So You Don’t Like Venison?
While traveling the countryside the past couple of decades, sharing my personal brand of wild-game cooking, I’ve run across many people who just don’t like venison. If I had to guess what went wrong, somebody served them an over-cooked “gamey” piece of improperly prepared deer meat.
Venison has about five times less fat than beef, so it’s not nearly as forgiving as a marbled beef ribeye. Fat also equals flavor and juiciness. If you overcook a venison steak, it will be dry and livery.
This is my go-to recipe when faced with the challenge of convincing people that if their venison doesn’t taste good, don’t blame the deer. I cook the meat rare to medium-rare and cover it with some of the dark, rich sauce, just in case they pale at the sight of red, not overcooked, grayish meat.
If you have tenderloins or backstrap medallions, that will increase your chances of impressing those who are game-shy. Trimmed hindquarter steaks can be tenderized and sliced across the grain before serving, but please don’t overcook them. If you are accustomed to eating your red meats on the well-done side, please, just once, try it cooked medium-rare.
So You Don’t Like Venison?
Ingredients
- 2 lbs trimmed venison medallions, about 4 inches wide by ½ inch thick
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp plum preserves
- 3 tbsp chilled butter, cut into pieces
- ¾ cup fresh berries, any kind
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles (optional, if you like blue cheese)
Instructions
- Season meat evenly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and brown, about 1 to 2 minutes each side, but not past rare. Add rosemary, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and plum preserves. Remove meat after 1 minute and keep warm.
- Reduce liquid to a few tablespoons. Whisk in chilled butter until melted. Immediately remove pan from heat, and stir in berries. Arrange medallions on plates, spoon sauce over and, if desired, top with blue cheese crumbles.
Made this last night. Couldn’t find plum preserves, so I used half blueberry preserves and half fig preserves. This meal was delicious. My husband and daughter loved it. They both had a second helping. Recipe is now saved for future enjoyment. This is the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe I found online. That’s how delicious this was!
High praise! Thanks!
I don’t care for venison; it’s not that it tastes terrible (I’ve had it cooked a few different ways and it’s fine), it’s just not worth all the hype that surrounds it. It’s like the bottom rung of red wild meat in my eyes. Elk tastes a thousand times better to my tongue.
Is venison better than beef? Of course it is. But if I have a choice, I’ll pass both up every time.
I came across this recipe while looking for others who share my opinion, but it seems like most of America is obsessed with venison, lol.
I’m not sure we’re obsessed with venison, but many folks are getting away from processed foods and opting for a healthier alternative. I’ve done blind tastings with whitetail, muleys and elk and the mule deer usually is in last place, but not by much. I don’t marinate or otherwise disguise the flavor of the meat. Just olive oil, salt, pepper and cooked medium-rare. Although the elk gets slightly better rankings that the whitetail, most people aren’t able to tell the difference. That being written, I personally give elk a slight edge as well.
I also think that there’s something to enjoying the meat we kill ourselves. I’ve had people tell me that they LOVE possum and raccoon. I’ve had enough of both and I’ll take chicken over either of them anytime. But then, if someone offers me another bite or two of possum, I’ll give it a try. Maybe the next bite will be better than chicken, but I doubt it.