I’m a hunter’s wife. Before I married my hubs, I had only had deer meat on occasion, mostly while at friends’ houses but even then it was rare that I’d have it and I most of the time hated it. You see, my daddy wasn’t a hunter, in fact he used to tell Pat, “it’d be more fun if the deer had guns”.
So I didn’t grow up eating deer meat and I’ll never forget the first time Pat brought home deer meat….for me to cook. I kinda freaked out…I mean this was alive 2 days ago…and I didn’t buy it at the grocery store…what do I do with it?
I loved the fact (and still do) that deer meat helps us stretch our grocery budget because it’s less that I have to purchase at the store but if it’s not tasteful then no one in my house will eat it.
It’s not all about the cooking…
Now, after nearly 7 years of marriage, I can finally say that I know how to cook deer meat. Most of the time, you’d never know it was deer. But the truth is, making deer meat taste good isn’t all about the cooking. You see, the way the deer was killed is actually one of the most crucial parts of making sure deer meat doesn’t taste bad.
If the deer was killed immediately while grazing the meat will taste better than if, the deer was running while killed. This is due to adrenaline running through the deer’s system before it’s killed which causes the meat to be tougher. This is true for other animals as well, which is why slaughter houses kill cows and pigs in the manner which they do – to avoid the meat the being too tough.
The other component that has nothing to do with cooking the deer but matters greatly is the way the deer is processed. Since we don’t own the materials necessary for processing our own deer we have to use a processing house to do it. The processing house we used when lived back in my hometown of Powder Springs processed meat completely different from the processing house we now use.
The processor we use now is amazing and he’s the same money as the other processor. So, if you use a processing house, make sure that you shop around with other processors in the area to see and taste which ones do a better job.
Okay, so now on the actual cooking part…
Don’t Forget the Oil
Since deer meat is a leaner meat than beef, you’ll more than likely have to add olive oil to the meat when cooking it. This is especially true for browning ground meat. I usually just add onions, garlic, and bell peppers with a little olive oil in the pan while I’m browning the meat. This gives it great flavor and then I can just throw the meat with roasted potatoes or in a taco shell.
Don’t Over Do It
When I first started cooking deer meat, I would usually end up over seasoning because I honestly didn’t know what to do with it. If you’re using a great processor and the deer was killed quickly then you shouldn’t have to worry with too many seasonings. I just usually season the deer meat the same way I would season regular beef.
For example, for tacos, I just throw in a little chili powder and ground cumin and cook like normal. Same with a roast – I just season with a little salt and pepper and cook like normal.
Mix it In
I prefer deer meat to be used in a dish – not separate (like a steak would be). To me, if the deer meat is left on its own it tastes gamier. So throw ground in spaghetti, sausage in with soup, and roast with vegetables. When I first started cooking deer, I tried to treat it separately and cooked it to go alongside our side dishes but again, to me it was too gamey that way. So, just add it in. One of my family’s favorites is fried diced potatoes, mixed with ground deer, onions, bell peppers, and cheese. It’s totally bad for you but delicious. 🙂
Favorite Game Cookbook
Okay, so honestly, when it comes to amazing recipes, I used to feel super lost but then we got this awesome cookbook, The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game, and man what a difference! One of our favorite recipes is actually, meatloaf made with venison. It’s super delicious – even to my meatloaf-hating husband. 🙂
What is your favorite tip for cooking deer meat that doesn’t taste gamey?
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I married a hunter as well, but never had venison growing up. Now, I love it. I personally have never tasted the difference between a deer that was killed while grazing and one that ran after it was shot. Having said that, our processor is AMAZING. We have had meat that has been processed by others, and there is a huge difference. We always have the processor grind it twice. This makes a huge difference. Our favorite way to cook it is Cuban-Style Picadillo with venison. We also like to make venison burgers or sliders. If you mix the venison with some ground beef, it will not be gamey at all.
Do you have a recipe for the Cuban picadillo?
I also cook our deer meat “into” dishes like tacos, spaghetti sauce, lasagna to mask the taste. It is a huge cost savings for us, too, and now both of my son’s hunt as well.
Just turn it into jerky – that’s never failed for me 🙂
Jamie, can you share your jerky recipe, or tell me how to make it? We have venison and bought a new dehydrator, but don’t know where to start! Thanks so much. 👍
As a deer processor and wife of a hunter the key to having your steaks not have a game flavor is to be sure the fat and silver skin is removed. I am very passionate about venison. It is very health for us women. I do know that it takes lots of time to process a deer that is deboned and has the fat and silver skin removed, but if you can find a processor that does that it will make your venison taste much better. Also remember not to over cook you deer meat. Venison steaks taste much better medium rare.
We have about 70 lbs of venison in our freezer right now! My husband butchered the roasts and back straps himself, then we took the rest to our local butcher. We ended up with ground, meat sticks, and jerky. We had them add pork fat into the ground venison and I can’t taste the difference at all!
My husband and I both hunt. Last season we had enough that we didn’t buy any beef from the store! My husband does everything himself. I am sure you could find how to do it on YouTube and it would save a lot of money. He skins it and cuts the tenderloins and quarters out. We use the KitchenAid grinder attachment and it works amazing for ground meat. Then the tenderloins we eat as steak with bacon wrapped or battered with breadcrumbs. And the roast we use for soup or stroganoff. We have a dehydrator to make jerky with too. It’s awesome and saves so much money! Great post!
My husband’s hunting club has all the stuff for preparing/skinning but they don’t have any of the grinding equipment and neither do we. We’ve been trying to determine a good budget for the stuff and where we’ll store it because it’s something that would definitely save us a lot of money! 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this!! The first deer we had was gamey and turned me away from it! I made some tonight from a different deer my husband processed with his buddy and it was really great. I couldn’t even tell the difference!! I did mix it with beef in case the kids didn’t like it but it was great!!
I’m a hunter myself and I’ve found the best way to remove the gamey flavor of venison is to remove as much of the blood as possible. I’ll soak my meat in a cooler, filled with ice, for a week or two. Drain the water off and pack it with more ice. Let it melt over the meat and drain every 2 or 3 days. The water will get cleaner as you drain it. My daughter does not care for much meat in her diet but will go for seconds when we make venison. I’ll also do this with wild hogs.
Great comments all! One way we LOVE venison is to “chicken fry” it. Take some nice chunks (about 1 x 1 or larger) pound them FLAT, season nicely and let rest while the oil heats. I use flour and spices (garlic salt/powder, onion powder, parsley) or anything you want to use as a dry mix. Egg wash each piece of tenderized meat, dip in flour mixture and repeat. Fry at 350 until about medium or so. Drain the oil and enjoy!
I usually cook the roasts in a crockpot with some beef broth & onion soup mix. That’s my favorite way. Before cooking it, I soak it in cold water & pour the water off & add fresh several times. We process our own and have recently started adding ground beef fat to what we grind. Best thing we ever did! The burgers are delicious!
I am making cabbage rolls with a Mexican flair tonight. Mixing venison and soyrizo (veg Mexican sausage) because chorizo is a bit greasie for me. Topping it off with a lime Crema sauce.