How can I like the taste of venison

[maine]

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?

 

[Lou (Louis)]

Eat it?
Seriously, marinate. Cook Asian recipes

 

[Bkimble]

Are you processing it yourself or having it done by a butcher shop.. I do both ways depending on time of year.. when I take it to butcher shop I tell them I want it all burger except inner and outer loins I get them cut to steaks.. a lot of times if u just get a reg cut u get shoulder steaks and hind steaks which in my option aren’t the greatest… now with the burger I don’t ever just make burgers with it because it is very lean meat so unless u have some pork fat or something to mix with it prior to cooking it will be very dry and fall apart so I use my burger for other things such as spaghetti chili hamburger helper tacos pretty much any meal that calls for burger and it’s great.. with my tenderloin steak I cook it many ways but always hit it with some garlic and seasonings, also onion soup and dip mix powder gives them a great taste


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[PNWGATOR]

Stop overcooking it.

 

[mt terry d]

I think there are several factors at play concerning how your game tastes.

I'm a huge proponent of getting the heat out of it ASAP. Also trying to kill
the animal while it's relaxed. Keep it clean. Process it yourself; are you certain you're
getting your meat back from the butcher?

I don't much care for fried meat except burger.
I slather steaks in bacon grease and grill them. Maybe sprinkle on a little Montreal
Steak seasoning. Done this way I've had several people who "didn't like game" claim
it's delicious.

Try cubing up some, sear it in bacon grease then toss it in a crock pot with spuds, carrots and onions.
Add some beef bullion and water or, better yet, bone broth from your animal, and make stew.

Or a roast, seared in bacon grease, spuds onions and carrots , a little water and crock pot that.

*Edit* Don't get any of the scent from the scent glands of a buck on the meat. On rutting bull elk get
rid of all the stinky belly hair/scent and switch knives or whatever before breaking down the rest of the animal. I ruined a hind quarter that way.

 

[Bkimble]

I agree on the not frying it also I prefer it on grill or open flame… Montreal steak seasoning is one of my go to


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[Jason Snyder]

Steaks fried in a scorching hot cast iron pan are excellent. Two minutes a side, seasoned with Johnnys and cracked pepper. Should be red in the middle still.

 

[Red Letters]

Chicken fried steaks and jerky

 

[Snowhunter11]

“Hardcore carnivore black dry rub” medium rare backstraps.. to die for!

 

[TNHighlands]

if you don't like venison, it's either over or undercooked, generally.

 

[Macintosh]

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?

What cuts have you tried, and how was it prepared, cooked, etc?

How and when was deer harvested, was it warm out, how quick was it on ice, did you butcher it or have it done?

Deer has flavor, if you are used to factory-farmed beef it will taste different. Do you like lamb? It isnt so different from lamb imo, so if you like that try any lamb recipe.

Beyond that if you cook it well done or even past medium, it is much leaner than beef and it will taste and chew like leather. It has to be cooked in a way that accounts for how lean it is.

Tell us what youve done so far and how it came out, and what you are looking for, and I bet you get some great recipes to try and tips to make sure it goes well.

 

[LongWayAround]

How exactly have you been preparing the meat?

If it's well cared for and not over-cooked, I would say to appreciate that it will not taste like the beef you may be accustomed to.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

A sous vide cooker is a game changer for cooking venison. Unlike beef there's no fat in the meat of a deer to bail you out if you overcook it. The sous vide prevents that.

 

[Mike Islander]

Excellent stews. I love burger with 5% beef tallow. Salt, pepper, garlic. Just keep telling yourself it's organic, free range, and one of the healthiest super athlete meats on the planet.

 

[rickjames80]

I like venison steaks, but not a venison burger. Stew, chilli, tacos and spaghetti is where I would start.

 

[6mm Remington]

Burger
Front shoulders, rib meat, neck, all ground together using cheap fatty pork shoulders cut up in chunks also. I do about 15% pork shoulder to venison. If you like bacon burgers buy some cheap fatty bacon ends and pieces and use those to put in with the venison and the pork shoulder. I really like the taste of those burgers.

Sausage
Do as shown above except for skipping the bacon. No need. Buy Hi Country seasonings and/or Hi Mountain Seasonings. One's made in Montana and one's in Wyoming. Both make some fantastic mixes. Grind your scraps a couple times and then mix the seasonings in by hand and throughly mix up the ground meat with the seasoning you are chosing and run it through the grinder one more time to mix the seasoning even more.. I just bulk package mine when it's done because it works for a few more recipies that way. These are great for breakfast or dinner and for using in other dishes such as spaghetti.

