Wild Game

[pmom]

I like to put the elk or venison into pineapple juice in a ziploc bag and soak it for at least a day before cooking or grilling it. Pineapple juice has enzymes that help tenderize the meat, plus the pineapple flavor helps take away some of the gamey flavor.

I also slice it thinly before cooking, since game is sometimes tough, and then saute it for various dishes, like chili, broccoli "beef", pepper steak or sandwiches.

 

[roses12roses12]

You can also slow cook venison in the crock pot and add your favorite bar bq sauce to it. It comes out very tender and flavorful.

 

[shaun]

I wish I had access to wild venison, it's too expensive to buy. I would love to be able to hunt wild game, the meat is free and delicious. I once found a dead wood pigeon in my garden, it was fresh so I decided to cook it on the barbecue and it was yummy.

 

[dconklin]

Venison is very tasty but yes, it needs to be done right or it can become tough. The best secret for venison I think is cooking it slowly. Never try to cook venison too fast or it will be tough.

I have made venison many times but I have not on the grill yet. I have used it for many things including stuffed peppers. Elk is tasty too but I only had the chance to have that a couple times in the past.

I have not tried the pineapple juice tho. I don't often marinade mine since I usually get it from somebody's freezer and I cook it once it is thawed.

 

[shaun]

Venison is very tasty but yes, it needs to be done right or it can become tough. The best secret for venison I think is cooking it slowly. Never try to cook venison too fast or it will be tough.

I have made venison many times but I have not on the grill yet. I have used it for many things including stuffed peppers. Elk is tasty too but I only had the chance to have that a couple times in the past.

I have not tried the pineapple juice tho. I don't often marinade mine since I usually get it from somebody's freezer and I cook it once it is thawed.

Venison needs to be cooked very slowly on a low heat or cooked very rare. Venison is horrible when overcooked, but I guess the same applies to all meat. My favourite recipe for venison is a stew enriched with dark chocolate, delicious.

 

[Burg14]

Venison and chocolate? Now that sounds like something I would eat. I have to be honest and say I don't like venison. I bet it's never been cooked right because it's always been "gamey" to me.

 

[dconklin]

Venison needs to be cooked very slowly on a low heat or cooked very rare. Venison is horrible when overcooked, but I guess the same applies to all meat. My favourite recipe for venison is a stew enriched with dark chocolate, delicious.

With chocolate? I never would have thought of that one! I have had venison stew a few times, but never would have thought of chocolate. How much do you use?

 

[shaun]

With chocolate? I never would have thought of that one! I have had venison stew a few times, but never would have thought of chocolate. How much do you use?

The chocolate adds depth to the sauce and enriches it.
I cook carrots, celery, onion, and garlic until sweet. I add the diced and browned leg of venison, along with juniper berries, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and star anise. I cook the venison low and slow for 2 hours and add 30g of 70% dark chocolate towards the end of cooking.

 

[dconklin]

The chocolate adds depth to the sauce and enriches it.
I cook carrots, celery, onion, and garlic until sweet. I add the diced and browned leg of venison, along with juniper berries, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and star anise. I cook the venison low and slow for 2 hours and add 30g of 70% dark chocolate towards the end of cooking.

This sounds delicious! My Mom used to make venison stew but I have not actually made it myself. I have cooked venison, but I usually get the roasts or the ground meat. I can probably thaw out a frozen roast and cut into cubes for stew, right? When somebody has venison, I take a cut I can get. I don't know where I can buy it.

 

[shaun]

This sounds delicious! My Mom used to make venison stew but I have not actually made it myself. I have cooked venison, but I usually get the roasts or the ground meat. I can probably thaw out a frozen roast and cut into cubes for stew, right? When somebody has venison, I take a cut I can get. I don't know where I can buy it.

It is hard to find, you can't buy it in most supermarkets. There are good shops online for wild venison.
You could use venison roasts for a stew. By the way, I forgot to add that I use red wine and stock to stew the meat.

 

[dconklin]

It is hard to find, you can't buy it in most supermarkets. There are good shops online for wild venison.
You could use venison roasts for a stew. By the way, I forgot to add that I use red wine and stock to stew the meat.

It is hard to find. When I was a kid we always had it in the freezer, it was nice! My Dad's friend was always bringing us some. Now I have to see if I can find anybody who has it. Local butchers don't always have it either. We have a deer processing place that opens at the same time as deer season, but they don't have it for sale. It is just for the hunter.

I have never seen it online, I will have to check it out!

 

[shaun]

It is hard to find. When I was a kid we always had it in the freezer, it was nice! My Dad's friend was always bringing us some. Now I have to see if I can find anybody who has it. Local butchers don't always have it either. We have a deer processing place that opens at the same time as deer season, but they don't have it for sale. It is just for the hunter.

I have never seen it online, I will have to check it out!

It is available online but quite expensive. Ideally you would find a hunter and pay him/her for a kill.

 

[dconklin]

Yeah I think that is what I will do. I have lost my hunter connections I had from when I was younger! They were all my Dad's friends and they do not really go out hunting anymore. Maybe the deer processing place can let me know if anybody comes in looking to sell some. We shall see!

 

[Laurasav]

The pineapple juice sounds like a good way to marinate wild game. I'll have to try that. Last night I prepared a venison backstrap by cutting it in 1" thick slices and soaking the pieces in 1/3 C Worcestershire sauce with a little garlic added, just for a few minutes. Then I seasoned the pieces with pepper and Wildlife Seasonings for venison and threw them in a hot skillet coated with olive oil. I poured the rest of the sauce from the bowl over the venison. It was really a very tasty dish!

 

[Isabellas2007]

I know that my husband likes to have Vension chili. He said the slow cooking process makes the meat tender and the game flavor adds a new dimension to the chili.

 

[Burg14]

Perhaps I will try it again with one of these recipes. We usually get 2 deer each year from a friend. My kids and hubby love it, I don't care for it. I am going to give one of these a try though.

 

[Laurasav]

The first year my husband got a deer, I didn't know what backstraps were. When I finally took a package out of the freezer and really looked at them, I just didn't think they were worth bothering with. I threw out ALL the backstraps! Later, I found out from my brother that the backstraps were the filet mignon of deer! Aargh! So stupid of me!

Then another year when he got a deer, I decided I didn't want steaks! I only wanted ground meat. We argued about it, but since I'm the one who cooks dinner, he dutifully took some, not all, of the steaks back to the butcher. The butcher argued with him, saying what a shameful waste of the best meat, but my husband told him the wife insisted. The ground meat from the steaks had absolutely NO fat in them and really didn't brown well, just pretty much burned, and wasn't all that great tasting. Another hard lesson learned, the STUPID way!

Now I appreciate ALL venison cuts, and trust the butcher to know what is best!

 

[josh0322]

I haven't had much experience cooking wild game but once I get into hunting I could see really making use of these animals and cooking every last part of them. So far I have only been hunting quail and they don't have a whole lot of meat on them. Nevertheless, they are tasty little birds especially when they are prepared correctly. Thanks for sharing your experiences on this. I can't wait to bag some larger game...

 

[beckyv1265]

I love wild gaame and don't really mind the gamey flavor. I do soak most meats including domestic stuff in buttermilk before I fry it or in mango or pineapple based marinade before grilling.

 

[shaun]

Another good way to tenderize wild game is to marinade the meat in wine, the acidity of the wine breaks down the meat. I once marinaded wild boar in a bottle of red wine with vegetables, garlic, herbs and juniper berries. Marinade the meat overnight and then use the marinade for cooking.