How to Get the Gamey Taste Out of Venison
 

Although there are always opinions, here's a great way to easily get the gamey taste out of venison.

i found that a Crockpot and onion soup works very well

I like eating and tasting deer.

Trim all the fat & silverskin off, that's 1/2 the battle.

yeh but it 'll still taste like what it is

I enjoy eating what I've harvested. Sure you can fix it so it don't taste like what it is, but why?

True enough, but it was like a lightbulb going on inside my head when I realized that the "candlewax" taste that venison had when my mother used to cook deer steak was a result of leaving the fat on the meat (my father used to go to a processor).

The taste of deer is OK with me, same with geese or bluefish...but there are other things I'd eat first, given my choice. I take pride in fixing dinner & seeing the whole family (even the Mrs) polish their plates when venison is on the menu, and I've either created or borrowed recipes that make deer meat taste a little more mainstream.

My strategy has always been to strive for a clean shot and clean field dressing. Then make sure the meat is chilled as soon as possible. If it is warm weather, I quarter the deer and place in the freezer right after skinning and process the next day (no "aging" at all). If cold (under 40) I let it hang for a day or two and then process. Once, a guy shooting damage control deer gave me some that was harvested in hot summer weather and not properly cooled - it had a bad smell to it and I had to discard it. For sure, getting as much fat out also helps, as mentioned. Another factor is deer diet - deer from swampy forested areas with little or no hay, corn, or agricultural crops will have a wilder taste than deer from farming areas.

Since the whole CWD thing I have been deboning the meat and we either make stew, steaks, loin, or I have it mixed at a reputable butcher with quality beef. One would be very hard pressed to distinguish our deer meat from beef except that it is leaner and actually tastes better!

Yes, the clean shot is a great idea. Supposedly a clean shot prevents the release of adrenaline which people have always talked about as adding to the gamey taste. I wish I had a way to hang a deer in 40 degree weather. We dont really have a place to do something like that.

Soak it in milk 30 minutes to overnight before cooking.
That is what I do.
I soak deer in 2% milk at least 30 minutes before cooking it.
It works for me.

Might just as well set it in a tub of water. He may be aging it but from what I read he is blanching the meat. I think the taste would be rather bland doing this. Even beef has flavour and is not subjected to that kind of treatment.

You want good venison? Quick kill. Field dress asap. Keep the carcass clean. Skin asap. De-fat/ de-silverskin it. Cool the meat asap 32-34'F. If you want to age the meat, age it at 32-34'F and whatever the percentage of humidty and amount of draft on the meat as required for optimum ageing(google it). After ageing, trim, De-bone wrap and freeze.

Except for the ageing part, I try to do all of the above. I hunt bush deer (no farms in 20 miles) and they are every bit as good as their southern bretheren that eat soya beans and corn. My sister say's they taste wild..... She was used to the way my father used to take care of their deer at the "hunt camp". I gave her husband some meat done the way we process our "Northern" deer and she could not tell the difference. My mother used to soak roasts in salt and water overnight for the same reason.

Taste has very much to do with how they are prepared for the freezer. I will never take any meat to a butcher to process. They hang and freeze what they get and you get what you gave them. Hair, fat, bones and dirt included.

HA

Glad to hear the way others do it. When we age deer in a cooler for 10-14 days, it is true that it is somewhat soaking in water. It's also bleeding out. The end result is not bland any more than beef is bland. It tastes closer to beef instead of having that gamey twang to it. This means our wives and kids don't mind eating it. And that's half the battle.

Never had bad tasting Venison other than what my Son took to a processor.

Do all our own,if we take it home wash it out with Hide on,let it dry,skin and debone.Marrow gives it an off taste.

big rockpile

That is why I quarter it right after skinning and removing surface fat and toss in the freezer when it is warm. The freezer chills it nicely and by the next day it is only partially frozen and easy to cut up (other than frozen fingers). So I guess it "ages" a day by doing this.

Why go and spend all the time money and effort to get a deer if ya don't like the taste??? Kinda silly sounding to me....I did learn that if ya shoot a deer in the rut it tastes like CRAP!!!!!!!

lol...I shot a couple bucks around that time...their glands stunk pretty bad...but they still made good chili...I heard to cut out the tarsal glands asap but I tried it and cant tell you if it did or didn't help...

I do think a quick kill, proper cleaning and good bleed/drain helps immensely...

I've found the best way to prepare venison is to let it hang for 7 - 10 days in a cooler, trim all the fat and silverskin off as previously mentioned. For seasoning all I use is a bit of seasoning salt and some fresh ground black pepper. Steaks get seared on a hot cast iron fry pan or grill for 2 1/2 - 3 mins per side. IMO taste better than any steakhouse steak out there. For a roast I use the same seaonings plus a slice or two of onion and a bit of minced garlic and one small bay leaf and put it in a pressure cooker on a rack for 60 mins with a cup of water and 3 beef bullion cubes.

Yeah, I would agree...but still not as dumb as going golfing.:happy0157:

The deboning part takes a bit of effort. I am guessing you dont debone the ribs? : ) Ha.

There's a lot to hunting other than the meat. You may want to take a look at this article about why men hunt deer. And I do like the taste. After I've aged the meat, that is.
I hadn't heard the shooting in the rut idea before. That's interesting, although it makes it rather difficult. The best chances to take a nice buck are found during the rut.

