Venison for Virgins

Venison for Virgins

Tonight, I had the most delicious meat in memory: backstrap from a deer C2 and I split up a few weeks ago.

We’d never cooked venison before, and it’s fun figuring out how to prepare a food based on appearances alone. I had heard we might need to marinate the meat, but although it looked fairly lean, it felt soft and it didn't seem like it needed much to get it ready for the table. Innocent of what might be the challenges of preparing this meat, we just blasted ahead, motivated by hunger and (mostly The Wife's) kitchen intuition.



The Wife cut the tenderloin into rather thin medallions and dusted them with rosemary and pepper.



With a quick sauté in butter and wine deglaze for sauce, it was superb with some stewed currants and cherries.



This meat was superb, fork tender and incredibly flavorful without a hint of gaminess (not that a little game would be a problem), beautifully complemented with a Spell pinot noir (2008), full of berries and leather, simply wonderful. We had almost a pound of meat, and I figured we’d have some left over for tomorrow, but no way: we ate it all.

Hi,

This looks terrific!

A friend recently told me she was under the illusion you need to marinate deer meat. She said it ruined it rather than improved it. She shares my philosophy of eating your mistakes. She skipped marinating venison and hasn't looked back.

Thanks for the breaking the ice.

Regards,

My father is a big hunter, so every time we visit my parents, we get a few cuts of venison from his freezer. After making sausage from some of the less desirable cuts (encased with pork fat, rosemary, juniper and red wine, the sausages were pretty good), we have gotten more meat from the loin in the past year. My favorite way of cooking the loin sections is to make a rub of pimenton, a small amount of unsweetened cocoa, and salt, then brown the loin whole, and pan roast it to medium rare.

The downside to learning a preparation that I liked was that I didn't have any venison for sausages.

This is a visit back to my "gift of venison" from my neighbor. This year I got venison bacon as well.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=18457&p=272131&hilit=gift+of+venison#p272131

David Hammond wrote:
This meat was superb, fork tender and incredibly flavorful without a hint of gaminess (not that a little game would be a problem)...

The gaminess depends on Bambi's diet. I have some wild U.P. venison in my freezer that, if you were to eat it, you would IMMEDIATELY comment on gaminess. Their primary diet is cedar, if I'm not mistaken. While I know plenty of folks who enjoy the gaminess of these particular deer, I am not a fan. I have to mask it - mostly in chili format with other meats, bacon, hot spices, etc. I love funky foods, but U.P. deer is a little beyond me.

Where was your venison from?

seebee wrote:Where was your venison from?

Our deer was harvested in Iowa.

Any idea of diet? Corn fed?

seebee wrote:Any idea of diet? Corn fed?

Very likely it happily ate corn. It was a wild critter who would dine on whatever is available.

Regards,

Just read Sula's excellent article and watched video about how some chefs are trying to use Asian carp. It's clearly a worthy cause even if it's yet to be a shining success; low yield is maybe the deal breaker, though several chefs, including Foss of Lockwood, think the flavor is just fine.

The reason I'm posting this observation here is that it's intriguing to see how chefs handle unfamiliar proteins, which reminded me of how I approached similarly unfamiliar protein when we cooked the venison last weekend. When you have a piece of meat or fish ( or insect, like the cicadas we cooked up a few years ago ) that you've never prepared before, and you're working without a recipe, it's challenging and educational to assess what you have and figure out the best way prepare it. It's one of the most fun parts of cooking.

Of course, I had the advantage of knowing that venison could be cooked into something good; chefs like Foss, Kahan and Poli are sailing in much less certain waters...and big bravi to them for making the effort.

David Hammond wrote:

seebee wrote:Where was your venison from?

Our deer was harvested in Iowa.

My deer was from Iowa as well.

Deer out this way exist on corn, clover, and beans from the farm fields, and open spaces. Vs "swamp deer" who eat bugs, and other stuff. A prime example of "you are what you eat".

LaSalle County where I live, is at the northern tip of the "White Tail Golden Triangle". An area that produces some of the most sought after deer hunting in the country because of the deers diet, and how plentiful they are. I dont go a day without seeing a handfull of deer.

This past fall, I harvested a huge (190 pounds field dressed) 4-year-old doe and since I knew there would be plenty of trimmings for ground meat, I asked the processor to give me shanks this time around (the portion of the front leg from the shoulder to the knee) so I could make venison osso buco. Made the first one last night and it is awesome.

Seasoned and browned the shank in a hot cast-iron roasting pan with olive oil, deglazed with some red wine and added various root veggies and thick-cut onions, re-seasoned and added some garlic, more wine and beef stock and a bouquet garni, then roasted for 1.5 hours at 350, reducing to 300 for an additional :30. Removed the meat and veggies and made a nice pan gravy with the liquid. The meat was very tender. Enjoyed the dish with a 2006 Sineann Pinot Noir.

