Anyone who has cooked much venison knows that it is very lean and overcooking it will dry out the meat and cause it to be tough. So, here are some cooking tips to consider so that you end up with a great tasting meal.
· Preheat your oven, grill or pan before cooking.
· Do not add salt to the meat before cooking because it will draw out the meat juices.
· Brush venison with oil or wrap it with bacon to seal in flavor and prevent the meat from drying out.
· Add quick-cooking oatmeal to ground venison to retain flavor and moisture.
· Use mild acid–containing marinades to tenderize venison.
· Moist heat methods tend to give the most desirable product. Always use moist-heat methods of cooking for less tender cuts such as bottom round or shoulder roasts.
· Dry-heat roasting can be used on cuts that are naturally tender such as top round, sirloin, and rump roasts, if the deer is very young.
· The natural flavor of venison is sweeter than that of other meats so sauces that were developed for other meats may be too sweet when paired with venison.
If your venison has a strong “gamey” taste that is objectionable try the following:
· Trim all visible fat from the meat: fat is a major source of the wild flavor.
· Soak the meat in salted water, milk, buttermilk, or vinegar to remove blood from the flesh.
· Soak the meat in marinades containing wine, vinegar, tomato juice, or fruit juice; marinate in the refrigerator for no longer than 24 hours or the meat will become mushy.
· Use strong flavors such as garlic or soy sauce in the preparation.
· Serve the meat with sweet or spicy sauces.
This information comes from West Virginia University Extension. They have a saying there it is: We raise ‘em, we harvest ‘em and we eat ‘em. I would say the same for us in Michigan and the more on the table the fewer on the roads for us to hit.
