How can I like the taste of venison

[packer58]

IMHO, deer meat / venison really can't be cooked over medium rare and maintain good flavor, tenderness or moisture. I 99% of the time grill on the BBQ at a very hot temp, my go to is marinade in olive oil and garlic pepper seasonings. I use a gallon zip-lok to marinade in and toss it around a little for a couple hours. The olive oil will help retain moisture and give your meat some good color from the grill. The trick is a HOT grill and no more than MEDIUM RARE ........

 

[Koda_]

This might depend on how the deer was field dressed and handled in the field prior to butchering. It can also depend on how its butchered.

 

[Str8shooter]

The number one predictor of good vennison is proper field care. Get the skin off the animal immediately! Bacteria causes poor flavor, heat causes bacterial growth and the hide keeps the meat from cooling quick enough (even if the animal is gutted!). Get the quarters into breathable game bags, and either get it on ice or get it into the shade within a couple hours. Dragging out animals whole with the hide on is a common behavior of folks with "gamey" or off flavored deer. Mule deer is among the best eating tablefare on the planet. Keep tweaking your system with a focus on quick cooling, clean and gutless field prep. Always have ice in coolers at the truck and sear those steaks on a cast iron with a little oil/ fat. Garlic salt/pepper and onion granules make a great baseline seasoning. Sear on high to 130 internal and rest for 5-10.

 

[wapitibob]

There is no need to marinate or add a bunch of seasonings. Gutless method, into bags, then into coolers asap. Cut it up, separating every muscle and it will have little if any gamey taste.

 

[Crowmangler]

-Let it age in the fridge a week

- take some to the butcher & have them run it through the machine to make cube steak. Roll it in flour & brown both sides for a 1-2 minutes. Put in crock pot & cover with brown gravy mix for at least 3 hours

- My favorite thing to do is cut into 1" x 1" pieces & pressure can it. put some type of bullion or seasoning in the jar. open the jar, warm it up & pour over mashed taters

I don't try to use every piece, the rest goes for the dog

 

[Fordguy]

Venison burgers- I cook them at least once a week, with no added fat or ingredients other than seasonings on the outside. Keep them thin, don't overwork the ground meat when forming patties, sear hot and fast on both sides in a cast-iron pan with a little olive oil (sometimes i also use butter). I leave mine a little rare to keep them juicy, no issue with that because I grind my own and oversee all scraps of meat designated for the grinder. My venison burgers don't fall apart. It's all in how you prep and cook it. It's not going to taste exactly like beef, but I've never had anyone anyone complain or turn it down. It's certainly not gamey.

I've cooked other cuts in ways that fooled some of my Bambi loving girlfriends (back in my college days) into asking for second helpings of the "best beef they've ever had". One such recipe involved the use of peach schnapps a venison roast, beef stock, spices/seasonings, and 12 hours in a crock pot.

Another failsafe recipe has been my attenpt to duplicate the "Jack Daniels steak" (from 20 years ago) at Ruby Tuesday's with Venison. I use a marinade made up of Coke (Coca-Cola, not Hunter Biden coke), Jack Daniel's, brown sugar, molasses, garlic powder, sliced onions, salt and black pepper. I've never written down the recipe, I recreate it by taste each time. Marinate steaks 12-24 hours, do not overcook.

 

[TWHrunner]

Shoot a corn fed doe next time or any elk outside of the rut. I promise you’ll change your mind.

 

[ceejay]

As others have said, do your own butchering which will very likely improve the quality of the meat. Grind your own burger and add beef fat (I like 10-15%) ..... it makes really good burger. It is a little bit of an investment in the equipment and it takes several hours to do it all of the butchering yourself. However, it makes a good product and it is very satisfying to DIY and be self reliant. Try slow cooking some cuts like the shank or shoulder ...... you will surprised how good this can be. Any of the steaks can be awesome if seasoned to your liking and not cooked beyond medium rare.

 

[Rich M]

I guess the question is what don't you like about it?

I've only had strong gamey venison or antelope once or twice. Typically gut the animal within an hour or two of the kill. OR quarter it within about some time frame.

My wife doesn't like venison that much. So we get a beef cow when we can and i typically don't bring home more than 1 deer. Guy i hunt with will take the rest, if I get more than 1 permit.

We had shot some fallow does once. The meat had a musky flavor to it. Didn't exactly care for it, gave it away...

 

[The_Jim]

Have you tried making burger and breakfast sausage to start with. Mix with 25% beef or pork to hide some of the deer flavor?

 

[flathead#2]

Jerky.
I love venison in any form but Jerky is my favorite.
Slice it thin and then just marinate in Dale's HIckory marinade, and red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
Slap it on the dehydrator.
Only problem is if I have some made, I will eat it all day till gone.

 

[Drenalin]

Stop overcooking it.

This has been the usual culprit from what I've seen. If it gets to medium, it's all downhill from there.

 

[Billy Goat]

I'm guessing you are in Maine?

What condition are these deer in when shot? Post rut? Late season?

What are their food sources during the year?

Deer will taste different according to what they eat. And their body condition at the time they are killed of course factors as well.

 

[trekker9]

You either have it or you don't.

 

[Felix40]

Eat more of it. It can be an acquired taste if you are used to fatty steaks and chicken strips.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Find a processor that will make "burger" by cutting it with beef fat. I always get it at 20% but my guy can do any % in 5% increments. From there we use the burger for making burgers, chili, pasta sauces, burritos/tacos, etc. Anything you do with ground beef you can do with this.

 

[Grassymike]

What happened to the OP ?

 

[rayporter]

do you have a fry daddy?

an easy and simple way.
cube some muscle with little or no connective tissue into inch cubes.

salt and pepper cubes and drop into hot oil until they float. dont over cook!
alternately, you can dredge in flour also if you wish. a dash of cavendars wont hurt.

if you have a cooker, canned deer it fantastic.

 

[LongWayAround]

What happened to the OP ?

He's busy looking for a pack for 10 days solo in the backcountry. Doesn't like deer but he's going deep in thread creation.

 

[Tod osier]

He's busy looking for a pack for 10 days solo in the backcountry. Doesn't like deer but he's going deep in thread creation.

I was just coming here to say he sure is busy not answering the direct questions people have asked him in this thread.