Whether you’re cleaning out the freezer in preparation for seasons to come, or already welcoming this fall’s archery deer to the table, there’s never been a better time to break out recipes that feature whitetail as the star attraction.
Far more flexible than many chefs might imagine, venison can be prepared just about any way you might cook pork or beef.
First, the ultimate quality of the meat once it reaches the table is determined in a large part by how it’s handled in the field. Especially early in the season when the weather is still warm, deer should be cooled very quickly.
If you’re delivering the deer to a processor, leaving the hide on can help protect the meat and keep it clean. If you’re going to process the deer yourself, when you skin the deer is up to you, but it should be kept cool and dry.
Marinades add flavor and tenderize, but they don’t change cooking times. No matter how unchallenging a deer’s life may seem, they are genetically predisposed to be wild animals. As such, they are muscular and very lean.
Deer do carry fat like any other mammal, but it’s deposited in tallow here and there about their bodies, not combined with muscle. No matter how well fed they may be, steaks cut from their muscles will always be terrifically lean. Because it is so low in fat, it’s also easy to overcook. Venison steak is great on the grill, but if you need it cooked past the rare side of medium rare, you should opt for a crock pot or slow cooker instead.
Here are a few favorite recipes that will be welcome in any kitchen or hunting camp:
- Any way you slice it, fried foods will always be a favorite of the South, and deer hunters are no exception. The outer loin, commonly called the backstrap, makes for some of the simplest preparation found anywhere on the deer. Sliced thin, tenderized, breaded and fried, this is one that is very easy to do. Before you slice the loin, make sure all the exterior silver membrane has been removed, then you’re ready to go to work.
- Summer sausage is a great way to prepare deer, and it’s something offered in one form or another by most deer processors. Supposedly, once thawed and sliced, it will keep in the refrigerator for several days, though its popularity as a snack makes testing this theory difficult.
- Venison jerky, from the processor or homemade, is a great way to use the extra-lean meat found on the front shoulder.
- A whole shoulder of venison, deboned, marinated, injected and slow-cooked makes excellent sandwiches. The meat stays moist and falls apart like pulled pork.
- Sliced deer steak, marinated in equal parts soy and Worcestershire sauce, is wrapped with hickory-smoked bacon on the outside, jalapeno peppers and cream cheese on the inside, pinned with a toothpick and grilled over a slow fire.
- Ground meat, or burger, is just as flexible as ground beef when it’s been combined with a percentage of beef or pork fat to help it stick together. It can be patted out and grilled as burgers or used in any dish that would call for ground beef.
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