Deer meat, or also known as Venison, it the meat of a game animal. When deer-hunting season starts it is also time to start planning the best recipes and to learn how to cook with deer meat.
The American colonists relied on the deer meat to provide them all sources of proteins, vitamins B6, B12 and Omega 3 to get through the winter. This type of meat is also extremely low on fats, which makes it extremely nutritious and health.
If prepared in the right way. The deer meat has more flavor and nutrients than any other type of red meat.
With all this benefits, versatility and delicious taste. We will explore in this article on how to cook with deer meat. And share with you some tips and things you should know about on how to prepare the best venison ever.
1. Make sure to match the meal cut to the cooking method
Most people do not pay attention to this. But to get tender results you must match the meal cut with the cooking method.
Loins and tenderloins, which are naturally tender cuts. Will be better cooked in high heat grilling, stuffing, trussing, or searing and must be served medium rare to extract the best taste of them.
The tougher muscles like the shoulder and neck will work better if they are braised slowly and in the low fire. These muscles will suit perfectly with soups.
The hindquarter cut is the most versatile and will work better if cut into steaks or cubes, tenderized and cooked. The steaks may look a tough at the beginning, but they will have an incredible texture after being tenderized.
2. Do not let the deer meat overcook
One of the most common mistakes when cooking deer meat is letting it overcook before serving. To extract the best results from it always serve it rare or medium rare. Otherwise the deer meat will be extremely dry.
3. Remove all the visible fat
Deer meat is not like beef that gets a better taste and moisture with the fat. When cooking deer meat, you have to remove all the visible fat from it – or make sure to purchase it without it already.
Venison fat does not add any good flavor or texture to the meat. In some cases, the fat will even taste very bad.
4. Does not use it as a substitute for beef
Deer meat is not a direct substitute for beef. So, do not use it in recipes made for beefs.
The flavor will be completely different since deer forage on grass and other plants.
5. Marinate the meat well before cooking
The deer meat is very strong and has a characteristic flavor, so you must let it marinate for at least one day before cooking it. It is also important to match the cut with the marinate to get the best taste out of it.
The best method to marinate the deer meat is with the help of a sealed plastic bag or a ziplock bag and letting it sit in fridge for one day.
There are numerous ways to marinate the deer meat, the most common on is by using half-cup of vinegar or lemon, half-cup of olive oil, garlic as you wish and a teaspoon of mustard and Italian seasoning.
For the barbecue marinade you can use chopped onion, garlic, around 5 tablespoons of melted butter, two cups of tomato sauce, half-cup each of apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar, and two tablespoons of chili powder.
These are the most common and used ones, but you can add more seasonings and ingredients as you wish. The sky is the limit when it comes to it.
Just make sure to let it marinate for enough time or it will not add any flavor into you deer meat.
6. Keep the deer meat moist
Since the deer meat fat does not taste good and is supposed to be removed, you will need to substitute it with another type of fat. Venison does not keep itself moisturized and tender and will most likely dry out while cooking, so that is why it is important to moist it with another source of fat.
Butter, margarine, oil, or bacon fat are the most commons types of fat that can be used to moist dear meat.
You can add the fat outside of the meat by basting it with the fat source. This works better if the meat is being prepared in the grill. After the turning the meat just brush some olive oil or melted butter on the already cooked side of the meat.
You can also add the fat inside the meat with small cuts made in it. This works better if you are preparing a large cut or roasts done in the oven. Make incisions into the meat, push the bacon or the fat of your choice into the cuts. The fat will help to moist the meat while it is cooking.
Conclusion
Consuming venison has been part of the American culture for centuries and the deer-hunting is something taken very seriously by many people and families around the country.
Cooking with deer meat can be tricky if you do not know the particularities of this meat or do not know how it works.
You cannot substitute beef for the deer meat in the recipes, it has to be prepared and seasoned according to its own needs.
Another watch out is knowing how to trim the fat of the deer meat and still keep the moist of it with other sources of fat.
In this article we gave you 6 valuable tips on how to cook with dear meat and what you should do to enhance this incredible meat taste and texture.
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