Archers Jerk (how to make jerky - unstringing a deer)

Along with a simple cutting tool, you will need a bone or steel awl.

The trick to making jerky and preserving the natural cordage sinew, is in knowing what areas can be cut broad ways, those that can be shred by pulling the areas that will yeld long sinew strands and those witch can be stewed or just allowed to dry for stew. 

The task is easer while in a garage, cool, and enclosed location. Outdoors, in many cases, mosquitoes are thrashing your face and hands; it is also a race with time to preserve the important meat; grease on the hands will help to keep the bugs off during this time. A small smoke fire has the effect of distracting the bugs as well. 

Keep the quarters cool and dry in shaded breezy areas while cutting the jerky.

Find where the sinew meets the bones and sever . You generally want to follow the sinew strands through the ankle and other joints where they are encased in much shorter sinew "tunnles". Cut over these "tunnles" so the sinew strands can be pulled out.

When the impresive sinew strands and muscles are free from the bones, cut the tangles that bring the muscle and sinew together and generally attach to the bone or joints. The lower legs have muscle that are like small packages which can be separated with the fingers or the help of a few well placed cuts. Pulling them apart will generally follow the long trailing sinew to the end. The awl can also be used to puncture the muscle and long sinew cords, split the sinew fibers and further tear them apart. Be consious of how your touching the meat as this will spread bacteria. 

The flat muscle packs can be pirced from the side and the awl used to tear the packs in half separating the long strands from the shorter; these can then be hung by the sinew. It’s best to stew these packets as, clearly they will finish too short.

Sinew does not digest so if left generally intact it's easier to save and remove once the meat is dry for cooking or other applications. Don't however save every sinew at the expense of saving meat. The briscet and flanks can be torn down, slicing the connective silver skin between the layers. The flanks must be defatted and can be hung in broad, big sheets.

Shredded meat on the sinew can be hung over a stick easily. The sinew will dry tough and not risk mold beneath if as if the red meat was over the wood instead. The thin shredded meat can then dry.

I don't mind sharing but know that small pieces will be stolen by camp bandits (greyjays) so avoid cutting pieces that are too small.

You dont want to worry about removing meat from the strands of sinew while butchering. Just get them into dryable pieces and hung (for the most part), and then clean them when they are dried later.

Its important to remember while harvesting sinew, or cutting jerky in general - practice is required to keep your hands and dirty tools off the sliced meat surfaces as much as you can. The more you touch the surface of the meat, or let it touch a dirty surface, the more likely bacteria and mold will have been introduced to that area; this is also why slicing jerky can actually spread backteira as opposed to tearing it. 

The long, in tact, fresh strands of sinew can be further split by puncturing, putting your fingers in the hole, and pulling apart (with the exception of the "ankle" joint). They can also be further cleaned in your mouth with your teeth and then hung.

Sinew abundant jerky with short strands, and or a few small dried fat bits, can be chewed for the meat or oil then the sinew stored for a broth later; this approach is helpful for small game in particular, like porcupine (which shouldn’t be had unless in real need). Generally, small game can just be stewed  however.

. Even if the sinew wont be used for strings, when jerky is made by drying on the sinew, and care is given to your cuts, you wont be pooping the collegin fibers out or getting them stuck in your teeth when eating the meat later.

 Red meat, and oil conveniently separates from all coligen when masticated.

The leg sinew has disadvantages however compared to other sinews, like the back strap. The leg sinew dispite its look harvested, does not always want to split even; this is due to the fact that the leg sinew, specifically the hind legs, are not actually long independent strands of sinew that are together, but rather tightly connected bunches of short strands.

Be CAREFUL if using your teeth to split the fibers while prepping, it is tempting. BE CAREFUL

This sinew section ("heel") can not be torn appart. This is a messy cutting board.

This leg tendon is poorly harvested if the aim was to preserve all the sinew; however, it shows how the long heel tendon extending to a solitary muscle in the second-from-the-hip bone of an ungulate.

Better to remove, by scrapping. not cutting, the meat from sinew prior to drying. These strands still had  the meat attached.