It is a huge cost savings for us, too, and now both of my son’s hunt as well. The other component that has nothing to do with cooking the deer but matters greatly is the way the deer is processed. Change out the water daily. Soaking your meat in buttermilk helps with the tenderness, takes a little bit of the gamey taste out of it, and helps flour to stick better when your battering it. We have had meat that has been processed by others, and there is a huge difference. It won’t hurt anything. 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. What is best to soak deer meat in before cooking? This will help tenderize the deer meat and remove any leftover "gamey" flavor. I find that people fall in one of two categories: purists that believe soaking venison in buttermilk is sacrilege, and results-driven cooks that have witnessed the benefits of buttermilk. We have a dehydrator to make jerky with too. Place the coated deer meat pieces into the heated vegetable oil. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0 So, just add it in. Many people who cook deer meat use a soaking of some sort before getting into the actual preparation. However, I do ask that you remember to be kind and to sprinkle your comments with grace. Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. 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. How to Self-Publish a Book – Tips to Get You Started. Deer meat can be served as steaks and roasts, cubed for casseroles, soups and stew or ground to make patties or put into chili. Egg wash each piece of tenderized meat, dip in flour mixture and repeat. Here’s how to budget for it. I’ll also do this with wild hogs. I made some tonight from a different deer my husband processed with his buddy and it was really great. What is your favorite tip for cooking deer meat that doesn’t taste gamey? Now, after nearly 7 years of marriage, I can finally say that I know how to cook deer meat. If you’re using a great processor and the deer was killed quickly then you shouldn’t have to worry with too many seasonings. All blood that is visible should be washed off the meat. If you're being ugly and not adding anything of benefit to the conversation, your comment will be removed. Even if water is used to rinse out the chest and abdomen of the field dressed deer, it should be dried with a towel. Place the bowl with the marinating meat in a refrigerator for four or more hours. and man what a difference! Aging Deer Meat. Required fields are marked *. Racheal Ambrose started writing professionally in 2007. I am making cabbage rolls with a Mexican flair tonight. 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. Soaking the meat adds moisture, which helps prevent over-drying while cooking. Then sear all sides. Beef, veal, lamb and pork. 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. Powdered marinades contain papain and bromelain – extracts from the papaya and pineapple, respectively – and will soften the surface of the meat but they don't penetrate. Thanks! I love the odd cuts from the deer, and I have tried almost everything that can be tried: the heart, liver, tongue, kidneys, and testicles (a.k.a Rocky Mountain oysters). Don’t Overcook It. Venison Fajitas. One of my family’s favorites is fried diced potatoes, mixed with ground deer, onions, bell peppers, and cheese. […] you still don’t feel overly confident cooking venison be sure to check out these “How to Cook Deer Meat So It Doesn’t Taste Gamey” from […], Your email address will not be published. It’s awesome and saves so much money! 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. Having said that, our processor is AMAZING. Cooking this meat will result in chewy, bland meat. For example, for every six ounces of meat, use one cup of marinade. I couldn’t even tell the difference!! Let it rest or stand outside the fridge for at least two hours prior to cooking, which makes it easier for the heat to penetrate evenly throughout the entire piece of meat. It is forbidden to cook meat that has not been koshered by salting it and drawing out the blood. Take some nice chunks (about 1 x 1 or larger) pound them FLAT, season nicely and let rest while the oil heats. Before cooking it, I soak it in cold water & pour the water off & add fresh several times. Soak the venison in white vinegar for one hour after you have finished soaking it in the saltwater. Get control of your money in just 5 days with this free challenge! My family has been living this real life on a budget for a long time and I can tell you that there's never a perfect season, but with a few changes you can start to reign in your money issues. My husband and I both hunt. 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”. The only downside was the result was slightly less tender than other methods. Place the meat in the bowl with the marinade using tongs. Unsubscribe at any time. Add the salt and peppers. The processor we use now is amazing and he’s the same money as the other processor. My husband butchered the roasts and back straps himself, then we took the rest to our local butcher. 1. We won't send you spam. Put the onions, garlic, and deer meat in a slow cooker. peice of deer meat. Fry at 350 until about medium or so. We had them add pork fat into the ground venison and I can’t taste the difference at all! It was a huge hit … Drain the water off and pack it with more ice. The most important thing to remember: Don’t overcook it. As with any meat, the longer you soak it, the more of the flavor it absorbs, unless you use water. According to A. D. Livingston, author of “The Venison Cookbook,” soaking the venison in baking soda and water improves the appearance of the deer meat and removes most of the odor. There was no gaminess left in the cooked steak, and it did not alter the taste of the steak. You can also skip a real-deal marinade and just soak the meat in vinegar for about an hour before cooking. Secret #2- Soak your deer meat in buttermilk for at least 1 hour. When the meat is cooked, remove all the fat. Cooking should be fun. The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game, see all the details and try emeals for free for 14 days here, Quality Venison Recipes To Use Up That Deer Meat - Sharing Life's Moments. Simple Step-by-Step Guide. The juices left make great gravy! Also remember not to over cook you deer meat. Meat passed its prime may contain bacteria. We ended up with ground, meat sticks, and jerky. Venison has less fat than other types of meat, so it can dry out quickly, according to edubook.com. Choose a beer to use as the marinade. 