Hi there. I just shot my first deer on Sunday. Thank you, thank you... But now, I have all this meat. I love the venison my dad used to cook for me. But my wife and kids are much more discerning. My wife doesn't like rare meat (which leaves out grilling...aka, rare or jerky) and she's not fond of heavy game taste.

So I thought a really nice roast with vegetables and gravy would be perfect. Any good recipes? What's the best cut of meat for this?

Also, I could use recipes for backstrap, tenderloin, ground venison, and stew meat. Any and all help is welcome and much appreciated.

Thanks.

Budge,

I like to "chicken fry" the backstrap steaks. Soak the meat in milk overnight to get rid of the game taste. Batter the meat with egg/milk and flour and fry it up in a skillet. Serve with sides of your choice and your family will be begging for more.

Chicken fried backstrap would be my favorite also. But another way to use any un-ground venison is to put it in a baking dish. Smother it with cream of mushroom soup and add potatoes, carrots, etc. Cover with foil and bake in the oven until done. For your wife's weak game taste you can soak it in salt water for a while---probably overnight. That draws out the blood.

I will say that I haven't soaked venison in the salt water overnight before. I do that with ducks for my wife and son.

When you get it processed, make sure that as much as possible of the fat is removed. Use the ground meat in skillet dishes - either hamburger helper or something similar that you make up yourself. Since there won't be any fat, (or not much, anyway), you will need to put a tablespoon or so of olive oil in the skillet first, then won't have to drain when it is cooked.

Backstrap, or any large roast, you can butterfly till it is about 1 and a half inches thick. season with your choice of flavors (sage,garlic, rosemary go well, as does marjoram), line the interior with bacon. Cook wild rice for 1/2 the time you normally would. mix into the rice, ground pecans (not flour, but not big pcs either), season, and mix with enough real butter so that the mixture sticked together. place on top of the bacon, and roll the meat around the stuffing.

Tie shut. Wrap with bacon, and either roast in a slow oven (300f or less) or wrap well with foil and cook in coals or smoke it. Cook to an internal temp of 160 or so.

Campcook, about how long do you think it would take to get the meat to 160 degrees with the oven set at 300? Also, will this recipe work well with the ham and shoulder roasts? Lastly, what should I do with the tenderloins? They are rather small; I'd say enough meat for one family dinner.

I plan to do some chicken-fried backstrap as well. I'll try the milk overnight. I have done that in the past with shark and bull red fish. Works great.

Thanks again.

Any good cookbooks for venison and other game that you can recommend? I have to earn my keep around this camp, you know.

As to time, for a 2 or 3 pound roast, start checking in about an hour and a half. An instant read thermometer is really a help here.

This can work with ANY roast - You can even fudge around and use just chunks of meat.

I will get back with you about the books - I have a drawer full...but they are all at home!

Lora, I've got a question for you. I can't remeber if it was you or Randal that was talking about venison ribs a few weeks back, is there anything there worth going to the trouble of eating? Are they similar in preparation to any other type of ribs? Or was it just a joke? My wifes boss would like to have me get her a doe and she asked about the ribs. Thanks for any info.

I wouldn't even fool with the ribs, no meat after cooking.

In my experience, most wild game (with the notable exception of moose and buffalo) doesn't have a) enough meat or b) enough fat on the ribs to cook them like you would beef, pork, lamb/mutton, or goat ribs.

I will sometimes strip the meat from between the ribs to grind, or if there really isn't very much, give to the dogs.

If you want to cook the ribs, cook them in foil with extra beef or pork fat (or bacon) and watch them very carefully.

In re: your cookbook request: there are so very many books, by so many people, that it would be best to google for on-line recipes, or go to the bookstore or library.

Most game meat can be cooked the same way as you cook domestic meat, keeping in mind the lack of fat in the wild meat.

Hope this helps.

Lora

That's what I wanted to know, thanks Lora.

Some friends said they put mustard all over the meat and let it sit overnight. They said it works but they have only used it on bear meat. It sounds to me like it would taste like a corn dog.

OK, I have never tried this on game meat, but I have tried it with the really cheap hams from the grocery store. Mix 1/2 and 1/2 honey and mustard and use it as a glaze...in other words, smear it all over with this glop (the sound it makes when you put it on the meat) before cooking, and again about halfway thru. Cook at 250 deg or less for 10 minutes per pound.

Turns out pretty tasty...

1 Venison roast or backstrap
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. garlic powder
2 tbs. all purpose Greek seasoning
4 carrots, sliced
2 cans golden mushroom soup
6 medium red potatoes - cut in thirds
1 large yellow onion
1/2 small green pepper (if desired)

Turn crockpot on high. Put oil in pot, add roast and roll in oil
Sprinkle all seasonings on roast and vegetables in pot.
Just arrange veggies around the sides of meat.
Put soup directly on top of everything and add 1/4 cup of water to pot.
Cook on high for 1 - hour, cook on low for 5-6 hours till meat is fork
tender


Enjoy!

Stew: Chunk up meat to stew size. Put in crock pot. Mix in potatoes, carrots, and onions. Fill it up with V8. Cook until done.

I do deer meatloaf and chili. I use mc cormics seasonings and follow the directions. Good eatin.

take hole back strap trim all blue,fat off. marinate in cajun recipe garlic. overnight in fridge. rap from end to end with a brand of thick pepperd bacon. rap in al. foil set oven to 375 cook for 1 & 1/2 hrs. my kids & wife love this i hope this helps

My wife's rule: "You kill it, you clean it, you cook it and I MIGHT eat it".

Dunno about your tastes or that of your family, but I'm going to be trying these two recipes next:

http://foodfest.neworleans.com/rec_inv.php?RESID=353

http://www.wvtrophyhunters.com/venison_backstrap.htm

Also, my venison stew was successfully tried and liked by 25 adults and children at a campout earlier this year. I have the recipe typed out at home and will get it on here tonight if I can remember it.

Chicken fry back strap! There is no other way to cook it that is better! Wife will love it! If she don't she is broken and you need to upgrade from wife 1.0 to GF 2.0, hahahahahaha

Try some grilled venison meatballs, my own recipe...

1-2 pounds ground venison
1 pkg hickory bacon
1 pound pepper-jack cheese
1 large bell pepper
1 med onion
Garlic salt, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste

Grate the cheese, bell pepper and onion
mix thoroughly with the ground venison
roll mixture into many 1.5 inch meatballs
wrap meatballs with bacon to hold meat and flavor
(use tooth picks to hold the bacon on)

Now... you have two choices... you can either cook these on the grill (my preference), or you can bake them in a covered pan (this is good too, but grill is better)

These are EXCELLENT finger food at a picnic!!!

Try putting the larger cuts or whole steaks in the dry Lipton onion soup mix in a crock pot. Cover it with water and cook 4-6 hours. Add potatoes and carrots if desired. You can also add other spices with the soup mix.

Well, I tried both of the recipes I posted above. Both were very good. I added a bit too much salt to the 'plain' recipe, and overcooked the meat just a tad, but if my 3 year old son would eat it, it was good enough. My wife ate all of hers.

The other recipe was very very good. I substituted Raspberry Chipotle for the black cherry jam and another kind of steak sauce for the Tabasco. The sauce was incredible and poured over the round steak I used, it was a big hit. Wife, son and my grandparents who haven't had venison for years all ate every bit of it!