Published: January 30, 2008 10:20 am      

A Hunter's Cuisine

Deer hunting season may be over, but the time for preparing a variety of venison-based meals is just beginning.

While many hunters love the process of preparing for and making the kill, fewer people love the taste of venison. Some hunters choose to donate the deer meat to Share the Harvest, a program to feed the hungry. But other hunters and processors say they wouldn’t trade their venison for beef and that the problem could be cooks aren’t working with the wild game’s natural flavor.

Scott Graham, a Carthage, Mo. hunter, said he shoots one deer a year, but the meat only lasts his family three to four months because they love venison’s versatility.

“It is absolutely so good,” Graham said.



Make it moist

One of the most common mistakes Graham said people make when cooking venison is not compensating for the meat’s natural leanness.

To make sure venison burgers and steaks don’t end up dry and chewy, Graham adds a little beef fat to his venison when he has it processed. The problem, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, is that deer don’t store fat throughout their muscle tissue like most domestic animals. Instead they store it in their body cavities and under their skin.

“If it’s on the grill, I wouldn’t cook venison more than medium, and it’s the best at medium-rare,” Graham said.

Cooks can wrap steaks and tenderloins with bacon strips to add moisture, or Graham recommends cooking the meat in liquid. That technique can mean venison goes into anything from chilis and soups to smothered steaks.

The conservation department also suggests a bread crumb and chopped nut crust, or a garlic and salt pack can be used to keep moisture in when cooking venison on the grill or in the oven.

Andy Cloud, production manager of Cloud’s Meats in Carthage, said venison is a 99 percent lean meat, so mixing other, fattier meats with venison in summer sausage and snack sticks is helping spread the cheer of deer meat to an expanded community of people.

“We call them value-added products,” Cloud said of the sausage mixes. “By adding something little, you make it useful to the family. We’ve really found our niche with these with urban hunters.”

Cloud said his business processed more than 1,400 deer last year.



Got gamey?

The other large criticism venison frequently gets is a “gamey” flavor, Cloud said.

But a lot of that undesirable flavor is preventable. Cloud said one of the most important factors of a deer’s flavor is how the animal is handled as soon as it is killed. He recommends immediately rinsing the deer’s insides out with a garden hose.

“Otherwise, it’s kind of marinating in things that you don’t want to eat,” he said.

Graham recommends taking the deer to be processed immediately, but Cloud said there is less urgency if the temperature outside is 40 degrees or less.

“Some guys drag the deer around town for a couple days showing it off before they take it to be processed,” Graham said. “But you wouldn’t do that with a cow.”

The conservation department said the meat of an older male will have a stronger flavor than a young doe, and deer killed during mating season will taste gamier from the stress of the season. But they recommend a wine or vinegar-based marinade to help diminish the flavor.

Venison can be stored in a home freezer at 6 degrees or below for at least nine months, according to the department.

Graham shared his recipe for Swiss venison steak, which he said he learned from an elk guide in New Mexico. He said his teenage daughters love it.



Swiss venison steak

• 1 venison tenderloin, sliced into steaks

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 bell pepper

• 2 white onions

• 1 large can of V-8 juice

• 2 cans stewed tomatoes

• Garlic powder

• Lowry’s seasoning salt

• Ground black pepper

• Olive oil



Slice the bell pepper and onions into rings, sauté in olive oil. Remove from pan. Tenderize the tenderloin with a mallet. Set aside. Combine milk and beaten egg in a bowl. Add tenderloin to milk and egg mixture and let soak for 30 minutes. Liquid should just cover the meat, if not, add more milk. Combine flour, garlic powder, seasoning salt and pepper to taste and stir. Remove steaks from liquid, dredge with flour mixture and pan fry until browned on both sides. Dump oil.

Add onions and pepper to top of steak and cover the meat with V-8 and stewed tomatoes. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve the Swiss steak with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.



Venison chili

(Good for strong or tough venison)

• 1-2 pounds ground venison (or cuts in 1-inch cubes)

• 1 cup chopped onion 1/ 2 cup chopped green pepper

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes, chopped

• 1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon basil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper



Place venison, onion, pepper and garlic in a large saucepan and brown in about 2 tablespoons oil. Add the remainder of ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to one hour until meat is tender. Serves four to six.





Summer sausage

• 2 pounds ground venison

• 1 cup water

• 3 tablespoons quick cure salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon onion salt

• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke



Mix all ingredients well. Shape on aluminum foil in two rolls. Twist ends of rolls to secure. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Place in kettle and cover with water and boil one hour. Remove and punch holes in foil to drain water.