beef sinew

[Justin Snyder]

What do you guys think about domestic cattle sinew?  I know it lacks the voodoo juju of wild sinew.  But other than that do you think there is a difference. I have got to butcher a cow.  Justin

[Pat B]

Justin, I have heard that it is very hard to seperate and is very greasy.   Pat

[mullet]

  I heard the same

[DanaM]

Couls always make glue with it, in the wifes crock pot of course

DanaM

[D. Tiller]

Use the backstrap only for bindings?

[a finnish native]

cattle sinew is weak. I mean real weak, because like muscles they evolve depending on the use of it. don't even try it. It's awful

[footfootfoot]

Thread resurrection:

I just got a half dozen beef sinews from my local slaughterhouse. The tendons came from an organically raised free-range beefer and they are strong as hell. I dried them in a food dehydrator for a couple of days at 105f. I whaled the crap out of them to separate the fibers. There was only a tiny bit of fat on them, the sheath surrounding them is very tough. I backed a small Ipe bow with some and made a short piece of cord, about 1/16 in dia. It can support 100 pounds.

Can't say what store bought tendon would be like.

I'll see if I can post pics of the bow.

[Keenan]

Kind of glad to see this thread reserected. I have used elk, deer buffalo and allot of cattle sinew, I agree with foot it is just as strong and I have had no problems with it at all. Sinew is sinew, if it is strong enough to hold a muscle to the bone that is moving a 1500 lb cow through a field is is certainly as strong as the sinew moving a 175 lb deer.
 I believe preparations of sinew, surface and glue used are more of a factor then anything.  In all the bows that I have sinewed I have had one lift off the surface and the was due to lack of surface preparation. That I have never had any fail by breakage.  Also the soak time of sinew and sinew prep (Strands straight and refined) is very important on the amount of shrinkage and reflex that it will put in a bow
 Cattle sinew is easier to get as well. I have had some that seemed slightly greasy but do not know why

[mullet]

 A friend of mine's horse got hit by lightning and he wouldn't let me turn it into stew or hamburger meat, ::)what a waste. So after about a month, and holding my nose I got to cut the, really long leg tendons. Those tendons were long and tough.

[JackCrafty]

The only times I have encountered weak sinew was when the sinew was partially decomposed, partially cooked, or pounded too much when processed.  I always try out any sinew I can get.  My favorite, so far, has been buffalo backstrap but elk backstrap is excellent too.