How do I cook venison?

“I was given a number of cuts of venison: roasts and chops, I'm trying to figure out how to prepare them. Tomorrow will be a venison roast dinner. I'm thinking of doing something in the crock pot. Does anyone have any suggestions for me on how to prepare it?”

“Here is a cut and paste from a supurb venison cook:

"I've never cooked venison backpacking - always at home or while car camping. My recipes call for high heat and a well seasoned cast iron skillet, not too convenient when backpacking.

Venison is low in fat and high in collagen, hence tough unless aged and prepared carefully. Store-bought venison is aged, a process which breaks down the collagen in the meat and tenderizes it. To age game venison, store it at least a week at 35 to 45 degrees. It is very difficult to age frozen venison, so age it first, then freeze it.

Never expect venison to be as tender as good beef. The best you can expect from game venison is the tenderness of skinless chicken breast (VERY different flavor though.) Steak cuts should always be taken from the top half of the hindquarters of the animal: backstraps, tenderloin, and upper rump. Reserve the other cuts for stews, roasts, jerky, and the like. But the absolute best part are the tenders (equivalent to the filet mignon in beef.) They are found inside the cavity at the base of the hindquarters. They're about 10 to 12 inches long on a white tail (Muley's tend to be bigger), and about the diameter of a silver dollar. The tenders are also exceptionally flavorful.

Being very lean, venison should be cooked quickly, without puncturing the meat, over medium high heat to sear in the juices. No matter what I cook (steak, roast, stew) I always sear my venison first in a hot skillet with melted butter. And don't over cook! Medium rare to medium at most. The high heat also requires thinner cuts when making steaks - no more than 11/2 to 2 inches thick.

I love to cook and am pretty good at it. But I've had may share of culinary disasters. Take your time preparing and use quality ingredients. My one Chernobyl class disaster resulted from substituting Tang for orange juice, and grape jelly for currant jelly. You don't want to go there.

Here's my favorite venison steak recipe: (its quick too)

1 lb venison steaks, about 1/2 inch thick
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup Marsala wine
3 green onions, chopped

Preheat an iron skillet over medium high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter sizzles, add the steaks, and cook for 3 minutes for rare (4 minutes for medium) on each side. Remove the steaks and place on covered platter.

Add the rest of the butter, lower heat to medium, and saute the garlic and mushrooms (about 3 to 4 minutes). Add the wine and onions and bring to a slow simmer. Put the steaks back in the skillet, cover with the sauce, and simmer another 2 maybe 3 minutes. Enjoy.


Here's a venison roast recipe:

3 lbs venison rump or tenderloin roast
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup dark beer
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped.

Mix all the ingredients well, place in zip lock bag with the venison and marinate in the refrigerator for a full day. Turn the bag over at least once during the marinating.

The next day, pre heat an iron skillet over medium high heat. Remove the venison from the zip lock bag, pat dry, rub some salt and pepper onto the outside of the venison, dust with flour, melt 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet, and sear the venison on all sides quickly in the skillet. Place seared venison in a covered roasting pan and place pan in 400 degree oven. Use a meat thermometer to determine doneness - about 120 degrees internal temp for medium rare. About one hour. But don't rely on time. Each deer seems to be different and different species of deer definitely cook differently. Always use a meat thermometer. (I believe the cooking time difference within a species of deer stems from the age of the deer you bagged. The older the deer, the longer it seems to take to cook. But this is just a personal observation. I have no data to back it up.)

Here's a high class European-style venison roast recipe. It's a lot of work, but worth it to impress someone, even if its just you and your mate.

3 to 4 lbs venison tenderloin roast
1/4 lb peeled chestnuts

Marinade:
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (the orange outer part of an orange peel, NOT the white part of the peel)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground star anise
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig fresh thyme

Mix the marinade and place venison and marinade in ziplock bag and marinate a full day. Turn the bag over a few times while marinating.

