How can I like the taste of venison

[RCB]

Venison does taste different from beef, generally. Similar, sure - but even perfect handling and cooking will not cause it to taste exactly like what you are used to eating in the past. So part of the process here will be just be about growing accustomed to the new flavor.

 

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Grinding and mixing with ground pork or beef (I prefer mixing with the actual meat rather than just the fat) can really be helpful if you just want to put the meat to good use. If you are looking for dishes to prepare ones that require sauces can be helpful. I have fried them with Lipton Onion Soup mix and those aren't super gamey. I personally love the taste of venison.

 

[michaelt3719]

If you work it up yourself be sure and get All the fat trimmed off. And even tho it's tedious, trim/fillet off all the silverskin that divides the muscles--or at least all that you have the patience for. And if you grind your own burger, throw in 1lb of fatty pork in for every 2lbs of lean deer. Whatever steaks you cut, soak them in saltwater for a day, change it and do it another day to get the blood soaked out. I hear ppl say how the blood gives it flavor but I don't think it's Good flavor... And don't overcook it, it dries out in a Flash. If there's no pink left, it's overcooked. And jamaican jerk or teriyaki marinade are real good for deer.
I grew up on a farm where they ate and stomped down our living so i shot a lot of'em, but i (my family, really) just didn't like eating them. partly because i didn't 'clean them up' good enough, and partly because my mom overcooked them. So i was always looking for someone to give them to. But after I grew up and moved away and ran into guys who really know how to fix them, I now keep'em all--and can honestly say I Like deer.
And I didn't even get into the summer sausage and jerky you can make. Or the Canned deer!

 

[michaelt3719]

...and do yourself a favor. don't get too greedy. keeping 'marginal' meat is basically the opposite of not 'cleaning it up tight enough'. i'm not saying waste it, but the scrappy stuff (lots of silverskin, even slightly bloodshot, or too much of that slime the bucks seem to have more of in their meat) makes mighty good dog food. that nice lean clean red meat is whatcha want. and no matter what anybody says, a nice 'slickhead' is just better eating than a buck--especially a rutted-up one. if you can smell him from 10 steps away, he'll make awfully good summer sausage or canned deer.

 

[Jason Snyder]

if you can smell him from 10 steps away, he'll make awfully good summer sausage or canned deer.

Actually, the stinkiest mile deer buck I ever shot was absolutely fantastic eating. We grilled the heck out of that one.

 

[michaelt3719]

I think there are cuts and preparations that maybe are harder to love if you are coming directly from fairly bland corn-fed beef. Heart is an example—usually has as much flavor as any cut, plus has a different consistency, and its extremely lean and cant be overcooked.
Backstraps and loins are pretty easythough—cut thick (or leave the whole piece you are cooking as one whole muscle), sear the outside and dont cook a moment past 120f internal temp. I think its great with a rough chopped chimmichurri or with a mushroom sauce, but since its lean put a sauce on it, its so easy and its a gamechanger. I actually love some of the cuts that have more sinew and connective tissue, neck, front shoulder, etc, because they slow-cook well. We make osso bucco with either whole shanks, or just do it with a neck roast. Barbacoa is great too, then put it on a pan, drench it in the juice you braised it in, and sear it in the broiler and make tacos. I use 10% pork back fat from a friend who raises pasture-raised pigs to make burger—I actually love the burgers, but its also good in meatballs, chile, lasagna, meat sauce for pasta, etc. And I LOVE stew, cube up some of the steaks, salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour and sear the outside, then set aside. Caramelize onions, lots of garlic, celery, mushrooms, etc in the drippings. Add some tomato paste, worstershire, oregano, rosemary, thyme and red wine and simmer the alcohol off. Add your meat back in plus some stock, and about 45 min before its ready add some chopped carrots and potatos, and serve with parsley and crusty bread.
Also deer is great in a curry

Making deer fajitas as we speak, thin sliced and marinated will get seared fast, served on warm tortillas with charred onions and poblanos, and avocado slices.

Also, one general thing is to trim silverskin from any quickly-cooked cuts, thats where some of the off-tasting flavor comes from.

YES on the fajitas.. just picked up on that a couple yrs ago from a buddy. I can't believe I never thought of doing that before. I grabbed peppers and onions at the grocery store today, for a batch.
And also, you nailed it on the silverskin. It's tedious as heck getting all that trimmed/filleted off, but it's the thing to do. Even for what you grind into burger.

 

[michaelt3719]

Actually, the stinkiest mile deer buck I ever shot was absolutely fantastic eating. We grilled the heck out of that one.

I've had bucks before that were fine, but I've also had some that were just strong. In general I'll take a nice clean doe for the ol' skillet.

 

[michaelt3719]

- 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.

you are So right on canning it. that is the bomb. mashed taters are the best but wide egg noodles (boiled of course) aren't bad to put it on, if you're out of taters.
also i firmly agree on not getting too greedy. the tighter you trim it up, the better off ya are. and those scraps are a treat for the dog.

 

[Stalker69]

We process quite a few deer for people, many times their wives don't care for steaks, roasts. But love sausages ( summer, Italian, breakfast, cherizo) and Jerky. We do alot of javelina in sausages and tamales also.

