The Name of The Game: Venison

So, the new year is here. I don't think I made actual resolutions, but I've been more intentional with my life and it feels great. I've been waking up well before Jordan and Lila each day to read and have some quiet time alone. I've been meal planning each week and making super awesome things, and I've got this place clean. It feels great.
I'm ready to share it with you.
I come from a family of hunters and am, myself, a huntress of sorts. I have yet to kill, but I practice archery and have put in some time watching the sun rise and fall from a tree stand.
My father, brothers and husband all hunt too, so the freezer is full this time each year.
Venison is a great meat. It is so healthy for you and has so much culinary potential if it's cooked right. Otherwise it can taste pretty chewy and iron-y.
I've had some great experiences with some recipes, while others have been a total flop. So let me share what I've learned.
You need to give it time. Plan in advance when you're going to use the meat. Give it time to thaw and marinate properly.
Cut the Crap: take a sharp knife and trim that white membrane and any fat right off.
Leave a little life in it: With venison, you either have to cook it for 8 hours in a crock pot or cook it to medium rare. Cooking a steak through will give it a terribly chewy texture.
Finally, Flavor!: Venison, or any game, has so much natural flavor, it can handle anything you throw at it. Garlic cloves, herbs, peppercorn, chipolte; this meat can take it. So don't be shy.

So, those are the fundamentals. The following recipes are just the beginning. I would also like to add that these recipes transfer great with ground turkey instead of ground venison, and beef steaks in place of Venison steaks.

Bax Mitchen Venison Burgers
 (Adapted From Tiff and Andy Clark's Bax Mitchen Turkey Burgers) 

Ingredients:

1 cup of stuffing

1/3 cup chicken broth

5 oz frozen spinach (1/2 10 oz package)

1 pound ground venison (or turkey)

2 tbsp cilantro

1 chipolte chili in adobo sauce (i did one and a half, we like spicy things)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoned salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Toppings:

avocado slices

fresh mozzarella slices

* you really don't need regular burger toppings, they would just take from the flavor.

Mush it all together, and then make 4 giant burgers out of it. grill over medium heat.

Crock Pot Recipes!

Venison does great in the crock pot. These are a couple super easy ones! 

Italian Venison 

The end result of this sandwich mimics the Italian beef we love.

Ingredients 

1 jar of pepperoncinis with the stems cut off 

        - add all the juices from the jar

        - fill the jar half way up with water and add that too

1-2 lbs venison steak 

1 loaf of italian or french bread

Optional toppings: Giardiniera and mozzarella cheese 

Put the meat and pepperoncinis and liquid in the crock pot. Cook for 8 hrs on medium or low. Until you can shred it with a fork. Shred all the meat and construct your sandwiches! 

Venison Fajitas 

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of venison steaks

2 packages of fajita seasonings

2 cups chicken stock or water

1 package of tortillas (warmed) 

1 green pepper sliced 

1 red onion sliced 

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Top with 

shredded mexican mix cheese

sour cream

avocado 

Place meat, stock, water and seasonings in the crock pot for 8 hrs or until it can all be shredded easily with a fork. 

In a baking dish, toss the pepper and onion together with the olive oil and salt. Bake at 350 for 15 min or until desired tenderness. This can be done in a sauté pan as well. 

When the meat is done, construct your fajita to your liking starting with your meat and peppers. 

Venison Steaks 

I'm going to reiterate the points from before. This is where they really count! 

 You need to give it time: Plan in advance when you're going to use the meat. Give it time to thaw and marinate properly. 

Cut the Crap: take a sharp knife and trim that white membrane and any fat right off. 

Leave a little life in it: With venison, you either have to cook it for 8 hours in a crock pot or cook it to medium rare. Cooking a steak through will give it a terribly chewy texture. 

Finally, Flavor!: Venison, or any game, has so much natural flavor, it can handle anything you throw at it. Garlic cloves, herbs, peppercorn, chipolte; this meat can take it. So don't be shy.

With that said, here is a unique steak recipe:

Red Wine and Rosemary Venison Steak

Ingredients: 

2 venison steaks

2 full slices of procciuto (It really would be ok to sub bacon here if that's what you have) 

2 cups Red Wine

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 tsp cracked peppercorn (or ground pepper) 

1 bunch chopped FRESH rosemary (the freshness really matters here, but in a pinch give dried a try) 

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the wine, garlic, and pepper together in a bowl. Add the steaks and turn them to coat them regularly. Allow the meat to marinate overnight or for at least 4 hours. 

When you're ready to cook the steaks, roll them in the rosemary and then wrap them in procciuto and grill for 6 min on each side on medium heat. Give the meat  a couple minutes to rest before cutting in! 

Bacon Wrapped Venison Kabobs 

All you do for this one is chop up 2 steaks, let them marinate in soy sauce overnight and then wrap each piece with half a piece of bacon and stick in on a skewer. Grill and enjoy!



These are my main choices with Venison. What are your favorite recipes? Let me know so I can give them a try!
-D