Take a 1/4 lb of peeled chestnuts, break them up into smaller pieces, and spread onto a baking sheet. Place the chestnuts in a warm place overnight to age them. (a gas oven with a pilot light works well)

Chop the nuts into 1/4 inch pieces. Don't use any smaller pieces or powder.

Remove the venison from the marinade, pat dry, rub with salt and pepper, and then dust with flour. Beat one large egg into a big bowl. Dip the dusted venison through the egg. Now firmly press the chestnut pieces all over the venison, covering it completely. (If they won't stick, try re-dusting and re-dipping the venison.) Cook in a preheated 425 degree oven. Use a meat thermometer to determine doneness - about 120 degrees internal temp.

This is a classy meal but can go wrong. Practice on your family first before inviting guests.


For more venison recipes check www.riflesandrecipes.com where you can order some GREAT game cookbooks.

Hope this was helpful.

KenV."

I have tried his marinaded venison roast recipe and it is good.”

“I have cooked alot of venison over the years. I'm going to post my marinade recipe for you if you want. For a venison roast if it is real lean you will need to add some other type of fat and stock to it in order for it to really 'roast" and not be gamey tasting or dry. I like to wrap a venison roast in bacon strips and skewer it to the roast with toothpicks or stainless skewers. Get you some onion, potatoes, carrots, celery, and some McCormicks roast seasoning like you'd use on roast beef. Shake that over the whole thing. Add some chicken or beef stock. Place it in a roasting pan at 350 for 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs. Check it about halfway done. Just peep in at it.
Make sure its not getting the veggies too done. Or if you want to slow cook it all day in the crock pot..... that works great too. Next post will be the marinade recipe. I'll make it separate.”

“ruby... I kinda roast it like dana I guess...only difference is that I soak it in buttermilk for a while and don't use the mcCormick seasoning. the longer you soak it, the more it looses the game taste. I soaked mine overnight once and it almost tasted like beef. so if you like the game taste...just soak it for a couple hours.

also good is to marinade it in vinegar and allspice. (kind a like the german sauerbraten) It's really good if you like the sour taste.

you have to watch it. Don't overcook or it will turn dry.”

“Deer meat is very 'dry'.
My Mom always cooked small pieces in a heavy cast iron frying pan and made a thick gravy with it.”

“Yes, please do, danababy. I'd love your marinade recipe.

Thanks, prosecutor. You're always good with the recipes.

I am a little worried about the gaminess and the leanness of the meat. I have memories of my mom's venison cooking and it's not good. This particular venison that I have was butchered and frozen a few months ago after being smuckered by a truck. Too late to age it I guess.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a food thread icon?”

“But here is a venison marinade that is basic and can be dressed up to suit you. Its hard to ruin.

Adolphs Meat Marinade Steak Flavor Powder--Take the cap off and use it to measure one level capful of the powder
Mixed with 2/3 Cup cold water
add to this 1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 Cup molasses
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
pepper to taste
A1 Steak Sauce

Marinate the chops, loins, or whatever cuts you like in this from morning til evening.
15 min. minimum... and 8 hrs max for tougher or thicker cuts

The base of this recipe is the marinade powder, the water, and the oil. Once you've got that... you can flavor it up to suit you.”

“ruby if you're really worried about the game taste...then please do lay it in buttermilk overnight.

Really trust me on that one! my husband complained that it did taste too much like beef....

then after the buttermilk..just marinate however you like.”

“Ruby, if trying this out doesn't work too well..... don't write venison off completely. Anyone can tell you that if venison is not properly butchered... it is not going to be good no matter how a cook you are. I'm from the mtns. in Va. The "Just Eat whats put in front of you" generation. I've only balked on a few things frog legs and squirrel. We never knew what Maw was gonna have on that table, but most of what she cooked was good. Squirrels were just too cute to eat so I'd cry.”

“ewww dana, my hubby eats squirl too. My kids eat it too over grandmas. I refuse to cook it.

cute and a rodent.”

