How do I cook venison?

“I did mess that one up for sure.”

“Well I should have known I was treading on thin ice using the phrase "spice rub" with this crew.”

“I personally like to chase it down and kill it.”

“I don't really like the gamey taste of deer when they munch on things like bark & acorns. However this all changes with deer that have raided corn fields. Supposedly they are not supposed to be able to digest corn (like my mountain laurel) but it makes a world of difference in taste.”

“i was a vegetarian for 8 years... very strict. thank god i saw the light. now if it moves i pretty much eat it. cooking is optional and generally for health reasons. there really is no reason not to eat meat, when you get right down to it.”

“I've had elk & bison burgers in Montana. Cooked on a big spit in my friends backyard. Montana Rawks!”

“The way to rid any wild meat of the gamey taste is to remove all fat from the meat before cooking it.”

“Blood is what gives wild game that gamey taste. If you get the blood out you get the wild taste out. Soak it, soak it again and then soak it some more.”

“"Domestic" game has no blood?”

“Well I ended up making a bbq sauce consisting of soy sauce, red pepper powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cracked black pepper, liquid smoke, and ketchup as a solidify. I marinade the venison for about 1.5 hours. It came out pretty good, but I used too much soy sauce (it was too salty); I’ll probably cut the soy from it completely next time.”

“MMMmmm soy sauce. Any left overs?”

“Left overs? What are those?
;-)”

“Venison that tastes "gamey" has not been processed correctly. Avoid the bones, fat/tallow and innards when processing and you should have some of the best tasting venison around regardless of what the animal ate on a daily basis.

The only gamey tasting venison I've eaten (I still enjoyed it) were processed like pigs or cattle.
last edited: 10/31/06 7:52:49 PM”

“Try soaking the meat in milk over night. It will remove the game taste. Saturday is the Minnesota deer season opener. Looking to put some venison in the freezer!
last edited: 11/01/06 8:28:03 AM”

“Shade I heard that about Shark too. I usually can count on some ground venison for jerky sometime in the year.”

“Everyone has a method, so here's mine. Can it. This removes the gameiness; makes it moist and tender. Add a little rosemary or your favorite spice(s) during the canning process and you have a great treat. All you gotta do is heat it up at meal time.”

“I've never had venison that's gamey. We process it ourselves, right away. It's also farm deer (although we see them in the oak grove and swamp more than anywhere else)”