part0010

Consider this chapter Venison 101. Here, we will cover everything you need to know for success in the kitchen, including the factors that affect venison flavor, how to field dress to preserve the quality of your harvest, the different venison cuts and the best cooking methods to use for them, how to work with a venison processor, how to grind your own venison, and more.

In the recipes in this book, you will see me calling for venison. Venison refers to the meat of antlered animals, such as white-tailed deer, elk, and moose. Although these animals vary in size, they all have the same cuts, though some will be bigger than others. When following my recipes, use the indicated cut and weight of whatever kind of venison you have.

These animals vary not only in size but also in the flavor of their meat. White-tailed deer have the gamiest flavor, and moose and elk have a smooth and slightly sweet taste. Antelope is very mild in flavor, with notes of sage.

The meat of a young animal tends to be less gamy and more tender, because the animal’s muscles haven’t been used as much as those of older animals. If you have a perfect shot placement on an animal and it expires almost instantly, your meat will be of higher quality. If the animal took a shot and ran for 500 yards, the meat will be pumped full of adrenaline and not have the same quality. Stress, pain, and adrenaline are huge factors affecting how the meat will taste. If you are not able to chill your harvest quickly, your meat may either have a slight sour note to it when cooked or spoil entirely.

Field dressing is the very first thing you need to do once your harvest is down and passed. For deer, elk, and moose, field dressing consists of immediately removing the internal organs so you can cool down the internal cavity as rapidly as possible; this helps keep the meat from spoiling. Once you have field dressed your animal, keep the carcass as cool as you can during transport. If you are a long way from a processor or home, place a bag of ice in the cavity to help keep the meat cool. If you are hunting and can’t get back to camp easily or quickly, it’s best to gut and quarter your harvest. Game bags are especially great to carry when hunting to help keep the meat clean while you are packing out.

VENISON PROCESSORS: HOW TO GET WHAT YOU WANT

My philosophy is to know what I want to cook before I go out and harvest it. That ensures that I get all the right cuts from my processor. Processors are a great way to get your harvest broken down if you are unfamiliar with butchery or in a hurry. I highly recommend bringing in your harvest gutted and well cleaned; it makes it easier for the processor and is common courtesy.

Ask your butcher for the exact cuts you want, and be specific. For instance, say in advance that you want the ribs, which are almost always tossed out. Also, it’s common practice with processors to gather scraps of meat from different venison they are processing, grind them together (or to package them as “stew meat”), and then portion the ground meat out to their customers. I want the ground meat and stew meat from the animal I harvested. If you feel the same way, specify to your processor that you want the stew meat and/or ground meat to be only from your animal.

Be clear with your processor about what you want up front, otherwise you’ll have to work with the cuts that they give you.

Venison cuts are very similar to beef cuts, but they are very different when it comes to tenderness. Deer get much more exercise than domesticated farm cows. Wild deer have to run from predators and find food, so their meat is less tender, drier, and lacks the fat that beef has. However, if you know the cuts and which cooking methods are best for those cuts, you can create venison dishes that are just as tender as beef.

Tender cuts are usually the most sought-after pieces of any animal. The most tender and prized muscle on a deer is the backstrap. Due to their lack of tough silver skin and ligaments, tender cuts are great for high cooking temperatures such as grilling or panfrying.

Backstrap and tenderloin: These are the most tender cuts on the animal. They are great for cutting into steaks and grilling or broiling. Since backstrap and tenderloin cuts are both very lean and lack fat, adding oil or butter to the cooking process will give you the best results.

Rack: The rack is also known as rib roast. It has the loin still attached to the ribs, and the ribs are usually sawed down to a shorter length than when harvested. A rack makes a stunning presentation and is great roasted whole.

The tougher cuts of venison are the highly used muscles of the animal, such as the shoulders and legs. These muscles contain lots of ligaments and silver skin, which makes them best suited for cooking at lower temperatures for long periods of time to break down those tough muscle fibers.

Brisket: Just like beef, there is venison brisket, which comes from the chest area. Venison brisket is much smaller than beef brisket but equally delicious. Treat it the same way, pot roasting or smoking it low and slow; the good news is that it cooks in a fraction of the time, compared to beef brisket.

Rump roast: This comes from exactly where you would think: the rump area of the animal. Rounds can also be found near the rump roast, but a round is more toward the back of the leg (hindquarter). Rump roasts are large and are great for—you guessed it—roasting!

Shoulder: The shoulder, top blade, and chuck roasts contain large amounts of ligaments, which makes them better suited to long, slow cooking methods like braising. If you intend to grind this meat, be sure to remove as much of the silver skin as possible beforehand. If you are cooking the shoulder in a smoker or oven, it’s fine to leave on some of the silver skin, since it will turn to gelatin during cooking and add moisture to the meat.

Stew meat: If your harvest is broken down by a processor, you’ll likely get back a number of packages simply labeled “stew meat.” Stew meat often consists of meat taken from the neck, shank, and sometimes the ribs. Stew meat is best cooked low and slow and is great for slow cookers.

Grinding your own is a great way to make use of tougher cuts that might otherwise get tossed. You can use either a meat grinder or a food processor. The most important step in grinding meat properly is to keep everything cold. That includes the equipment you use to grind it, like the grinding plate and other parts of a meat grinder or the bowl, as well as the blade of a food processor, since grinding causes friction, which in turn creates heat. The best way to be sure your meat and equipment are cold enough is to put them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before using. Cube the meat into 1- to 2-inch pieces, then put it in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes. This will help the meat stay firm, allowing it to go through the grinder more easily, with less friction.

If you are using a food processor, fill the bowl only halfway with meat and pulse 8 to 10 times, just 1 second for each pulse, because the food processor creates a lot of friction and can overheat. Never run the food processor continuously.

When storing and handling venison, the most important thing is to prevent cross-contamination, which can happen at various stages of food preparation. That’s why keeping a clean work surface and clean utensils is very important.

Bacteria thrive in temperatures between 40°F and 140°F, known as the danger zone. Always refrigerate your venison at a temperature below 40°F, or freeze it at a temperature below 0°F. Make sure you have working thermometers in your refrigerator and freezer so you can maintain proper temperatures. When sealed well, venison will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to a year in the freezer. For best results, I recommend investing in a vacuum sealer or a chamber vacuum sealer if you can afford it.

I’ve tried to organize the following recipes in a way that will make it easy for you to find what you’re looking for, either by type of cut (tender cuts, tougher cuts, ground meat, etc.), the preparation (soups, stews, and chilis, sausage and jerky), or the cooking technique used (grilling, smoking, slow cooker, pressure cooker, etc.).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CWD

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease that affects antlered animals like deer, elk, sika deer, moose, and reindeer. Infected animals experience brain degeneration that results in emaciation, abnormal behavior, and eventually death. If you suspect your harvest had CWD, it is recommended that you do not eat it, that you report it your state wildlife department, and that you properly dispose of the carcass as to not infect more wildlife.

If you harvest an animal in an area where animals with CWD have been reported, err on the side of caution when processing meat—to avoid contamination, do not cut through the spinal cord or brain, and debone all the meat.