“Thanks, Gem! I will use your buttermilk tip. Now do you use real buttermilk? Or can I use my fake buttermilk (whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice)? I might soak it all day tomorrow in the buttermilk, then marinade it another day in a marinade, then cook it on Thursday night.

You guys are the best!”

“hmm...I am not sure about the fake buttermilk. have never tried it. I normally buy the real fat stuff!”

“Nah, real buttermilk is not high in fat. Use the real stuff.”

“only ate squirrel once, at a friends house and I didnt want to offend her parents, but other than that, no rodents for me thank you.

my mom used to soak the venison in saltwater, it usually turned out good. someone up there was right about proper butchering making a huge difference. soaking in buttermilk sounds like the way to go and I bet that marinade turns out really good.”

“We get a whole deer every year, can't beat free meat. We love the McCormick's Montreal steak seasoning - shake on while grilling.

Take off as much of the fat as you can, if you are a slow eater - once it cools the fat turns into a paste on the roof of your mouth that doesn't taste that good and is impossible to remove!

If you gotta have that beef flavor in your tacos or burgers, then mix half ground beef and half ground venison. You'll get the flavor with much less overall fat.”

“Marinate the meat overnight in bourbon.

Roast with a few lemons and limes.

Baste with single malt scotch.

Just before serving, douse with Jack Daniels.


Throw the hunk of meat away and drink the gravy.”

“When people talk of having gamey or tough venision, 99% of the time it is because of the treatment the poor critter received between the time it died and the time it made it into the freezer. Beef would taste like crap too if it spent many, many hours riding around in the back of a truck or laying on the floor of the local "processor" waiting for its' turn to get cut n' wrapped.

Once that deer is down for the count it should start getting cooled off immediately. Get it cleaned out and cooling down. If it's hot outside, get it in pieces and into a cooler. If it's cold outside opening the cavity to that cold air will be sufficient.

The aging versus not aging controversy will continue for eternity. I'm from the no-aging camp. During the aging process lots of moisture is lost from the muscle tissue. Venison can ill afford to lose any more moisture lest it gets tougher faster when it's cooked. The point of aging beef is too remove moisture and concetrate flavors, and it woorks well with a very fatty meet like beef. Not so with ultra lean venison.

Venison is seriously good eats if it's taken care of immediately. Unfortunately there's no help for it if it gets mistreated before it ever hits the freezer.

Second most common reason people don't like venison is that it is WAAAY over-cooked. Anything beyond medium rare is too much. Vension doesn't have fat marbled into it like prime beef. Once the moisture (water) is cooked out of it you might as well throw it away, it'll be tougher'n maple planking.

Marinades are venison's best friend. I like a basic marinade of good olive oil, some light soy sauce, and a few spices of your choice. My choice for the spices are coarse salt, fresh pepper, a few red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. Montreal seasoning blend is also very, very good.

Techntrek was also right about removing the fat from the venison, too. It's a bit strong and really serves no purpose in keeping the meat moist. Deer's fat forms a layer over the muscle groups, but doesn't marble into the muscle like in beef. The fat layer will pull right off, you don't even need a knife.

Low in fat, low in colesterol, high in protein, and awesome flavor. What's not to like?

Ordin”

“Why would you want to cook a Venusian?”

“I had venison just the other night. Nothing fancy, I just dredged the steaks through some flour, and threw them in the frying pan with olive oil and a little crushed garlic. Since they had been sliced rather thin, I only cooked them 3-4 minutes. They were delicious and had absolutely no gamey taste. I think this may have had to do with their diet. This particular meal had long enjoyed a local farmers field, stuffing himself with corn and soybeans. He was very tasty and turnabouts fair play.”

“Put the venison roast in the crockpot and add one can of condensed cream of mushroom soup.

That is it. No other seasonings. No marinating.

You can thank me later.”

“That's the recipe my mom suggested, Miss Anne.