Wild Game Breakfast Sausage Spice Box - Country Blend

Country Blend Breakfast Sausage Seasoning Kit is offered by Hi Country Snack Foods. Now direct to your door for the wild game hunters. Makes about 12 lbs of sausages.

hicountry.com

Hi Country Snack Foods | Italian Blend Breakfast Sausage Seasoning Kit

Italian Blend Breakfast Sausage Seasoning Kit is offered by Hi Country Snack Foods. Now direct to your door for the wild game hunters. Makes about 12 lbs of sausages.

hicountry.com

Italian Sausage Kit

Make you own homemade sausage with Hi Mountain Seasonings Italian Sausage Kit

himtnjerky.com

Jerky
Slice any of the meat you want into strips a bit less than 1/4" thick. Purchase Hi Mountain or High Country jerky mixes and follow the instructions. Really mix the meat and the mix together very well. Then cover in a 2 gallon bucket with some paper wrap on top of it and leave in the fridge or cool location for a day or two. Then make the jerky on your Food Dehydrator or a smoker if you have one. I did a batch on my Pit Boss smoker and OH MY was it good! The dehydrator jerky was also delicious but I sure loved the smoky flavor. One year I used a whitetail do I shot and made every piece of her into jerky. It did not last long.

Wild Game Original Jerky Seasoning Kit

Original Jerky Seasoning Kit is offered by Hi Country Snack Foods. Now direct to your door for the wild game hunters. Makes about 16 lbs of sausages.

hicountry.com

Wild Game Sweet & Spicy Jerky Seasoning Kit

Sweet & Spicy Jerky Seasoning Kit is offered by Hi Country Snack Foods. Now direct to your door for the wild game hunters. Makes about 16 lbs of sausages.

hicountry.com

Steaks
Slice the backstraps and tenderloins in steaks about 3/4 of an inch thick. Mix 3 or 4 eggs and some milk in a plastic or glass bowl stiring it up. Put your thawed steaks in the mix and coat the steaks with the egg mix. Cover it and put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours if you have the time. Not necessarry to do that but milk enzymes help break down the meat so it's not quite as tough. Take a tube of Ritz Crackers (I really like) or use any other type of seasoned cracker crumbs that you want. Crush the Ritz crackers in the tube and then pour the cracker crumbs onto a plate. Have your cast iron or other pan hot with a medium heat. Use a mix of some butter and olive oil in the pan. Take a steak and coat it with the egg/milk wash and then coat it in cracker crumbs on both sides and put it into the pan with the other steaks. Cook until medium rare. Do it a couple times and when the cracker crumb on the steak is a medium brown it's done. Do not overcook. Medium rare is the way to go. After a couple times you will see how the outside of the steaks need to look like to be medium rare in the middle. Salt and pepper to taste. If the deer tastes gamey this really takes it out of the meat. It is delicious.

Steaks
Put a half cup or so of flower in a bowl. Shake a bunch of your favorite seasonings onto the flour and wisk it to mix it up. Use a bit more seasoning then you think you might need. Put the flour in a gallon zip lock bag or plastic bag and then toss in your steak pieces and shake it up. This lightly coats the meat. On medium heat in a pan with butter and olive oil heated toss the steaks in and coat to medium rare. Light pink in middle. Do not overcook. They are fantastic this way also. Both of these are great ways to cook deer, elk, antelope, bear, moose, sheep, etc steaks.

Roasts
Season the roast with your favorite seasonings and put into a large pan that has been wiped with some oil and a small amount of water in the roaster. Put halved up potatoes, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and onions all around and on the roast. Cook in the oven until medium rare. I did a roast like this in the Pit Boss smoker leaving the top off of the roasting pan and it was fantastic.

Go forth and kill some deer. You and your family will love it!

 

[Macintosh]

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.

 

[cnelk]

Maybe have someone that knows how to cook venison prepare it for you.

 

[willfrye027]

The best thing you can do for improving flavor and tenderness is aging it. There are a ton of ways and methods. When I lived in a downtown apartment I would age quarters and loins in the refrigerator for one week.

Beyond that, cooking wild game is a skill that takes time to develop. Get a good meat thermometer and just keep experimenting.

 

[Gpw]

Jerky, pepperoni, Sommer sausage. My wife doesn’t like the taste of deer either. I make a lot of specialty meats with it and keep the good cuts for steaks. I usually marinate and wrap backstraps in bacon and she likes that