David and Cathy - the venison backstrap makes a fabulous carpaccio too, if you enjoy that kind of dish.

Davooda

Davooda wrote:This past fall, I harvested a huge (190 pounds field dressed) 4-year-old doe awesome.

interesting, most of the hunters I know give the does a pass, and only go for bucks.

jimswside wrote:

Davooda wrote:This past fall, I harvested a huge (190 pounds field dressed) 4-year-old doe awesome.

interesting, most of the hunters I know give the does a pass, and only go for bucks.

Once in a while the DNR specifically issues doe permits, when ithey've determined that the doe population has started to exceed desired numbers.

I learned this from a housemate in college (he was enrolled in our School of Natural Resources, and is currently some sort of DNR employee or park ranger or something), when he said he was gonna go shoot himself a doe and we all gasped with horror

good info,

some might be surprised that the last few years some of the state parks(usually wildlife friendly), have been issuing hunting permits to cull the herd. More humane than letting them starve or get sick.

Khaopaat wrote:I learned this from a housemate in college (he was enrolled in our School of Natural Resources, and is currently some sort of DNR employee or park ranger or something), when he said he was gonna go shoot himself a doe and we all gasped with horror

I'm going to assume someone in that gathering, at that point in time, after gasping, also uttered the word "Bambi."

As with rabbits-for-food, which elicit the word "Thumper," you have to hand it to the personification marketing team that's made deers and rabbits (not to mention dogs and cats) too dear to be considered food. Cows had no such advantage (the generic "Bossie" has no where near the associative power of "Bambi").

And some get a twinkle in their eye and lick their lips when they hear, "Babe".

sazerac wrote:And some get a twinkle in their eye and lick their lips when they hear, "Babe".

Yes, I thought of that movie, but I don't think that pig had anywhere near the cultural impact of, say, Bambi.

Here's another: when mahi-mahi was first appearing on menus in the 70's, it was described as "dolphin-fish" (to call it a dolphin is, to the best of my knowledge, a misnomer) and whenever that descriptor was mentioned by a server, a person at the table would inevitably moan, "Flipper."

I think many people think Venison has to be marinaded because they aren't lucky enough to get a great cut like that backstrap! The only times I've gotten tenderloin has been when I've been on the hunt when the deer was shot. Usually if someone asks me if I want some Venison I'm likely to get a frozen bag of mystery chunks that are best suited for stew or sausage. (not that I'm complaining - free Venison is free Venison!). Most of the cuts that someone gives away are best suited for braising, long marinades, and sausages.

David Hammond wrote:

sazerac wrote:And some get a twinkle in their eye and lick their lips when they hear, "Babe".

Yes, I thought of that movie, but I don't think that pig had anywhere near the cultural impact of, say, Bambi.

It may be a generational thing. When I posted a picture of a pig head on Facebook I got loads of comments like "Wilbur?!?!" and "Some Pig!". There were a few references to Babe, all from friends under 30 or so.

Subject: Chicago Foodways: Civilized Dining Philosophies 3/14 @ 10 AM

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

In today's talk on the ethical boundaries of eating companion animals, there was a sidebar discussion on Australian's aversion to eating kangaroo. The credit goes to a 1960's television series called 'Skippy' featuring a lovable kangaroo. I bumped into a film clip of the opening credits.



Bruce Kraig mentioned meeting the show's producers who said the kangaroos were untrainable. They had to simply film kangaroos doing kangaroo stuff, then edit them into a scene. Occasionally they had Skippy do activities no kangaroo could do, such as dial a rotary phone. For this occasion, they used rabbit feet to simulate the activity. I found this clip with the rabbit feet standing in as Skippy the kangaroo performs as a drummer.



The unpredictable behavior of Skippy the Kangaroo is illustrated in this episode where he jumps with his companion from a hot air balloon. In the water, the kangaroo sort of takes off in a different direction while they are in the water awaiting rescue.



The Skippy television set remains, there is a short documentary and plea to preserve it.



Of course, we have our own animal cultural icons in Flipper and Bambi.

Attrill wrote: "Wilbur?!?!"

I believe this is also what horses say when they hear human is on the menu.

David Hammond wrote:

Attrill wrote: "Wilbur?!?!"

I believe this is also what horses say when they hear human is on the menu.

