to cut the meat away from the bones and made a pile of it. "With bones, and scrap meat, I either use that to make broth with or sell it to Talyson for his dogs."