I have a feeling this isn't the best cut or has been handled well. I know it took quite a number of hours for the guy who hit the deer to get the proper tags/permission from authorities to be able to bring it to the processor. When I looked the hunk o' meat over last night, it appears to be from the rib section. There's mucho bone in it.

If this particular roast doesn't work, I shall try again with another cut another time. Thanks for all your advice.”

“Mmmmmm, venison.”

“I vote for the crock pot if the cut is questionable. I like the taste of wild game so I don't soak it or marinate it.

My last package of moose meat was ribs, and the guy who gave it to me said they were awful - fatty and the meat was tough. I put it in the crock pot, poured in a bottle of BBQ sauce, added water to cover and let it go all day. It was very good, but it was even better when I warmed it up in the oven with summer squash cooked with butter and brown sugar.”

“Miss Ruby, venison ribs aren't worth the effort it takes to cook them, unless you've found a way to eat bone. There just isn't any meat on them to speak of.

Deer are little critters in comparison to cows. Everything is scaled down proportionately. Little ribs and less meat on them.

Another way that we really enjoy venison is to cook a roast with some root veggies. We use potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and rutabega. Add a little chicken stock to the bottom of the roasting pan before cooking and cook the whole thing tightly sealed.

Ordin”

“Prosecutor nailed it.”

“Another crock pot vote if you have ribs.

3 choices to remove the gaminess.
Cut up two of whole lemons and an orange, rind included.

or cut up a couple of parsnips (look like white carrots) and toss them in.

Or a few whole tomatoes cut into quarters.

All work, but impart different flavors to the stew. Try them both and see which you like the best.

all other veggies etc as normal for the crock pot.

Roasting ribs would be super gamey.

When I roast, (mainly rump) I grease Alum foil with butter and garlick, wrap the roast completely but add a glass of red wine before closing and cook slow 250-300 for 3-4 hours. It comes apart with a fork. While waiting I can drink the rest of the wine.

Backstraps are steaks, cast iron pan, seared both sides on almost dry pan, little wine to complete the cooking.

I never plan anything far enough ahead to marinate.”

“One of my favorits is to cook it like pulled pork.

Smoke it on a smoker or on a grill and then simmer it in a good barbecue sauce. It comes out tender and not dry at all. Be sure to find a good marinade to soak it in and baste it with while you're smoking it.”

“Good recipe, but you actually have to be the one who "harvests" the deer and you have to do a little butchering yourself. We always process everything except the hamburger, summer sausage, etc.
Anyway, take the tenderloin out ASAP, put it in the fridge till you eat dinner. Marinate w/ your favorite steak marinade for 30 minutes or so, butterfly it, put jalepeno slices and garlic cloves inside, then wrap in bacon in a way so that you can cut it into medallions w/ each medallion having a single piece of bacon. Grill it like a pork tenderloin. Don't over cook it, medium to medium rare is best. It's as good as any steak I've ever had. Just remember the fresher the better.”

“Anyway, take the tenderloin out ASAP, put it in the fridge...

Fridge? It's never made it to the fridge anytime I've gone hunting. Normally it goes right on the grill as soon as it's cut from the deer.”

“HeII, a shoe would taste good if you cooked it with these recipes.”

“I've had alot of luck soaking large cuts in apple juice overnight. It seems to tenderize as well as give the meat a good flavor.”

“I haven't read the thread and just want to add my 2 pennies' worth.

I like to use a moist cooking method, but prefer not to use a crock pot as I think that game of all kinds tastes like liver when it's over cooked.

For a roast, I put it on a grate in a roasting pan, pour in a tin of beef stock, cover and cook at 325°F for 20 minutes a pound. You can also put a packet of onion soup over it.

The lazy thing is to make a five pepper or bordelaise sauce from Knorr.

I cook ducks and geese like that as well, adding chicken stock.

Chops make great goulash, but I cook them chasseur. This is a little difficult to explain if you're not accustomed to French 'cuisine bourgeoise'.

