venison questions

[Matt85]

as yall know im very new to hunting and i recently took a deer. now i have a freezer full of different cuts of meat (mostly ground venison though).

first question, what cuts are considered the best? id like to know which cuts too hold onto for special occasions.

second, where can i find some simple recipes for the various cuts? i really suck at cooking so complicated recipes are out of the question.

thank you
-Matt

 

[jamesthomas]

Chili has been one of my stand by's, also meatloaf and hamburgers if ya have a bunch of it ground, then there's backstraps which ya cut into medalions an fry. The tenderlions I cover with onions with a bit of Rosemary an Thyme and bake like a roast. BTW, When ya ground your venision it's best to add some beef fat so it does'nt dry out and fall apart when you cook it. I try to get it like ground chuck. Other folks will give you thier reciepes, but I like to make it simple, like back in the day.

 

[jamesthomas]

Oh yea forgot, venision makes a great stew, carrots, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and some water, when tender add some flour to thicken, or your favorite gavy mix. Yumm!

 

[Black Hand]

Backstrap/loin chops are by far the choicest cuts. Sirloin steaks are fantastic too. They should be cooked hot and fast to a rare/medium rare. Simple seasonings - salt and fresh black pepper.

Ground venison can be used similar to ground beef keeping in mind that it is very lean and will be dry if over-cooked. It helps to mix in a little fatty beef or pork to keep it juicy.

It is UNNECESSARY to marinate the steaks. I've seen recipies for marinades that had more ingredients than a kids cereal and times spent soaking that went into days. WHY? The meat tastes like meat and people want it to taste like something else. BARBARIC!

Steaks - cook hot and fast. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
Stew meat - takes about 1-2 hours of simmering to make it tender.
Burger - hot and fast adding some fat. DO NOT OVERCOOK!

 

[necchi]

When it comes to the cut meats it's best served and consumed HOT,
Burger is just burger,,

Backstrap/loin chops are by far the choicest cuts. Sirloin steaks are fantastic too. They should be cooked hot and fast to a rare/medium rare. Simple seasonings - salt and fresh black pepper.

Fried in butter with sliced onion!

Oh Yeah and ,,

DO NOT OVERCOOK!

There's a dozen or so venison recipie's here; http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/138157/

 

[fyrfyter43]

I like to marinate the back straps in a very simple marinade (I use Italian salad dressing quite often) and GRILL them medium rare before slicing it thin.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The loin or "backstrap" is considered the best "cut". They are the muscles that paralel and lie along the spinal column on the outside and inside of the ribs. Please note these are normally cut and packaged with a thin, silvery colored membrane still attached, and this membrane should be carefully slice off, intact, and kept for use as sewing sinew. Otherwise is simply cooks into gristle. If you have steaks, be sure that the butcher didn't leave in a small circle of bone with possibly a piece of marrow. If it was left, remove before grilling or frying.

Venison is very lean compared to farm raised meat, even when that farm raised meat is grass fed. So, venison is eaten rare, or in stews/chili, or with fat added during the cooking process, as otherwise it will become very dry and very tough. Venison fat is not palatable to modern, civilized folks, so when adding fat one usually uses beef or pork fat. Adding fat is something for an additional post, as it is much more than simply laying a few slices of bacon on the top of a roast and hoping for the best. :shocked2:

As to why would one marinate venison, the reasons are simple. As a wild meat, the age of the animal, and the diet of the animal, were uncontrolled during its life. Thus the flavor and tenderness of the animal varies with each beast. In some cases the meat can have odd flavors. Also, depending on who processed the meat, and if they paid attention to removal of bloody bits, that too can taint the meat with an odd flavor. So sometimes a meat marinade will help to cover those flavors, and some marinades will tenderize the meat as well. Venison does not all taste the same depending on what the animal ate in its lifetime. Oh, btw, unless one doesn't use anything when cooking or eating the venison, including omitting salt, using salt is a flavor changing ingredient used to improve the flavor of meat. Grilling is also done to improve the flavor of the meat. :haha: So you may find that salt alone works for you, or you may find you like something in addition to salt, such as a specific method of cooking or a marinade.

LD

 

[Black Hand]

As a wild meat, the age of the animal, and the diet of the animal, were uncontrolled during its life. Thus the flavor and tenderness of the animal varies with each beast. In some cases the meat can have odd flavors. Also, depending on who processed the meat, and if they paid attention to removal of bloody bits, that too can taint the meat with an odd flavor.

Much of this can be avoided with proper meat handling from the beginning.

Firstly, don't "run" your animal.

Make a clean shot.

Once down, gut promptly. Avoid puncturing the bladder or intestines. If you do, clean as well as you can with the water in your pack (You have water, don't you?). Get the trachea out if you can.

Cool quickly. In warmer months, this may mean skinning. Prop the ribcage open with a stick. Fill the cavity with snow. Don't drive around with the animal in the back of your truck to show it off to friends. Not only is it tacky but you may end up with "funky" meat.

Hang 1 or more weeks to age the meat (I age 2-3 weeks depending on temperature). No, your meat will not spoil. Should be kept below 36 degrees F if possible.

Butcher cleanly. Remove fat, gristle and silver-skin. Wrap in plastic-wrap then in butcher paper. Freeze promptly.

I have eaten deer/elk/antelope for years taken in different places eating different diets in different weather conditions and I have NEVER had one taste "Funky" or "Gamey". EVER.

Treat your meat well and it will taste great with nothing on it at all.

 

[Black Hand]

Addendum:
Blood-soaked meat can be soaked in a bowl of water in the fridge. This will remove much of the blood. I'd cook and eat this stuff first.

Any bloody bits around the entry/exit should be trimmed away and discarded.

 

[Black Hand]

My apologies, I meant FREEZER paper not BUTCHER paper.

