Newbie & deer steaks

S

snevensmores

New member
Hey all, I've never hunted before and haven't really had any venison outside of salami and deer "sticks." One of the firefighters at my department was nice enough to leave some deer meat in the freezer at the department and I brought some home. I've got a few frozen packages labeled "deer round steaks" and one labeled "deer butterflies."

I'm basically looking for a very simple recipe to fix this stuff up. My buddy recommended soaking the meat in buttermilk to remove the gamey taste, so I bought a small carton of that. I've got the meat thawing in the fridge now, so any help ASAP would be greatly appreciated!

PS: I'm a poor single guy with limited cooking skills, so please take that into consideration :).

EDIT: Before you ask, yes, I'm from the "golden triangle" in IL. I've just never had an opportunity to hunt.
 
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***BUMP***

Time's running out and this stuff smells awfully gamey... I'm gonna continue researching on here. Maybe I'll just boil it for a while first...
 
Don't worry about the buttermilk. As far as I can tell, it's an old wive's tale. the meat doesn't taste any different to me after soaking in milk.

If the butterflies are backstrap, then tenderize it, dip it in egg, and flour it, then fry it in some oil like chicken fried steak. Serve it up with some gravy and rice or mashed potatoes.

Jason
 
Well I'm no game gourmet either but I've cooked plenty of venison. I like to fry it in bacon grease with some mushrooms and onions. I pretty much cook it like any other red meat. Just be sure to trim away any and all the white fat (tallow). It's not edible like beef fat.

Not sure what to make of the "smells awfully gamey" thing. Venison does smell and taste "different" than beef but it really shouldn't have a strong or pungent smell if it was dressed and handled properly. Not trying to put you off trying what you have there. I'm never sure what "gamey" means to folks new to venison. It could mean the meat is bad or it could mean it's venison. :)
 
I use buttermilk on seafood mostly but I do know it works. It actually draws blood from meat as well as the ammonia in shark meat from fighting on the line. I will use it extensively on venison. But I also soak my wild meat in ice for several days.
Brent
 
lol, thanks, Mike. That's what I'm wondering -- if I'm getting ready to fix rotten meat, or if it's just "gamey." I think it's the latter, though -- for some odd reason, it smelled to me like fish, etc. -- something "wild." This makes me think that it's just a smell that's exhibited by meat that comes from "the land." I'm still soaking it, and I think I might wash it off, roll it in flour, and fry it in veg oil in a bit. Let me know if any of you all think that's a bad idea. Thanks for all the advice!
 
Wrap the steaks with a strip of thick cut bacon, secure with bamboo skewer. Marinate overnight with Wishbone Italian dressing......pan sear both sides of each steak in olive oil. Finish cooking on the grill (low heat for about 20 minutes). Serve with sautéed onions and bell peppers.
 
Wow, Rembrandt, that sounds fancy! I fixed one tonight in a pretty standard way. After soaking it in buttermilk for about two hours (yes, I was impatient and hungry), I squeezed it inside the ziploc and seemed to get a lot of blood out and into the buttermilk. I then washed it off, dried it with a paper towel, rolled it in flour, and fried it in vegetable oil. Had it with a baked patato & sour cream, and it was great, but I think that I can do more with the meat. by trying more methods I think that I'll try your recipe next. I have about 7 more steaks to experiment on. I'm sure that I'll get it right eventually.
 
A splash of Kikkoman soy sauce, and a splash of worcestershire sauce will kill the gamey smell. Heat your skillet before adding the venison, add some butter, let it melt and start to bubble, add the sauces and flash fry. If you want it moister, cover the frying pan while cooking. I just finished my second bowl of stew; wish I'd made some biscuits. Ah, well, leftovers!
 
Just remember for the future - do not over-cook venison - cook to at most medium and add a little pork-fat (i,e,bacon or bacon grease). Well cooked venison brings out more the gamey flavors. If its a Nobamaland deer it should be corn-fed and not too gamey. You wouldnt have any relatives in the Golden Triangle w. farms w. a deer problem he-he?:D
 
it smelled to me like fish
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That doesn't sound good. There's a certain pungent livery smell to venison, and a richness in it's taste, but it should never smell foul and then be eaten.

I say pound it thin, double dredge it then chicken fry it. Make sum grease gravy and biscuits and go to town.
 
Thanks for all the help, guys! I think I might try a bit of stew with my next batch. And yeah -- I'm originally from (and my parents live in) Greene county, the southeastern county of the golden triangle, which i hear is about the second ranked white tail county in the country. My uncle farms the area, and I do believe that he hooks out-of-staters up for lodging and a good hunting experience. Not sure what he charges, but I have a feeling that it'd be a bargain compared to anyone out there trying to "make money" in the business. He's just trying to make some dough to take care of the house on my grandparents' farm that he inherited.

I'll tell ya -- I do a job that involves "patrol" (you can guess what that is :)), and I live about 45 min south of my home town, and I spotted a HUGE doe last night. I'm no expert, but it's the biggest that I've ever seen, methinks.
 
One word to get rid of the gamey taste: Onions. Got that from an old trapper's book from the 1800's, and it's oh so true!
 
Get that clear membrane and the fat off of it or it'll be tough. Cut it into thin strips and tenderize the heck out of it even if it's tenderloin. I mean pound the ever lovin crapola out of it. If you like garlic a little garlic powder will kill the gamey taste and make it taste better. Roll it in flour and fry it like chicken. It'll be so tender you can cut it with a fork.
 
It cooks up just like any other red meat. Been eatin steak n eggs for days now. I just toss in the skillet in oil and season, fry for 4 min or so and fry up the eggs. Tastes great. No gaminess at all. medium rare thanks.
 
I love that membrane...especially if cooked in sauce to soften it up.

snevensmores, look up my mamma's recepie from Italy I posted in the other thread...I promise you won't be disappointed!
 
Soaking in milk (it doesn't have to be buttermilk) cancels out the acids, most notably uric acid in liver and kidneys. It doesn't do much to muscles, but it won't hurt.
You can cook deer any way you would pork, except venison is leaner. Try a stir-fry with your first package, that's pretty much fool proof. Braising is another way to go. Don't broil them cause that drys them out too quickly.
An easy way out is to wrap a piece of bacon around them and use shak-n-bake.
 
I have killed over 80 deer, and I ate every one of them.
I like the steak marinated for an hour in soy sauce, and grilled over charcoal, with mesquite chips. That really is good.
But the best venison steak I ever ate was to buy a product from the baking aisle called Oven Fry. Get the pork flavored.
Bread the steak in Oven Fry. Wrap with raw bacon, and bake for 15 minutes.
Simple and easy, and delicious.
 
First.....DO NOT EXPECT IT TO TASTE LIKE BEEF... It isn't beef. It has a unique flavor. You don't compare pork to beef,,right?
Seriously, I just cooked up 4 elk cube steaks. Garlic salt, Pepper, and floured. Great stuff. Better than the cancer cow beef the wife prefers. Not much to preparation here, just fry it up w/ your fav spices./
elkman06
 
Chop it up, salt/pepper, fry in a pan with olive oil. Add butter and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Serve with a couple eggs, makes a great healthy breakfast. Or cook up some pasta, and add the cooked meat to your favorite sauce. An alfredo would be a good idea.

Stews are another simple option. Get a big can (32 oz?) of chicken stock, add carrots, celery, onions, potatos, whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, if you have fresh corn. Season with salt/pepper, parsley, whatever you can find in your cupboards that you think will taste good. Soy sauce is a good idea.
Add enough water to make it soupy. If its too watery, you can thicken it by slowing adding a paste made from water/flour or cornstarch.
 
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