Slice onions and mushrooms and smash a clove of garlic and cook them in the casserole on top of the stove in butter with a touch of oil. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Brown lightly foured chops on both sides. Pour in enough beef stock to cover add the onions and mushrooms, add thyme. Cook for about 35 to 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and thicken by stirring in a small tin of tomatoe paste - Italian tomatoes, not the Fisher Price ones.

Set chops on a serving plate and pour everything over them.

Serve with boiled potatoes and green beans and a robust red wine.”

“Dang! twigeater's version sounds great!”

“IF its not a good cut of meat the best way I have found to make it tender is to soak in in pepsi or coke overnight. Next day put meat in foil and add dales sause, beer, seasoning, butter and some of the coke stock. Wrap tightly in the foil. You don't want any steam to escape. Put in the oven on low heat (about 275) for about an hour (longer for roast) take this out of foil and put on a hot grill to sear the meat and retain all the jucies. I also do this with a old tough deer. No need for a knife you can cut it with a fork.

BAMA”

“speaking of wild foods...last I night I had fresh fiddleheads sauteed in olive oil and garlic and white perch fillets that a friend of mine caught. YUM!”

“I didn't have buttermilk, otherwise I would have used that to soak it. Since then I have learned that I could have achieved the same effect by soaking in milk.

I didn't have any pre-packaged rubs, so I generously sprinkled season salt and onion powder all over the whole roast and put it on the crock pot. Then I mixed 2 cups of beef stock, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of golden mushroom soup together and poured it over the roast.

A few hours later as I walked into the house I was met with the smell and I hated it. I could smell the gaminess and considered ditching the whole thing, but I was too cheap to do that. So I waited. After it had crock potted for eight hours or so, I took the meat out, which was now falling off the bone, and took out all the bone, gristle and fat. I put the gravy in the fridge for an hour so the fat came to the top and was easy to skim off with a couple slices of bread.

Then I dumped the chunks of meat back into the pot with the yummy gravy. Cooked up wild rice and added to the meat and gravy. Sauteed onions and mushrooms and dumped those into the mix as well. Simmered for another half hour or so.

Oh my gosh!!!!! It was so outstanding!!! There was no fat, no gamey taste. It was tender and moist and out-of-this-world delicious. Can't wait to have another bowl for lunch today. I'm wondering if I had a dehydrator if I could turn this into a trail meal.

So thank you all for your recipes and suggestions. I look forward to trying them all.”

“Sounds yummy!
I love deer meat, especially the heart.”

“Looks like venison chops are on the menu tonight in the lumberzac household. I'm thinking of using a spice rub.”

“Yack...Barf...Grose!!...etc so forth and so on!!”

“Tell us how you really feel about venison.
;-)”

“I no like wild meat!”

“You prefer your meat raised in an intimate barn, just it and 10,000 of its closet friends, all on hormones and antibiotics, wallowing in filth then slaughtered in more filth and wrapped up in a "happy meal"?

:p

This is fuego, yes?

:D”

“who got their deer, zac?”

“It’s actually left over form last year. I need to make room for the new meat I should be getting some time this week. Both of my cousins shot deer a few weeks ago muzzleloading.

I made up some jerky last night form one of the new deer.”

“I love Venison jerky, especially if its spicy.”

“Venison or elk are both good sauteed with caramelized onions, then add chopped tomatoes, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a big splash of either marsala or tawny port, as long as it's sweet. Yummers.”

“Lumber I find that introducing a heat source that will raise the internal temperature of the meat significantly will result in a "cooking" of sorts.

Try a hunter type sauce....a couple of ideas for tough meat. Try cutting up some tomatoes and placing them in the cooking pot.”

“Bear...I suppose it does seem that way. To be honest I would like to not eat meat but I'm not there yet.”

“Forget fuego, this whole thread is inneundo.”

“yeah dayhiker but not as blatant as the two bags thread - that thread has taken on a life all its own”