Venison Recipes?

[klsm54]

Well, there is starting to be a chill in the morning air. That signal that hunting season is around the corner...

Since we're all goona have freezers full of venison over the next few months, I thought maybe we could gather some new and different recipes. How about it? Surely you have one favorite, whether it's for steak, roast, or even a bolgna or jerky recipe.

[jabba]

One of my favorite meals is venison steaks pounded thin with flour pounded into them. Then fried in bacon grease. Then gravy made from what's left. Venison, and biscuits and gravy.

I didn't SAY it was healthy!

That is a family holiday get together tradition.

Jabba

[dakota]

canned deer:
Quart Jars
Pack 3/4 full of 1" cubed deer
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp Garlic salt
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp heaping lard
225 degrees - 5 hrs
close lid tight - back off 1/4 turn
tighten when done

[jabba]

Hey dakota... why stop at 3/4 full?

I do mine by packing the jar tight with about 1/2" of headspace. Then a dash of salt... and 90 minutes in a 15 psi canner.

Just another option for ya.

I used to do water bath canning too by boiling them for 4 hours in a water bath.

Pressure is better.

Jabba

[Jack]

Here's a recipe we use a lot for venison hams:
Smoked Venison Ham
Start with a whole rear quarter of a small to medium sized deer. If you have a really big deer, you can break the ham down into 3 or so muscle groups.
Trim off as much fat and connective tissue as you can get at.
Wrap the ham in bacon. Tie the bacon on with COTTON thread.
Cheap bacon works just as well as name brand.
Smoke a small ham about 4 hours.
This is going to depend a lot on your smoker, so you'll have to adjust for your own smoker. ( I generally use apple or cherry chips)
The ham should still be a bit pink in the middle when done.
An alternative method is to prepare the same way, then roast in the oven on low heat for 2 hours or so, then finish it with 1-3 hours on the smoker.
When you get it right, you end up with a roast that will feed a bunch of people, and wonderful tender meat you can cut with a fork. It will remind you a lot of prime rib.

[deputydon]

jack said:

Here's a recipe we use a lot for venison hams:
Smoked Venison Ham
Start with a whole rear quarter of a small to medium sized deer. If you have a really big deer, you can break the ham down into 3 or so muscle groups.
Trim off as much fat and connective tissue as you can get at.
Wrap the ham in bacon. Tie the bacon on with COTTON thread.
Cheap bacon works just as well as name brand.
Smoke a small ham about 4 hours.
This is going to depend a lot on your smoker, so you'll have to adjust for your own smoker. ( I generally use apple or cherry chips)
The ham should still be a bit pink in the middle when done.
An alternative method is to prepare the same way, then roast in the oven on low heat for 2 hours or so, then finish it with 1-3 hours on the smoker.
When you get it right, you end up with a roast that will feed a bunch of people, and wonderful tender meat you can cut with a fork. It will remind you a lot of prime rib.

Now THAT sounds good!!!! ;D ;D

[klsm54]

What type of smoker do you have, Jack?

[Jack]

KLSM, I have one of those small ones....Smokin Joe, Lil Smoker, darned if I can recall the name of it, it's silver, electric, about 3 feet high, round.
2 or 3 of my friends have the small store bought ones, too...the times I put in the recipe were kind of an average of what we all find works.
Don, honest, in my hunting group, that's the only thing we do with hind quarters now- it's great.
The real secret is clean the ham up well- get rid of fat and connective tissue.

[Jack]

Just another thought...we've never tried any kind of injection or marinade for these venison roasts.
I wonder.......

[dakota]

The first time you leave the fat on will be your last. I remember when I was young I had a bunch of people over. We had a good hog BBQ earlier that year and I thought it would be great with deer. With the hog we burned wood in a pit until it was a lot of burning coals. We covered the coals with dirt and threw the pig on top, the pig was wrapped and we covered it with dirt. The next day at the party the pig was a hit - perfectly done and tender.
The deer turned out exactly the same way, except people were looking around to get SOMETHING/ANYTHING to get the sticky mess out of their mouths. Tasted good - but the fat residue was awful.

[Jack]

Dakota, I agree ! Getting the fat off venison is the real secret to tasty meat, I think- no matter what cut or cooking method.