 

[mattot]

I can’t seem to enjoy the taste of venison, even though I’ve eaten about 4 deer and decided to start hunting to be less reliant on the factory farming industry. I’ve tried preparing it all sorts of ways. Is there something I’m missing? Should I stop hunting?

We mix in 15% bacon with our ground venison and the burgers are my son's favorite food. Also love the jerky and tenderloins and backstraps with reverse sear method in cast iron. We don't do roasts.

 

[dbender]

Make sausage out of it!

 

[huntcookwrite]

Echo a lot of the comments already — if you’re not processing your deer correctly right after the shot, there’s a higher likelihood of off-tasting meat.

I’d recommend picking up a copy of Hank Shaw’s “Buck, Buck, Moose” cookbook which not only has a ton of unreal recipes, but also gets heavily into how to dress, process, store, and prepare deer from the shot to the table.

 

[dingle]

I think there are cuts and preparations that maybe are harder to love if you are coming directly from fairly bland corn-fed beef. Heart is an example—usually has as much flavor as any cut, plus has a different consistency, and its extremely lean and cant be overcooked.
Backstraps and loins are pretty easythough—cut thick (or leave the whole piece you are cooking as one whole muscle), sear the outside and dont cook a moment past 120f internal temp. I think its great with a rough chopped chimmichurri or with a mushroom sauce, but since its lean put a sauce on it, its so easy and its a gamechanger. I actually love some of the cuts that have more sinew and connective tissue, neck, front shoulder, etc, because they slow-cook well. We make osso bucco with either whole shanks, or just do it with a neck roast. Barbacoa is great too, then put it on a pan, drench it in the juice you braised it in, and sear it in the broiler and make tacos. I use 10% pork back fat from a friend who raises pasture-raised pigs to make burger—I actually love the burgers, but its also good in meatballs, chile, lasagna, meat sauce for pasta, etc. And I LOVE stew, cube up some of the steaks, salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour and sear the outside, then set aside. Caramelize onions, lots of garlic, celery, mushrooms, etc in the drippings. Add some tomato paste, worstershire, oregano, rosemary, thyme and red wine and simmer the alcohol off. Add your meat back in plus some stock, and about 45 min before its ready add some chopped carrots and potatos, and serve with parsley and crusty bread.
Also deer is great in a curry

Making deer fajitas as we speak, thin sliced and marinated will get seared fast, served on warm tortillas with charred onions and poblanos, and avocado slices.

Also, one general thing is to trim silverskin from any quickly-cooked cuts, thats where some of the off-tasting flavor comes from.

@maine buy Hank Shaw's Buck, Buck, Moose and read Macintosh's post a few times!

Edit: forgot to mention, I poached up two whitetail bucknuts tonight. I will never leave these on the ground again. Superb fare, if a little tricky to cook.

 

[maine]

@maine buy Hank Shaw's Buck, Buck, Moose and read Macintosh's post a few times!

Edit: forgot to mention, I poached up two whitetail bucknuts tonight. I will never leave these on the ground again. Superb fare, if a little tricky to cook.

That book sounds like just what I’m looking for thank you. Difinitely going to start butchering it myself from now on, and removing hide asap. Probably won’t be eating the balls but I respect it lol

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I like game meat but there are some techniques to get the best taste possible. This is dependent on the cut and/ or dish, but you can start with grinding in some beef fat to burger and using marinades for whole cuts. Other stuff like not cooking it to death and resting after cooking… Also, don’t allow much fat or sinew in your processed meat.

I also second Hank Shaws book for recipes and tips.

 

[Novahunter]

For steaks or backstrap, my go to is really simple:

1. Coat in clarified butter (ghee)
2. Season very liberally with coarse salt
3. Then season with black pepper and garlic powder, and just a pinch of cayenne pepper
4. Cook on the cast iron or grill over high heat for about 1.5 to 2 minutes each.

 

[GunsAreFun]

It’s hard to change the flavor. I pretty much turn all my deer into summer sausage or jerky. Seems like smoke is the only thing that gets rid of the gamey taste for me.


It is not beef and will never be beef. I even took some jerky slices I had marinated for like two days but didn’t have enough left to justify a half day smoke and fried them up for fajitas. It was ok but still not as good as beef steak.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Mt brother always went to the market and got a nice ribeye steak. He insisted that is the only way to make venison taste good.

 

[Macintosh]

True, but I also think its a fact that we like what we’re accustomed to. After years of only venison, beef tastes like cardboard to me, ie more or less flavorless. I understand why people prefer beef, but thats also the same reason why I usually prefer venison.

 

[robby denning]

OP, great question and if you've eaten 4 deer, you don't need to quit trying (or hunting). you're almost there!

I did NOT, read pages 2-4, so if this was covered correctly, ignore this

Dry aging 21-28 days has helped my venison flavor/texture more than any other technique (keeping it clean from field to cooler is always assumed).

The Deer Aging Thread

OK, we've had a few threads about this subject come and go with lots of interest. Some guys have PM'd me about my method. I wrote a big blog post on it a few years back here but it was more about the chef who taught me the method and didn't lay out the pics and details of the aging process...

rokslide.com

you can see members tested the technique and most agreed.

Chef John McGannon teaches this stuff. www.wildeats.com