Hmmm... Mr. Ed is looking like he could use some onions, a little dry white wine, maybe some tomatoes, peppers, fresh herbs.......Mmmmm

I've been hunting whitetail in both SE Wisconsin and Northern Wisconsin for over 30 years and most of what has been Posted is correct about the taste versas the feed. Whitetail harvested around large tracts of corn are very tasty but lean. The tenderloin and backstraps are best prepared swiftly sauteed medium rare and served while piping hot. The rest of the animal is best either ground or slow cooked. A commercial processor will cut a deer as he would a steer across bones and leads to cuts that do not cook as well as boning out the animal yourself. The threat of CWD in Wisconsin has lead the DNR to reccamand that all venison be boned and the the spinal cord and other bones not be cut while processing. We have always processed our own venison so for us this is nothing new. None of my venison makes it into sausage. The old prohibition still stands among many that the does should not be shot and the bucks harvested except that Wisconsin has realized for 'Herd Control' the does need to go, so in some areas you must shoot a doe before you can shoot a buck, called 'Earn A Buck'. In the 'Metro Areas' you can purchase as many Doe Permits as ones wants and harvest as many does as one can.
I am always suspect of gifted venison because many hunters cannot clean thier deer properly and provide cold storage properly until processed. Invariably the first time the wife cooks the venison, its smelly and doesn't taste good. Because of the expense in time and effort, the hunter cannot throw it away and soothes himself with gifting the venison.-Dick

Hi,

Our deer came from a guy who prefers bird hunting. Before it was ever shot, I made arrangements with the processor by phone. Once the deed was done, it was field dressed and went straight to the processor.

I don't quite understand how processors work. They called about ten days after the deer was brought to them. I provided them how David and I wanted it butchered including the back strap. I learned if you don't specifically mention the back strap, it just disapeers (into someone's lunch).

We are not getting someone castoffs, we received a deer processed into various cuts and sausages. It was pretty straightforward process. Though we did have to endure an Alice in Wonderland adventure to appreciate how precious this gift of venison turned out to be.

Regards,

budrichard wrote:I've been hunting whitetail in both SE Wisconsin and Northern Wisconsin for over 30 years and most of what has been Posted is correct about the taste versas the feed. Whitetail harvested around large tracts of corn are very tasty but lean. The tenderloin and backstraps are best prepared swiftly sauteed medium rare and served while piping hot. The rest of the animal is best either ground or slow cooked. A commercial processor will cut a deer as he would a steer across bones and leads to cuts that do not cook as well as boning out the animal yourself. The threat of CWD in Wisconsin has lead the DNR to reccamand that all venison be boned and the the spinal cord and other bones not be cut while processing. We have always processed our own venison so for us this is nothing new. None of my venison makes it into sausage. The old prohibition still stands among many that the does should not be shot and the bucks harvested except that Wisconsin has realized for 'Herd Control' the does need to go, so in some areas you must shoot a doe before you can shoot a buck, called 'Earn A Buck'. In the 'Metro Areas' you can purchase as many Doe Permits as ones wants and harvest as many does as one can.
I am always suspect of gifted venison because many hunters cannot clean thier deer properly and provide cold storage properly until processed. Invariably the first time the wife cooks the venison, its smelly and doesn't taste good. Because of the expense in time and effort, the hunter cannot throw it away and soothes himself with gifting the venison.-Dick

really interesting and informative post, thanks.

Jim - I'm blessed to be able to hunt on a family farm in central Illinois and we have way more deer in my area than hunters. When I first started hunting deer in northern Illinois 35 years ago (near Genoa), the state prohibited shooting does and hunters had to take bucks only because the deer herd was very small. However, management of the herd has been so successful that, nowadays, a hunter can take up to five or six deer annually, but only one buck (I think). And people now pay big money to hunt the cervid monsters of Jo Daviess and Pike County, among others.

My practice since moving to central Illinois has been to harvest a doe first and then a buck. I also try to take the oldest, most mature doe as these animals typically give birth to twins, and sometimes triplets, annually which keep the herd growing despite the best efforts of the hunters! I did have a 110-yard shot at a nice ten-point buck in the second shotgun season and missed. Didn't seem him again.

The deer in central Illinois feed mainly on corn, but I have also seem them eat soybeans, milo (sorghum), sunflower seedlings, acorns (a favorite) alfalfa clover, apples and pears off the tree, the shrubs and flowers in my yard, etc. The meat is very close to beef in its flavor profile, to my taste, but does have a slight gamey tinge that appeals to me big-time. I only eat beef a couple times per year since my freezer is usually stocked with plenty of venison.

Deer ribs on the Big Green Egg are also a Davooda family taste treat!