A buck tasting like crap during the rut is an old wife's tale. Probably because the meat got tainted from the tarsal glands or whatever. The last 5 or 6 buck I shot were shot with my bow during the rut and they tasted just fine. In fact, I do believe I will go down in the freezer and pull out a couple streaks for supper.

I've only had a few deer that did not taste good.Once I started aging, they all tasted much better. I do like venison steak on a hot skillet. I add butter to the skillet and it comes out great. Removing the tarsal glands is very important, yes.

Don't understand why some go deer hunting and then expect the meat to taste like cow. Use good meat handling practices, cook as you would other lean meats and appreciate some of the finest protein available.

I too love the taste of deer meat just the way it is. Yes it can leave a waxy type of taste that lasts and lasts.. But, that only is because you had left some fat on it. My mom used to cook the ribs in a roaster in the oven. They were mighty tastey but that waxy taste stayed around for a while. It was and still is something I can live with when it comes to stuff like that. My stakes however I will trim all the fat off from them.

Now when it comes to bear meat forget it! That taste I can not become accustom to so I will not hunt for a bear.. Simply put if I do not like something there is no real sense in hunting or shooting it.

properly dressing and handling your deer there shouldn't be a gamy taste.The gamy taste is usually contamination from the tarsal glands being touched. Or broken bladder or intestines different food will affect taste to

I marinate or dry rub all cuts of game for a day before eating (except Elk), people don't know they're eating wild game unless I tell them.

As for ground game meats, I'm usually making chili, bolognese sauce, taco meat, etc. so again, so much spice that you wouldn't know the difference.

I've never really had an issue with anything tasting "too gamey" unless I meant to prepare it that way or the meat was freezerburned or something.

I just think it's 90% in the cooking method/preparation... 10% in the processing, IMO.

Phil I am surprised that you do not like the taste of bear meat. I find it delicious. Again - if properly prepared. I've served it to guests who swore it was beef.

I have tried it a few different times and the only thing I could eat off one was a few chops slow cooked in the oven. Other than that no way can I eat it. I gave a guide around 25 gallons of cherry pie filling that was given to me around 4 years ago. So that he could use it for bear baiting. He gave me a few stakes as a thank you. I told him the wife says she likes it but me I can not eat the stuff. My mom and wife keeps after me to shoot one but, I have never shot anything that I do can not eat or have mounted and ect.. Maybe some year they can get me to shoot one but, for now it is off the table.

I've killed a couple bears, the meat tasted decent to me (better than deer, IMO). My complaint was that it was awfully tough, the only way I could chew it was to grind it up or simmer a long time in a crock pot, until it basically fell apart. I would think if a bear has been eating fish, garbage, or road kill, the meat might be a little rank tasting.

Like many things, I guess it all comes down to personal opinion.:confused0024:

Why would you want to lose the gameyness. Thats what venison is about. You might as well go buy a beef steak in that case.

HuntAway has it...

When processing the deer (butchering it yourself is the only way you know what you really have) remove all the fat, silver-skin and other connective tissues (there will be a large pile of bad meat as your butchering it)...

In the morning before cooking it, place the frozen meat in a large Tupperware container and add water and a large amount of salt for at least two hours...this will remove the "blood", a connective tissue that carries a strong taste and odor...similar to techniques for processing Kosher meats (must be drained of blood, etc)...

Drain off the water/blood and replace with whatever marinade you prefer...I find a nice cheap Italian dressing from Walmart works well...

I have had people who profess that they would never eat deer come back for second and third helpings...

This is pretty standard practice what you mentioned, im guessing you just linked to get hits.

I also believe that it all boils down to how you take care of the meat and how you cook it. I try not to let my deer hang for more than 2 days, and then straight to the freezer after cutting and wrapping. When it comes to preparation venison should be cooked to medium rare at most! I like mine rare. I've had venison cooked well done and it's like eating shoe leather.

I think we've become so domesticated that we are conditioned to like the bland taste of beef. The good Lord intended for us to eat wild game and that 'gamey' taste is called FLAVOR.

My whole family loves backstraps on the grill. My 6 year old likes two kinds of meat, hot dogs and venison. So if my picky little eater loves it I'm doing something right.

I soak my small game in a salt water bath over night, That way I can add flavors if need be...

How does salt add? I feel like salt would try it out

As long as it was processed and trimmed properly the best thing i have found

Kraft Zesty Italian dressing marinade over night. 8 hours minimum. It won't over power the natural flavor but it will compliment it when grilled. Add a dash of lemon pepper just as its coming off the grill.

If you like curries or other spicy recipes, ive never had a problem with a "gamey" flavor. They go well together with some spices and dishes.

Roasts i just use low sodium beef broth, fresh onions, black pepper and garlic cooked slow.

Huh? According to your post here, you've never hunted anything before:confused0024::confused0024::confused0024:
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/smal...o-s-ready.html

And that's your first contribution to this site?

Way to go there guy. If you had read about 4 threads down, you'd know that he had made rabbit stew from a purchased rabbit about a week ago.

But, who's counting right? You've got everything figured out.

Carry on.

I believe he's referring to brining, which absolutely does tenderize the meat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brining

Milk is the answer for me also, I have found 2 to 4 hours works best for me.

Crazy, you're the first person to actually point out the scientific way salt water helps the meat. Ive asked this question so many times.

What gamey taste??