Cooking Venison, Another Red Meat

The perfect cooker filled with mesquite wood.

While on the ranch in Noodle, Texas, the guys shot some deer. Deer season for hunters means sitting in a cold deer blind in the wee hours of the morning, trying to be as quiet as possible, and praying you don't have to relieve yourself thus scaring any deer around.

Cutting any fat or gristle off

I'm all too familiar with deer season. When my husband and I became engaged, he told me to pick a weekend to wed. A few days later he asked, "Have you picked a Saturday?" Well, yes, I had. The first weekend in November. I thought it was perfect. Not too close to the holidays. It will be cooler. And it was enough time to plan a wedding. "We can't!" he shrieked. "It's opening of deer season. None of my friends will come. Even your Dad would be hard pressed to come."

So, this was the beginning of being a hunter's wife. And as such, I have learned to cook quail, pheasant, fish, and of course, venison.

Cutting against the grain makes the meat more tender

Venison is a really delicious meat and healthy due to its leanness. But be careful. Don't overcook it. It's so lean that it's easy to overcook rendering it jerky.

Frying in a season cast iron skillet is the best method.

At the ranch, the guys got to work cleaning the deer, cutting the meat into fillets or grinding it into chili meat, and then cooking it. One night they guys made us Chicken Fried Venison and Grilled Back Strap Venison. While us gals were thankful for not having to cook, we eyed the looming piles of dishes. As Scarlet would say, "I'll worry about that tomorrow." But no matter, I took notes on how to cook it.


Chicken Fried Venison made with the ham (leg) part:

Preparing the meat:
Cut meat off bone
Cut meat against the grain into fillets
Tenderize the meat by covering it with Saran Wrap and hitting with a mallet or iron skillet

Dipping mixture:
Pour a couple of cups of milk into a pan
Add some eggs (we used 3)
Add a little Lee & Perrine's sauce.

Flour mixture:
Add flour to a pie pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Paprika is also nice.

Chicken frying the venison:

Grilling over medium heat with mesquite wood.

Soak venison in milk mixture for a few minutes. Then coat in flour mixture. In a cast iron skillet add some Canola oil. Add coated venison. Cook for about three minutes. Turn over and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes. Careful not to overcook. Let meat rest.


Grilled Venison using back strap fillets:
Season fillets with garlic powder, lemon pepper, Kosher salt. Marinade it in a little red wine if desired.
Put fillets on grill heated to between 325 - 350 degrees. Cook for 6 - 7 minutes, turning once, depending on the thickness of the fillets. You want the fillets cooked to medium rare. Let meat rest.

Moist, tasty and ready to eat.

Venison Chili in a Slow Cooker
I used a recipe from Southern Living and modified it for my family's taste buds.

2 lbs. ground venison
1 C chopped onion
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
28 oz. can whole tomatoes
16 oz. can pinto beans, drained
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
a couple of cloves of garlic
about a 1/4 cup red wine
1/2 can green chili's
A little jalapeno juice
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste

Cook venison in a cast iron skillet with onion, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder over medium-high heat until browned stirring until crumbled.

Place meat mixture in electric slow cooker. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Cover with lid and cook on high for 1 hour. Then reduce to low setting and cook for three hours. 

Serve with condiments such as grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions or, if you're like my kids, Frito's.

Now I'm wondering if I can make venison meat balls for spaghetti.
 
The Wondering Texan

Quotable Quote:
Yesterday our 10-year-old son approached my husband and said out of the blue, "Dad, do you know if you were a dog, you'd be ancient!" The kid has guts! Hope he makes it to 11.