Venison Recipies

[TimH]

I was wondering if anyone on the board knew of any good venison recipies.

[enginelessjohn]

Venison is good pretty much regardless of what you do to it. As a steak is great, but remember not to over cook it! If you've smaller chunks of meat, I'd stew (or casserole) it in red wine.... Yummy

Braise the chunks of venison in a pan with some coarsely chopped onions, until browned, then pour in red wine, doesn't matter if its good quality or not, so that the meat is covered. Take half a teaspoon of cornflour per person, disolved in about a shot glass of water. Pour this in to thicken the sauce. Throw in a bouquet garnet tea bag, and some mushrooms if you fancy, bring to a gentle simmer, and leave well alone for an hour and a half. Serve with mashed potatoes and veg of your choice.

Cheers
John

[Wally]

A friend of my takes the back straps, cuts them into 6" straps or so, wraps them in bacon and cooks them on the grill while dousing them with tabasco sauce occassionally. Very simple, and extremely tasty.

[Wolverine]

If dealing with venison tenderloin, keeping it simple is the best approach. Most often I prefer pan-frying them in unsalted butter, seasoning only with salt and pepper.

However, if you'd like something more elaborate, IMHO, this recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_12867,00.html) is the most enjoyable I've ever made.

The only thing I do differently is substitute regular (white) fresh mushrooms for the shiitakes, which I feel are slightly overbearing for venison's delicate flavor.

Be advised: it takes a little time to suitably reduce the sauce in that recipe to a desirable consistency. As a result, it will behoove you to slightly undercook the venison medallions, add them to a platter and transfer to a warm oven to hold. Otherwise, especially if you're using thinly sliced medallions, they'll either cool off at room temperature or heat slightly more in a warm oven, upsetting their texture.

For best results, I recommend serving with a nice pair of sides such as wild rice or pilaf, and french cut green beans or asparagus. Nice pinot noir on the side and some quality bread will put the cherry on the sundae.

Bon appetit.

[Wolverine]

I should have added above: if not dealing with backstrap, you basically have two options: stew, or jerky. :wink:

[TimH]

Thanks all

[pumpkinpie]

I should have added above: if not dealing with backstrap, you basically have two options: stew, or jerky. :wink:

I disagree. The ground venison is *great* as a beef substitute. It's very very lean when browned. Use it for tacos, sloppy joes, or my personal favorite--in a chili! enginelessjohn--I'm going to try your red wine recipe soon! My dad's a hunter, so I always have a freezer full of venison. Personally, I don't care for the steak very much. But maybe I just haven't had it done right!

[Wolverine]

The wink was just denoting sarcasm, mere food snobbery on my part. :D

Venison sausage is nice too, in addition to what you mentioned above -- I'm just quite partial to what I detailed previously.

[Gramma loreto]

I love game all sorts of ways but my favorite specialty is curried venison stir fry. My recipe (not written down) varies with each preparation.

If using backstrap or tenderloin, you can cube it to make succulent chunks. Other cuts are best made thinly (about a 1/4") on the bias.

Marinate the meat (the longer the better) in your favorite curry spice, a pinch of sugar, and enough soy sauce and dry sherry in equal parts to just wet the meat. I turn with a fork occasionally if marinating for a long time. Quickly stir fry the meat in a very hot wok and set aside. Don't try to cook too much at one time or it will steam rather than sear.

Veggies used in the stir fry are largely personal preference. The staples I usually include are onion (yellow or scallions), carrots, and sweet bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow). I'll also include something like broccoli, bok choy, zuchinni, water chestnuts, etc., as the mood strikes me. These are stir fried with some grated ginger and lightly steamed in the wok, in the order appropriate to the veggie.

Return the meat to the wok, then add a little soy sauce and water/corstarch slurry to make a bit of a sauce/glaze.

If curry isn't your thing, I've also been known to make an orange and ginger venison stir fry. Just change the marinade...orange zest, fresh grated ginger, crushed garlic, soy sauce, sherry, and a pinch of sugar. Choice of veggies are yours but to my taste, broccoli, zuchinni, carrots, and onion complement the marinade better.