It seems like besides burger meat the only thing to do with whitetail is chicken frye. Everything else seems gamy and or tough. This may be because I've been shooting elk lately though.

I remove all the connective tissue, silverskin, and the little fat I may find and brine it. Then I just put it in a crock pot on low for ten hours with a bushel of celery and a onion, diced, and a can of stewed tomatoes. I add a little season salt and that's about it, really not gamey and super lean and healthy. I used to do squirrel this way, but with potatoes and carrots added. I omit those for the deer because I am dieting.

Make sausage and pan sausage, roasts, tenderized steaks marinated fajita's not to mention the hamburger mixed with about 20% beef.

I process my own & here is what I do.

1) Backstraps & inside loins are bacon wrapped & grilled.
2) Hams are muscle-separated & used for chicken fry. The big heart-shaped ham muscle is either ground up, slow cooked as a roast in a crock pot or BBQ whole while constantly dipping it in an oily sop.
3) While cutting/wrapping up the meat I put the neck on the pit with a very slow, smokey heat. Usually, when I'm finished, you can shake the neck bone & the meat falls loose. Remove leaders & tendons & the shredded meat makes great tacos. Save in tupperware.
4) The shoulders & lower legs get ground for hamburger. I BBQ the ribs (which takes a special technique) but if you prefer, strip & add to ground meat pile.

It's all good! The bacon wrapped Backstrap is beloved by all!

FWIW...

2lbs Shoulder meat or Hams

1) Cut in thumb size pieces & marinade overnight in 1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
2) Wrap in 1/2 slice of bacon & stick toothpick through it to hold together
3) Stack tight in cast iron dutch oven & put marinade & enough water to 3/4 height of meat
4) Simmer until bacon starts to sizzle (aprox 1.5 hrs)

Enjoy!

chicken fried is likely my favorite way along with German fried potatoes and gravy ... but I also do a variety of other things.

1/2 backstrap, butterflied, stuffed with a mix of breakfast sausage/cream cheese/ onion/jalapeno/spices, wrapped in bacon, smoked for 3 hours at 150*, put to hotter end of pit or into 225* oven for about 45 minutes (internal temp to 165 so sausage is cooked). Then slice cross ways ... it's a definite crowd pleaser.

using similar cuts that you would chicken fry, marinate in zesty italian dressing for a few hours, remove & season with sea salt/black pepper/garlic & onion powder and put on hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side to medium rare. cut cross grain and you have some of the best fajitas going.

cross cut backstrap to about 1 inch thick, wrap with bacon held with wooden toothpick, season with salt/black pepper/garlic powder with a little extra virgin olive oil to coat, hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side, then set up on edge to cook the bacon, rotate 1/4 turn after 2-4 minutes (depending on heat), repeat until all sides of bacon cooked.

Pound steaks thin, dust in flour and fast pan sear.. GREATNESS
Grill is cut a little thinker cooked rare-medium are

I have not fried venison in years

Try Chinese bell pepper steaks.

I marinate strips of tenderized venison cube steaks in balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and soy sauce for a few hours, then pan sauté with some strips of red and yellow bell peppers. Once the meat and peppers are done, throw them over a bed of mixed green salad with balsamic dressing on top. Boom! Dinner is served.

My family also enjoys venison broccoli Dijon:
Cook and stir broccoli (I use a whole bag of frozen broccoli) and minced garlic in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until tender crisp. Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm. Then cook bite size pieces of venison with oil and more minced garlic to rare to medium rare, While the meat is cooking, mix chicken or beef broth and soy sauce in equal parts.

Add broth mixture; mix well. Bring to boil.

Stir in Dijon mustard until well blended. Return broccoli mixture to skillet; mix lightly. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Its pretty easy and fast.

straps and tenders get grilled... no exceptions... shoulders and most ham ground meat for spaghetti, chili, burgers, anything really.. rest of ham slow cooked roast

All of it will make ground/chili grind

I like to save backstraps, tenderloins, and top and bottom round for making steaks. I either chicken fry, grill or sear in cast iron. The chicken frying is pretty self explanatory, tenderize and season the breading mix too! The stuff for the grill/sear in cast iron cut it thicker, cook hot and fast, leave rare to medium rare, and make sure to cut the meat cross grain to give you the most tender bite.

Made fajitas a couple times this year as well and they were great too.

Hot & fast for backstrap & tenderloin - to medium rare.
Low & slow for most else (whole muscle) (except the little bit that goes into grind).

Minimal spices for most - venison too precious to cover up, if you do it right.

This website is a really good one for recipes.

http://honest-food.net/wild-game/venison-recipes/

For tough cuts, braise, crockpot, or pressure cooking will make it tender and tasty. If it's gamey, make something spicy.

Thanks guys! I'll have to try some of yalls ideas

Strap off the grill last night... Then roast went on this morning

A lot of times I take my tenderloins and back strap and make fajitas out of them. Other areas I have it processed into tenderized cutlets, marinate and grill them about 2 minutes on each side and they are good to go.

Will be trying the Bulgogi this weekend.

Another one I like that is easy and makes a bunch:

3 lbs of venison (i used round steak)
3 cans of Hunts Fire-roasted Tomatoes
1-2 onions
7oz can of diced green chilis
Salt
Pepper
2 Beef bouillon cubes

Rough chop 1-2 onions (one is enough but I like cooked onions).
Saute until clear in oil and transfer to crockpot.
Salt and pepper the steaks, then brown on both sides in the same skillet and transfer to the crockpot.
Add chilis and tomatoes to crockpot along with 1-2 cans of additional water and bouillon cubes.
Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 5-8 hours, stirring occasionally. I usually serve this in bowls over rice.