Davooda

Davooda wrote:Jim - I'm blessed to be able to hunt on a family farm in central Illinois and we have way more deer in my area than hunters. When I first started hunting deer in northern Illinois 35 years ago (near Genoa), the state prohibited shooting does and hunters had to take bucks only because the deer herd was very small. However, management of the herd has been so successful that, nowadays, a hunter can take up to five or six deer annually, but only one buck (I think). And people now pay big money to hunt the cervid monsters of Jo Daviess and Pike County, among others.

My practice since moving to central Illinois has been to harvest a doe first and then a buck. I also try to take the oldest, most mature doe as these animals typically give birth to twins, and sometimes triplets, annually which keep the herd growing despite the best efforts of the hunters! I did have a 110-yard shot at a nice ten-point buck in the second shotgun season and missed. Didn't seem him again.

The deer in central Illinois feed mainly on corn, but I have also seem them eat soybeans, milo (sorghum), sunflower seedlings, acorns (a favorite) alfalfa clover, apples and pears off the tree, the shrubs and flowers in my yard, etc. The meat is very close to beef in its flavor profile, to my taste, but does have a slight gamey tinge that appeals to me big-time. I only eat beef a couple times per year since my freezer is usually stocked with plenty of venison.

Deer ribs on the Big Green Egg are also a Davooda family taste treat!

Davooda

great insight,

I dont hunt, but know alot of hunters so I hear their tales. Thanks for the input on the doe vs buck hunting.

I rarely see live bucks out where I live(ive seen more that have been hit by cars/trucks on the side of the road than I have seen alive), I see mostly does, and babies. I think I have only seen 3 mature males live in my yard the almost 5 years I have lived in LaSalle County(I live on an acre that backs up to a wooded gully that works its way down the the river.). I imagine the bucks are there, just deeper in the woods watching the does.

deer ribs huh..., I might have to try that.

I am not one prone to hyperbole or boasting, so I share this only so LTH-ers have more insight into the deer population in central Illinois, and the reason many hunters harvest does before bucks down here.

While I did not see a single deer on opening day of the shotgun season due to lots of high water in the area (this changes their travel habits) and a hell of a lot of corn still standing in the field (a veritable buffet for the cervid set - they go in and never come out until the farmer harvests the corn) during the following six days when one could shoot a smokepole at Bambi I counted 11 separate bucks (I also have field camera photos of them) on the property and saw 34 does (likely some duplicates, admittedly) BEFORE I shot the doe mentioned above.

And while I prefer the taste of our local venison anyway, I just read that wild venison is way higher in Omega-3 fatty acids than beef. BONUS!

Davooda

Venison and Rioja

We started with venison chops, which were not chops in the commonly accepted use of the term: they were mostly meaty hunks, nicely marbled, boneless and beautiful:



I browned them in butter; deglazed with red wine, added shallots and some fresh thyme I got from Farmer Vicki/Genesis Farms.



We enjoyed the venison, as well as some Deer Farms (synchronicity, no?) spinach and boiled potatoes, with a Montecillo 2001 Rioja Gran Reserva.



Rioja seemed a good choice with venison, because it has the fruitiness that complements wild game. This Montecillo had a wonderful nose: I opened the bottle and I could smell the lush depth of it immediately. I decanted it for about an hour, and it gained a lot of depth. The juice is all Tempranillo, and with some years behind it, the tannins were soft.

After dinner, both The Wife and Youngest Daughter said they liked venison better than beef.

Hi,

I've been waiting for cool weather to tackle some venison. Before I ever had an opportunity for any venison, I had done some research. One cut often left at the processor is the neck roast.


Sept 30 2010 packaged venison neck roast by cal222, on Flickr

Making sure you get a neck roast is one thing. Knowing what to do with it is another. Not sure where to begin, I did a search on venison neck roast. The first idea was to prepare it like an Osso Buco.

Once I settle on what to do, I unwrapped the meat to see what it really looked like. I also weighed it to find it was just under three pounds.


Sept 30 2010 venison neck roast by cal222, on Flickr

I was glad there was no esophagus to navigate around or trim. There was a neckbone with marrow, which you can see on the bottom half of the roast. I did trim those large bands of fat, because they would likely add a gamey taste.

I then proceeded to sear and process like an Osso Buco. I finally had an opportunity to use a technique I recently saw on an old Julia Child show. I made a wax paper barrier to retain as much moisture as possible.


Sept 30 2010 wax paper barrier by cal222, on Flickr

When I reheated it for dinner this evening, there was only a trace amount of fat on the surface.


Sept 30 2010 Venison Osso Buco by cal222, on Flickr

I dug out the neck bones to see how they looked.


Sept 30 2010 venison neck bones by cal222, on Flickr

While there is only one neck roast per deer, I hope it is not my first and last.

Regards,