blueridgelover
Member
One of our hunting friends gave us some venison as a gift. I've found lots of interesting recipes online, but I'm curious about what is tried and true and what isn't. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Tasty recipes for venison?
- Thread starter blueridgelover
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Cappy
Well-Known Member
Cappy & Pegody's World: Deer Meat Sauce Piquante
ONE OF OUR FAVORITE CROCK POT DISHES.
takes a lil prep work but then its set it and forget it.
ONE OF OUR FAVORITE CROCK POT DISHES.
takes a lil prep work but then its set it and forget it.
ppine
Forester
Cook it low and slow, unless you have tenderloin. Add acidic liquid like wine, beer or apple juice to break down the fibers and keep it wet. Tend toward strong flavors and seasoning. Be patient.
blueridgelover
Member
These all sound delicious. Thanks for the tips, everyone. We tried a venison stew in the slow cooker, and it turned out great. Slow and spicy seems to be the trick.
Greatoutdoors
Member
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Campclose that sounds delicious! Sadly, we were not blessed with a deer this year, but I will definitely add that to my recipe folder to use when we do get one.
stm1957
NotMy1stRodeo
Over the years, the way I've cooked venison has evolved. The native big game species where I grew up (Black Hills of SD) was white tail deer. With in easy driving distance mule deer and pronghorns were also readily available. We processed them similar to the way cattle are butchered.... in terms of "cuts"
More often than not, some if not most of the mule deer (and often the white tail deer) "cuts" were disappointing... Especially any steaks not cut from the back-straps. Even when "swissed", they could be dry and gamey.
Now that I live in an area where I can hunt elk and mule deer, and where my mom is no longer the cook, I do things differently: Elk is still processed similar to beef, and to an extent, cooked in a similar fashion.... It is usually just slightly more of a workout for the teeth and jaw, but not bad. With mule deer on the other hand, only the back-straps are cut into steaks (usually thick enough to be butterflied before grilling) and the tenderloins are are kept whole (and again usually grilled).
Every thing else becomes roasts, jerky, salami, stew meat and/ or burger. Burger is usually ~ 80/20 coarse grind with fatback and bacon trimmings. The burger is typically used for chili, taco meat and spaghetti, but usually never "hamburgers".
I typically have the salami, and burger done by a local processor that specializes in these products from wild game.
A few (or most, depending on the year) of the roasts are cut up for jerky; marinated in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, granulated garlic, red chile powder, cayenne, Jack Daniels, and apple cider... and smoked.
Any remaining roasts are marinated in buttermilk for 24 hrs. before cooking. The enzymes and the "saltiness" of the buttermilk break down the connective tissues, start to pre-digest the meat ( I know that sounds kind of gross), and neutralize any rankness or gamey flavor... Often the tenderloins, and steaks from the back-straps get this same buttermilk treatment. Before cooking just wipe (not rinse) them off and season as you see fit. Salt, pepper, and Granulated garlic are a good starting place.
The roasts are seasoned, pan seared, and then go into an enameled dutch oven with onions, carrots, celery, and (as ppine suggested) a sweet acidic braising liquid, or even a dark beer.
Then cover and braise in the oven at 275-300 until tender.
You can also use this same procedure and instead "pressure steam" them in a pressure cooker by using a support trivet to keep the meat elevated out of the cooking liquid. This is the quickest method, and usually renders the most tender results.
If you do happen to have steaks cut from the "quarters" I suggest cutting them into thin-ish strips, then 24 hrs. in the buttermilk marinate , and use them to make stroganoff (my all time favorite and traditionally made in Russia with "venison"), or fajitas.
More often than not, some if not most of the mule deer (and often the white tail deer) "cuts" were disappointing... Especially any steaks not cut from the back-straps. Even when "swissed", they could be dry and gamey.
Now that I live in an area where I can hunt elk and mule deer, and where my mom is no longer the cook, I do things differently: Elk is still processed similar to beef, and to an extent, cooked in a similar fashion.... It is usually just slightly more of a workout for the teeth and jaw, but not bad. With mule deer on the other hand, only the back-straps are cut into steaks (usually thick enough to be butterflied before grilling) and the tenderloins are are kept whole (and again usually grilled).
Every thing else becomes roasts, jerky, salami, stew meat and/ or burger. Burger is usually ~ 80/20 coarse grind with fatback and bacon trimmings. The burger is typically used for chili, taco meat and spaghetti, but usually never "hamburgers".
I typically have the salami, and burger done by a local processor that specializes in these products from wild game.
A few (or most, depending on the year) of the roasts are cut up for jerky; marinated in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, granulated garlic, red chile powder, cayenne, Jack Daniels, and apple cider... and smoked.
Any remaining roasts are marinated in buttermilk for 24 hrs. before cooking. The enzymes and the "saltiness" of the buttermilk break down the connective tissues, start to pre-digest the meat ( I know that sounds kind of gross), and neutralize any rankness or gamey flavor... Often the tenderloins, and steaks from the back-straps get this same buttermilk treatment. Before cooking just wipe (not rinse) them off and season as you see fit. Salt, pepper, and Granulated garlic are a good starting place.
The roasts are seasoned, pan seared, and then go into an enameled dutch oven with onions, carrots, celery, and (as ppine suggested) a sweet acidic braising liquid, or even a dark beer.
Then cover and braise in the oven at 275-300 until tender.
You can also use this same procedure and instead "pressure steam" them in a pressure cooker by using a support trivet to keep the meat elevated out of the cooking liquid. This is the quickest method, and usually renders the most tender results.
If you do happen to have steaks cut from the "quarters" I suggest cutting them into thin-ish strips, then 24 hrs. in the buttermilk marinate , and use them to make stroganoff (my all time favorite and traditionally made in Russia with "venison"), or fajitas.
Last edited:
blueridgelover
Member
Oh, man. All of that looks good! Thank you for the wealth of info! We ate through what we had, but I'm definitely taking our friend up on venison again. He loves making jerky, I'll have to pass this info onto him. Thanks for the thorough reply.
ppine
Forester
Good post by stm. You tell when people have lived on game meat. The secret about elk is out. It can be treated like beef for the most part. So can buffalo.
Venison is really popular in my opinion because it is so easy to get, not because it is the greatest food that God put on the Earth. I would rather eat moose, elk, caribou, bison or antelope instead. The last deer I shot was ground up except for the tenderloin and hams for round steak. Sausage, jerky, and ground venison are fine. Please don't offer a neck roast or even a front shoulder, especially if it has sat around in the freezer for years.
Venison is really popular in my opinion because it is so easy to get, not because it is the greatest food that God put on the Earth. I would rather eat moose, elk, caribou, bison or antelope instead. The last deer I shot was ground up except for the tenderloin and hams for round steak. Sausage, jerky, and ground venison are fine. Please don't offer a neck roast or even a front shoulder, especially if it has sat around in the freezer for years.