5 Ways Venison Should Be On The Table

August 16, 2011

As a granddaughter and daughter of Adirondack hunting guides, eating wild game was always the norm growing up. It was not until my sister hit her teenage years that I realized not everyone ate venison. She had a friend that freaked out upon learning that the amazing lasagna she just complimented my mother on, contained venison sausage. The drama was too much for me. 

There are some special considerations when eating venison. 

1. It needs additional fat. Venison is incredibly lean. All fat should be trimmed, because it has a tallow-like flavor and coats the mouth unpleasantly. 

2. Do not overcook. Venison needs to be cooked to slightly rare for best results. Do not overcook or you might as well eat a golf shoe. 

3. Venison should never, EVER taste gamey. 

If you are looking for ways to prepare venison, here are 5 fantastic recipes from Foodista readers: 

Venison Cutlets

Venison Stew

Chicken Fried Venison Steak

Venison Cider Stew

 

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Comments

Susan Rose's picture

Those are all great tips, although I don't always add fat to my venison. The trick is to keep an eye on it and make sure it stays rare. I usually take a roast out of the oven at 120 degrees and let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes to finish cooking. Another good tip--if you have any control over it at all--is to get your hunter to bring home does and young animals instead of trophy bucks--those big guys are tough and gamey. We send them straight to the sausage maker!