Here is the best way to cook venison!
11-23-2009, 06:01 PM
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Here is the best way to cook venison!
Here is the best way to cook venison. It’s so good, your picky mother-in-law will even eat it. There are two major problems cooking venison. First is overcooking it, second is not letting it rest. You don’t need a bunch of crazy spices or tenderizers to make it taste right. Here’s how to do it, works with backstraps, roast, whatever.
Venison roast or backstrap
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
Olive oil
Red wine
Beef stock
Butter
Mix 2 parts salt with one part pepper and one part garlic powder. Coat meat liberally, let sit until room temperature. Heat few tablespoons in a cast iron pan on med/high. Brown meat on all sides, even the ends. Once you get good brown color remove and place on sheet pan. Insert a digital thermometer probe to the thickest part of the meat. This is key, get one with a probe that stays in the oven. Place in a 375 degree oven until it reaches 136 degrees (why 136? I don’t know, it just works). Meanwhile, take the skillet you were using deglaze with the red wine, about a cup, over high heat. Then add 2 cups of beef stock and set to high heat to reduce. When it gets close to half, add a little butter to thicken. Back to the meat. When it hits 136, remove it from the oven and set it aside for about 8 minutes, or until you see the temperature stop going up, it will usually hit about 146-148 on its own. Once rested, slice and serve with the sauce drizzled on top. Serve with some braised red cabbage, paprika roasted sweet potatoes, and the rest of the red wine and you’re in for a treat.
The trick is the resting and temperature. This ends up about medium/rare which is perfect for venison. The “gamey” taste that people talk about is usually from overcooking. Same goes for fish.
Anyway, you can do any type of spice combination for the rub, experiment. My favorite sauce is a port wine reduction (Sandleman Tawny Port is my favorite) No stock is used with this sauce, but I do add some allspice and a little cayenne pepper. The port will reduce to a syrupy consistency. Pretty good, but pricey.
For those sick of chicken fried and gravy…..
Venison roast or backstrap
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
Olive oil
Red wine
Beef stock
Butter
Mix 2 parts salt with one part pepper and one part garlic powder. Coat meat liberally, let sit until room temperature. Heat few tablespoons in a cast iron pan on med/high. Brown meat on all sides, even the ends. Once you get good brown color remove and place on sheet pan. Insert a digital thermometer probe to the thickest part of the meat. This is key, get one with a probe that stays in the oven. Place in a 375 degree oven until it reaches 136 degrees (why 136? I don’t know, it just works). Meanwhile, take the skillet you were using deglaze with the red wine, about a cup, over high heat. Then add 2 cups of beef stock and set to high heat to reduce. When it gets close to half, add a little butter to thicken. Back to the meat. When it hits 136, remove it from the oven and set it aside for about 8 minutes, or until you see the temperature stop going up, it will usually hit about 146-148 on its own. Once rested, slice and serve with the sauce drizzled on top. Serve with some braised red cabbage, paprika roasted sweet potatoes, and the rest of the red wine and you’re in for a treat.
The trick is the resting and temperature. This ends up about medium/rare which is perfect for venison. The “gamey” taste that people talk about is usually from overcooking. Same goes for fish.
Anyway, you can do any type of spice combination for the rub, experiment. My favorite sauce is a port wine reduction (Sandleman Tawny Port is my favorite) No stock is used with this sauce, but I do add some allspice and a little cayenne pepper. The port will reduce to a syrupy consistency. Pretty good, but pricey.
For those sick of chicken fried and gravy…..