 

[George]

Hang 1 or more weeks to age the meat (I age 2-3 weeks depending on temperature). No, your meat will not spoil. Should be kept below 36 degrees F if possible.

I had the privilege to hunt mule deer twice in northeastern Nevada, and I got a real education on handling the meat we collected. My friend is a very experienced hunter, and absolutely insists on handling the carcasses properly. The deer were field dressed carefully when down, then hung and skinned as soon as possible to allow quick cooling. At the same time the carcass was carefully trimmed of damaged meat and washed down to remove blood. Once cooled, it was bagged with old sheets, etc., and closed in completely to keep insects off.

We were camped at about 10,000+ feet, daytime temperatures topped out in the 60°-70° range, nighttime lows generally 35°-45°. The carcass was left hanging in its cloth, only, at night, to cool, then wrapped/tied up in old sleeping bags during the day to prevent heating. I was amazed how well that worked. On my second hunt we camped for 17 days, and I killed my buck on day #2, so it hung for 15 days. It was perfect when we butchered it back in Las Vegas, and you could not ask for sweeter, more tender and tasty venison. Western hunters know a thing or two.

Spence

 

[VTdeerhunter]

Matt, first off, congrats on the deer :thumbsup:

As I'm sitting here eating my wifes venison stew for lunch, I'd highly recommed that, also agree with the chili route. Salt an pepper on some steaks, cooked rare on the grill is hard to beat....

But my all time favorite is the liver, here's how I do it;

Clean and slice into 1/2" medallions, dust with flour salt and pepper, set aside for now.

Cook up at least a pound of bacon in a big cast iron pan, I normally do 2 lbs and use the thick cut stuff...do not drain the bacon fat out!!

In another pan fry up a big pile of onions till they are just carmelized

Slice a loaf of fresh crusty bread into sandwich size pieces and butter one side of each.

You need to get all that other stuff ready before you start cooking the liver because you want to eat it HOT!!

With the pan and bacon grease hot, start cooking the liver medallions, remember Do Not Overcook, medium rare, then out of the pan.

Assembly: bread, butter, bacon slice, liver, onions on top....

I know, I know...most people don't like liver, but after cooking it this way for many years, I have made countless converts...just try it and then get back to me :wink:

 

[Black Hand]

Sounds delicious!
May have to give it a try if successful.
Thanks,
Albert

 

[cynthialee]

Burgers: the meat you recieved from Smokey Ridge is 50% beef.
Sausage: this meat is 50% pork.

So the ground products should have enough fat added from the pork/beef to be fine and dandy.

I like to mix a tablespoon of worchestershire sauce and a half of a small onion minced fine to a pound of the venison/beef burgers. Adding a tablespoon of beef fat doen't hurt, but dont tell anyone on a diet as they will have a coniption fit. :wink:

The sasuage works very well in biscuits and gravy. It also goes real good on homemade pizza. Which is pretty easy to make if you get the prepared shells at the market.

Steaks just fry them up. Maybe try some marinades in the market labeled for beef. They tend to work well. Also bbq works rather well in my mind.

Stew: Silly goose, you gave me all the stew meat. :grin: Although cubeing some of that tip sirloin or top sirloin will make an excelent stew.
I posted a stew I made not to long ago here in the cooking forum.

 

[Rev_William]

I'm not sure if it's still in print but the washington (state) cookbook has a lot of wild recipes in it. They have a sweet and sour elk rib recipe that works well with venison as well

 

[cynthialee]

OMG
Matt, I just had some of the back strap for diner and it was absolutely divine!

I marinaded the meat in the following marinade I mixed up myself:

1/4 cup balsamic vineagar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 large table spoon of cornstarch.
Mix it up realy good so the corn starch is disolved.
Marinade the meat for at least 4 hours. 8-12 would be better but I only did for 5 hours.

I served them with mashed purple pottatos harvested from my garden. Sauted/caramalized onions and yellow peppers from my garden. With caned green beans and brown gravy.


I have never had a better venison steak than tonight. Added in the multiple items from my garden this was a homegrown feast. Thank you so much for the steaks.

:thumbsup:

 

[cynthialee]

I forgot to mention the 1/3 cup of vegatable oil in the marinade I made above.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I have eaten deer/elk/antelope for years taken in different places eating different diets in different weather conditions and I have NEVER had one taste "Funky" or "Gamey". EVER.

Then how do you know what "gamey" meat tastes like? :haha:

Hang 1 or more weeks to age the meat (I age 2-3 weeks depending on temperature). No, your meat will not spoil. Should be kept below 36 degrees F if possible.

And if it's not possible? :hmm: The meat will spoil.

Deer season opened down here September 1st. The high tomorrow will be 70º, and the high forecast for the first day of ML deer season, next Thurdsay, is 76º with every day next week hotter than 70º. So trust me, not everybody who hunts the deer can hang the carcass to age. :wink:. Some days it's gut and skin, rinse, butcher, wrap and freeze. The world of deer hunting does not always take place in God's Country (basically any state West of Maryland except for Ќalїfoяnїa is God's Country by comparison.)

LD

 

[Black Hand]

I have eaten deer/elk/antelope for years taken in different places eating different diets in different weather conditions and I have NEVER had one taste "Funky" or "Gamey". EVER.

Then how do you know what "gamey" meat tastes like? :haha:

I had a package that someone gave me. Pretty funky smelling and tasted "skunky".

As to the rest, you can age meat in your fridge. I've placed quarters on baking sheets and kept them at refrigerator temps for a couple of weeks before butchering.

Great meat still starts with how you treat it as soon as it is down.....

 

[Matt85]

i did not age my deer. shot it, dressed it, packed it full of ice, and took it to the butcher.

havent noticed any funny smell or taste yet.