By Scott Leysath
It’s been my experience that most folks who claim that venison isn’t fit to eat have tried a bite or two of meat that was improperly handled in the field, freezer or kitchen. When done correctly, a well-prepared venison dish is incredibly delicious table fare. Many people go to extraordinary lengths to make their wild game taste like something other than game. They will soak it in potent marinades, wrap it in bacon, jalapeno peppers and cheese and declare, “This is great! It doesn’t event taste like venison.” To me, that’s not really a victory. If your venison doesn’t taste great, don’t blame the deer.
The Breakdown
There are a few things that you need to keep in mind prior to putting your game to flame. When breaking down a deer, large hunks of the animal can come in contact with areas outside the cutting board or butcher block, so it’s important to keep the cat hair off the work surface.
1. Keep Everything Clean. It seems like a no-brainer that, when cutting up raw meat, you should keep preparation surfaces clean. I find it somewhat amusing that some people who insist on overcooking their game to make sure that it’s “safe” to eat don’t have a problem wiping their hands off on a bloody rag that’s been sitting around for several hours. There’s always the chance that the rag might have come in contact with some bacteria, maybe some deer feces, not to mention the fact that Junior blew his nose on it when you were on the phone. Keep cutting boards, knives and all prep areas clean and sanitized. A disinfecting solution of 2 teaspoons of bleach per gallon of water works great. You can load it into a spray bottle and, when the job is done, pour it into a bucket and wipe down all surfaces with a clean rag soaked in the solution. Buy a 100-count box of latex gloves and change them often.
2. Knock Out the Fat. (Loosely borrowed tag line from George Foreman.) There have been a few rare occasions when I’ve taste deer fat that wasn’t all that bad, but the trimmed meat without the fat was better. As a general rule, pork fat tastes better than deer fat.
3. And the Sinew. And the silverskin and anything that’s not muscle. It should all be 86’d. It only makes the meat taste tough and unpleasant. It’s OK to use some sinewy scraps in your grinder since the head of the unit will catch most of the funky junk, but trim as much as you can without wasting too much good meat.
4. Big Chunks. I don’t hack my deer into 6-ounce steaks. I’ve found that the meat lasts longer and tastes fresher if I freeze trimmed muscles whole and then cut them into steaks after thawing. Same thing with ground venison. It’s best to freeze a few pounds or more in a vacuum bag and then make them into patties, meatballs or taco meat after it has been thawed.
Pan-Seared Venison Medallions with Balsamic Berry Sauce
I use this recipe to convince skeptics that venison tastes great. The same recipe works great with other antlered game and waterfowl, provided that you don’t overcook it. For me, anything past 140 degrees is overcooked, but that’s my own personal preference. Lean game gets tougher and more gamey as it cooks. For some, the answer is to grind up everything but the loins and tenderloins and make chili, tacos and burgers. Others go the slow-cooker route and moist-cook the meat until it falls apart like pot roast. If you haven’t done so in a while, I’d highly recommend trying just a small bite of a lesser-cooked piece of venison that has been properly aged, seasoned and not cooked past 135 degrees at the center. I mean, really, what’s the worst thing that could happen?
4 servings
2 pounds well-trimmed venison loin
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon berry preserves, any kind
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
1. Season meat evenly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and brown on each side, about 3 to 4 minutes each side, but not past rare. Add rosemary, garlic, wine, balsamic vinegar and plum preserves. Remove meat after 2 to 3 minutes and keep warm.
2. Reduce liquid to a few tablespoons. Whisk in chilled butter until melted. Slice cooked loin into medallions, about 1/4-inch thick. Arrange medallions on plates and spoon sauce over.
In the video, you’ll see my favorite meat man, Levi Pitt, of Kountry Meats in Elk Grove, California showing me how he does the deer breakdown. Pretty basic info that will result in better-tasting deer.
www.SportingChef.com