(Provided by Michigan DNR)
Venison isn't beef! Prep it properly to maximize its unique flavor.Whether a hunter is motivated by filling the freezer, bagging a trophy, or just doing his part to help manage the stateís deer population, those who are successful go home with many pounds of fresh venison that can be prepared and enjoyed in a multitude of ways.
But with so many options for cooking venison, it can be difficult to know where to start.
The first rule of thumb, according to Michigan wild game chef Dan Nelson, is to avoid treating venison as a substitute for other more common proteins, instead choosing preparations designed to enhance venison's unique qualities.
Nelson is the chef at Eagle Eye Country Club near Lansing and cooks wild game dishes for Gourmet Gone Wild (www.gourmetgonewild.org) - a program supported by the Michigan DNR, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, Michigan State Universityís Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Boone and Crockett Club - designed to introduce young professionals to the benefits and techniques of cooking with wild game.
A message "Chef Dan" imparts on Gourmet Gone Wild participants is that venison and other wild game is not the same as beef or pork and should not be prepared or cooked as such.
"With all things wild - whether it's foraged greens or wild game - all the flavors are more concentrated," Nelson said. "A wild leek is far more potent than standard onion and garlic. And it's the same with meats. They have stronger, deeper flavors and you need to manage that.
"It's like wines," he continued. "It's pretty rare that someone picks up their first glass of deep red wine and absolutely loves it. You usually start with the sweeter and whiter wines and, as your palate develops, you expand your tastes. Itís the same way with wild game.î
Remove the fat!
One of the biggest differences between wild game and domestically produced meats is the way fat is dispersed throughout the animal. In domestic meats - especially good cuts of beef - the fat tends to be marbled through the meat. In venison, fat tends to surround the meat.
"The fat in a lot of wild game is not especially edible," Nelson said. "All of your cervids (hoofed game animals) have very, very strong-tasting fat."
To avoid flavor issues, the first assignment when preparing venison for the table is removing the fat, Nelson said.
"If you have poor-tasting fat laced throughout your meal, your mouth immediately gets coated in a film of venison fat," he said. "So you're not really tasting the meat, you're tasting the fat."
"Removing the fat means the meat is going to be drier," he continued. "You can't overcook it and expect to have a delicious flavorful steak. You have to care for it in a few ways to make up for it."
Serve Venison rare
How? For starters, most cuts of venison should be served rare, Nelson said. And you donít have to worry about it being insufficiently cooked.
"All bacteria and pathogens are on the outside of the meat," he said. "As long as the outside is sufficiently cooked, thereís nothing to worry about."
Ground game meat should be cooked more thoroughly, Nelson said, but ground game is more easily chewed so cooking it well won't make it tough.
"Make sure there's not too much venison fat in your ground meat," Nelson said. "Ground venison will have a deep gamey flavor if you have too much fat in it. You want to remove the fat, but you can incorporate other fats."
Indeed, many butchers add beef or pork fat to ground venison, though Nelson said there are other, better alternatives.
"Quality wild fats - puddle ducks, geese, even squirrels - can be rendered and used in your dishes to help moisten drier venison."
Prepare loins whole
Instead of cutting loins up into chops, cooks should prepare them whole, and slice them thinly when they serve it, Nelson said.
ìItís easier to chew and itís less dry,î he said.
Similarly, steaks and roasts should be allowed to ìrest,î Nelson said, before they are served.
"Allow the muscle fibers a chance to relax," Nelson said. "That helps keep it moist. If you slice a roast that hasnít rested, the cutting board will be covered with blood and juices. If you let it rest before you cut it, all that liquid is still in your meat."
Skin it promptly
According to Nelson, people who say they don't like venison have likely only been exposed to poorly prepared venison. And preparation begins well in advance of bringing it into the kitchen.
"One of my biggest peeves is the practice of hanging deer outside," said Nelson, who prefers skinning deer immediately and storing the meat in a cool, dark place. "The hide continues to work very efficiently, even when the animal is dead, keeping the meat warm. That's why they make leather coats."
"And some of the worst-tasting fat is what resides just underneath the skin," he continued. "That flavor can transfer into the meat itself."
Following Nelsonís guidelines, a successful hunter would immediately skin the deer, quarter it, and keep it in a cooler.
"Get it out of the air, out of the sun, and keep it cold," Nelson said.
"You can get an entire 175-pound deer in a 65- to 80-quart cooler," he said. "It's not going to take a lot of ice to keep it cool. And even better is dry ice - wrap it in a towel or put it on a tray so it doesn't have direct contact with the meat and keep it on top of the meat in the cooler. Cold travels downward. Dry ice is readily available and it doesn't take a lot to do the job."
The best part of serving wild game is that it is in complete keeping with the trends that modern-day "foodies" espouse - it's locally produced, harvested in a sustainable manner, and organically raised, Nelson said.
"When you're taking your protein from nature, the most respectful thing that you can do it consume as much of that animal as possible," he concluded. "Making it taste better is the key to eating and enjoying more of the harvest."
Hereís one of Nelsonís favorite recipes:
Venison Rib Roulettes
"Serves:" 6 as a meal, 24 as an appetizer
Venison Rib meat, despite being the most flavorful cut of venison, is often underutilized; most toss it into the grinding pile for burger and sausage. Rib meat of all types has a unique and palatable combination of fat and sinew, that when roasted properly, yields a sweet and earthy meal. I often find that bone-in venison ribs are too cumbersome for the amount of meat available and have the tendency to dry out quickly. This recipe uses the intra-rib strip of meat cut free from the bones during processing. These roulettes make a phenomenal appetizer ñ I use slightly larger bamboo sticks when skewering the meat and then cut in half for service. To truly appreciate the great flavor of venison rib meat, serve the barbeque sauce on the side.
Prep Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
12 Venison Intra-Rib Meat Strips
12 Thick-cut Smoked Bacon Strips
2 Large Yellow Onions - julienne
2 Tbl Fresh Chopped Garlic
1 Tbl Yellow Mustard Seed
1 tsp Celery Seed
3 Tbl Tomato Paste
1 Cup Apple Juice
1 Cup Venison Stock
1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Kosher Salt & Blended Pepper
4 wood picks
Instructions:
Lay venison rib strips flat on cutting board, sprinkle with salt and blended pepper, and top each with 1 slice of bacon
Pinwheel roll each rib strip and bacon ñ skewer twice or more to ensure the roulette does not unroll
Warm a heavy braising dish over medium-high heat, sear rib roulettes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside roulettes
In the same dish, over medium-high heat, sautÈ the julienne onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
Mix tomato paste, venison stock, apple cider vinegar and seasonings in the braising pan with the onions
Cover the braising dish and cook at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours until very tender.
Serve hot with your favorite barbeque sauce and fresh fries