🙂. We don’t say this is necessary, but if you want to do it, fine. I am very passionate about venison. Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. Mixing venison and soyrizo (veg Mexican sausage) because chorizo is a bit greasie for me. But the truth is, making deer meat taste good isn’t all about the cooking. Cut perpendicularly against these lines. I’ll soak my meat in a cooler, filled with ice, for a week or two. Soaking venison in vinegar can also get rid of … Deer meat and gravy. I’m a hunter’s wife. Saving Up for BIG Purchases. I know it may seem weird, but this is actually my comfort zone. If it bubbles, it’s ready. However, before the meat is salted it must be thoroughly rinsed with water, and soaked entirely submerged in water for half an hour. When you cook cold meat, it gets a “shock” from the heat, contracts and loses a lot of liquid. 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. (To test oil’s temperature, sprinkle a bit of flour in the oil to see if it bubbles. Soak the meat overnight. Do not keep for later use. eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Great post! Step 1 Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda per quart of cold water to soak 2 to 3 pounds of meat. If you use milk, you will want to additionally use a chemical or physical method of tenderizing the meat before you cook it. I love writing about my family's journey towards financial freedom and about ways to optimize your life, save money, and live well! during hunting season here, after a fresh kill and the guys have cleaned the deer totally, i soak all the meat in a HUGE cooler with heavily salted ice water for 3 days. Ambrose holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Ball State University. Topping it off with a lime Crema sauce. I'd like to receive the free email course. And the roast we use for soup or stroganoff. Only use fresh meat. He skins it and cuts the tenderloins and quarters out. Place the meat on a cooking surface. Don’t Forget the Oil. However, be careful not to … 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. “First, soak for 48 hours in Italian dressing …” It’s enough to make a venison … Money controlling you? I did mix it with beef in case the kids didn’t like it but it was great!! One of our favorite recipes is actually, meatloaf made with venison. So throw ground in spaghetti, sausage in with soup, and roast with vegetables. I’m sure most venison enthusiasts have heard this advice before. Last season we had enough that we didn’t buy any beef from the store! You can find specific recipes online or in books published by state conservation departments or hunting associations. I believe people eat out more often than not … Do keep in mind that liver generally has a strong flavor. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Pour enough marinade, olive oil or vinegar into the bowl to completely cover the meat. Pour a thin layer of marinade, olive oil or vinegar into the bowl. Venison, or deer meat, needs soaking before cooking. Marinade Problems. This gracious gift came with precise instructions: soak the steaks in buttermilk before grilling. Venison, or deer meat, needs soaking before cooking. Great comments all! My daughter does not care for much meat in her diet but will go for seconds when we make venison. My husband does everything himself. Deer meat requires more salt than just about any other type of meat, so when you are preparing to cook it, this brine compliments it well. The meat absorbs some of the brine as well, seasoning the meat deeply and diluting its gamey flavor. This gives it great flavor and then I can just throw the meat with roasted potatoes or in a taco shell. I usually cook the roasts in a crockpot with some beef broth & onion soup mix. Do you need to soak deer meat before cooking? Salting and Soaking of Meat. Soaking venison in vinegar can also get rid of the gamey flavor, according to edubook.com. buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. Water is bad. The water will get cleaner as you drain it. Remove the meat with the tongs. January 29, 2016 By Jessi Fearon 15 Comments. How to Start a Blog. We have venison and bought a new dehydrator, but don’t know where to start! 🙂. … Fresh deer meat can have blood in it, and by soaking a few hours or overnight in a solution like salt water or vinegar … There was an error submitting your subscription. I also cook our deer meat “into” dishes like tacos, spaghetti sauce, lasagna to mask the taste. Put the deer meat in another cooking pan. This … Since we don’t own the materials necessary for processing our own deer we have to use a processing house to do it. Most of the time, you’d never know it was deer. Let it melt over the meat and drain every 2 or 3 days. The water will then cause the meat to turn grey and basically waterlogged. The liquid contains bacteria, which dies off while being cooked. If you reduce the percentage of salt, and soak your venison for just hours instead of days, the brine will draw out a portion of the natural juices from your venison. This is especially true for browning ground meat. This guide shows you How To Prepare Deer Meat.Watch this and other related films here - http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-cook-deer-meatSubscribe! Please try again. 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? We always have the processor grind it twice. She has worked for the minority publishing company Elite Media Group Inc., Ball Bearings online magazine, "Ball State Daily News" and "The Herald Bulletin." I use flour and spices (garlic salt/powder, onion powder, parsley) or anything you want to use as a dry mix. One of our favorite recipes is actually, meatloaf made with venison. Either use the leftover liquid for basting during cooking or throw it out. Soak the meat for at least two hours; longer for a stronger flavor. Little oil in a hot in cast iron Dutch oven, season roast with salt and pepper, cover with flour. The burgers are delicious! You can read more of my comment policy here. Learn how your comment data is processed. Venison steaks taste much better medium rare. Meat that has been brined retains more moisture during cooking. Venison has less fat than other types of meat, so it can dry out quickly, according to edubook.com. I personally have never tasted the difference between a deer that was killed while grazing and one that ran after it was shot. Brining is the process of soaking meat in a solution of salt water. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Creative. We also like to make venison burgers or sliders. I prefer deer meat to be used in a dish – not separate (like a steak would be). How We Paid off $5,000 of Debt in One Month, We Paid Cash! I usually just add onions, garlic, and bell peppers with a little olive oil in the pan while I’m browning the meat. Same with a roast – I just season with a little salt and pepper and cook like normal. Dec 2010. Okay, so now on the actual cooking part…. 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. Put foil or plastic wrap over the bowl to prevent the smell from filling the refrigerator. Breaking the muscle fibers by scoring or pounding the meat is excellent for thick cuts of meat. Some people may like this but if you are very sensitive to the taste, then you need to do some quick preparation steps. We have also*had great success from* soaking meat in salt water as it removes the blood from the meat, When stressed adrenaline is released into the deers system and gets into the protein bands of the muscles, The Cold water with salt or salt with juniper berries does a excellent job of removing this from the meat, You will have to change the water a couple times but this works great. We have about 70 lbs of venison in our freezer right now! Now, I love it. 🙂, 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! This is due to adrenaline running through the deer’s system before it’s killed which causes the meat to be tougher. 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. All beers contain potentially tenderizing enzymes, but the … It’s super delicious – even to my meatloaf-hating husband. tender loin works best.• french onion soup•flour•water. Thank you so much for posting this!! Your email address will not be published. Got Irregular Income? 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. Many people who cook deer meat use a soaking of some sort before getting into the actual preparation. Cooking Deer Meat Odds and Ends (and Organs) How to cook venison organs A jar of pickled venison heart. It’s totally bad for you but delicious. Prepare to Smoke Your Venison When you are ready to start smoking, you need to allow 30 – 60 minutes for preparations before you actually start the smoking process. Then the tenderloins we eat as steak with bacon wrapped or battered with breadcrumbs. It’s super delicious – even to my meatloaf-hating husband. On the grill, it takes … It pulls the blood out of the meat, lightens it and takes the gamey taste out. This makes a huge difference. One way we LOVE venison is to “chicken fry” it. 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! While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don’t find it all that helpful. 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. Fresh deer meat can have blood in it, and by soaking a few hours or overnight in a solution like salt water or vinegar and water will remove much of the blood. We process our own and have recently started adding ground beef fat to what we grind. Our favorite way to cook it is Cuban-Style Picadillo with venison. I just usually season the deer meat the same way I would season regular beef. The first deer we had was gamey and turned me away from it! Best thing we ever did! It will cause spoiling as well as leach out blood from the meat and replace it with water. 👍. I know the feeling. 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. If you dislike meat that is very tough, or if you simply find the gamey taste of venison slightly unappetizing, you may want to age the deer meat for a while before you consume it. In addition, the brine solution has a denaturing effect on the protein in the meat, tenderizing as it plumps. Secret #3- Bacon Grease 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. 50 … I married a hunter as well, but never had venison growing up. Soaking the meat adds moisture, which helps prevent over-drying while cooking. Alabama. Thanks so much. It is very health for us women. If the deer was killed immediately while grazing the meat will taste better than if, the deer was running while killed. This is a place to encourage others, not tear anyone down. If you mix the venison with some ground beef, it will not be gamey at all. We use the KitchenAid grinder attachment and it works amazing for ground meat. Then cover roast with beef broth, cover with lid and cook for 4-5 hours or until tender. Do you have a recipe for the Cuban picadillo? Drain the oil and enjoy! 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. When you soak liver in milk about 3 hours prior to cooking, this eliminates the odd odor and taste. It will help your deer meat be more tender. While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don’t find it … If you have to stack the meat, make sure to put some of the liquid in between each piece. 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? I usually just add onions, garlic, and bell peppers with a little olive oil in the pan while I’m browning the meat. What do you soak deer meat in before cooking? For example, for tacos, I just throw in a little chili powder and ground cumin and cook like normal. Her articles focus on minority and women's issues, children, crafts, housekeeping and green living. 🙂. This is especially true for browning ground meat. Join the 5-Day Challenge today and start getting your money life in order this week! That’s my favorite way. "Since I have a freezer full of venison, thought I would give it a try. Yogurt: Here are a few more ways you can save money: I love comments from y'all, so please feel free to chime in below. 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. Our [Actual] One-Income Budget for our Family of Five. To me, if the deer meat is left on its own it tastes gamier. I am sure you could find how to do it on YouTube and it would save a lot of money.