Delicious Deer:

A Guide to Preparing Some Tasty Venison Dishes

by Ashley D. Million

ashmillion85@aol.com

For Advanced Composition, ETSU

Dr. O’Donnell

December 3, 2006

I am from a family of hard-core deer hunters. They are East Tennesseans who take pride in being able to provide an alternative meat source for their family. They are the kind of people who have pride in their hunting skills, but also have a desire to complete the circle of life—a circle in which the hunter actually eats what he has killed. This list of enthusiastic hunters includes, but is not limited to the following: My 75-year-old grandfather, my stepfather, numerous cousins, my uncle and his wife (yes, my aunt is even an avid hunter). Over the past 21 years of my life, I have eaten my fair share of deer meat. However, it was not until I moved out of my parent’s house (one year ago) that I attempted to cook venison. This is when I realized that deer meat does not cook like beef. This is also when I realized how an unknowledgeable cook could turn a formerly well-liked dish into something that the dog wouldn’t even touch.

After this untasty experience, I began asking my grandmother and aunt (the deer hunter) for cooking tips. I am going to share some of the recipes and techniques for cooking deer meat that they have shared with me. I will also share a venison recipe that I have invented. This explanatory piece is for anyone who enjoys deer hunting, but who is less knowledgeable in cooking and making his or her kill taste good. It is also for any wife who has married into a hunting family and has not yet gained the expertise of preparing her husband’s prized 8-point.

The Slaughter House

It is necessary to get the meat to the slaughterhouse as soon as possible and definitely within the same day as the kill. Some people have the tools and time to dress their own deer, but my family members prefer to let the meat market do the work. They use Harris Country Meat (480 Twin Barns Rd. Greeneville, Tennessee) for quality meat cutting and packing. The cost to get a deer dressed is around $55.00. On average, a 5-point buck will dress out at 110 pounds. That is equal to .50 cents per pound. When you compare this price to the price of beef in the super market--$2.29per lb for hamburger and 6.99per lb for ribeye steak (Food City Greeneville, Tennessee) – deer meat is a great bargain. If you do your own dressing of the deer, of course the meat is free.

The deer meat will come back from the slaughterhouse looking like you could have bought it in a grocery store. You will have a variety of vacuum-sealed and dated packages of your deer’s meat. The percentage of ground meat received is up to you, and the rest will be packaged as tenderloin, roast, and steak. I would suggest asking for all of the tenderloin and roast that that you can get—this is the best part of the deer. Then, I would have the rest, save a few steaks, ground into “hamburger.” I suggest this because it easy to use ground deer in place of store-bought hamburger meat, and also because deer steak has an acquired taste (It tastes very “game like”). Personally, I do not enjoy deer steaks.

Bringing Home the Deer Bacon

Steaks

Once you have brought your deer home from the slaughterhouse, there are a few things that you can do to make the food preparation easier for future meals.

1. If you decided to get any steaks, take them out of the vacuum-sealed bags.

2. Fill some freezer baggies with a cup of marinade sauce of your choice. (I use balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing).

3. Place steaks into bags, seal, and place in freezer.

This will allow for quick marinating in the future—you can simply pull the bag from the freezer and it will marinate while it defrosts.

Ground Meat

Deer meat contains little or no fat. Fat adds flavor to the usual meats that we eat, and therefore it is difficult enjoy a “plain” deer burger unless it has been “doctored up”. This next tip is only for the ground deer meat that you plan to pat into hamburgers. Take 1lb of beef hamburger meat and mix into 2lbs of deer hamburger meat. Add desired spices (I use Mrs. Dash All Spice Seasoning). Then, separate the meat into three different freezer bags. Label the bags accordingly.

This procedure may be executed for all of the deer hamburger meat that you have, but in my opinion, it is unnecessary. Other meals that are prepared by using hamburger usually include sauces (ex. Hamburger Helper and Spaghetti) and therefore the extra flavor of fat is not missed. One of the major appeals of venison is the fact that it is much leaner compared to the usual beef hamburger (the cheap or free price of it helps as well). Ground beef contains 259 calories and 16.3 grams of fat per serving, while deer contains only 159 calories and 7.0 grams of fat per serving (calorie-count.com).

Recipes for the Roast and Tenderloin Lover

My personal recipe for cooking deer roast: Bar-B-Q Deer

Ingredients Deer Roast (3-4lb) Salt and pepper Bar-b-q spice 1-cup A-1 sauce 1-cup balsamic Vinaigrette 1 bottle of bar-b-q sauce

Directions 1. Defrost the roast over-night in the refrigerator 2. Feel a medium or large size crock-pot with water (save room for the roast) 3. Add 1 table spoon of salt, pepper, and bar-b-q spice 4. Add 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette and 1 cup of A-1 Steak Sauce 5. Turn crock-pot to ‘high’ setting 6. Place roast in pot and cover with lid 7. Cook on high for at least 4 hours (can be longer but no more than 9 hours) 8. Remove roast from pot and drain out the water and contents 9. Let roast cool down and then pull the meat into strips 10. Put pulled roast back into pot and cover with the bar-b-q sauce 11. And 1 cup of water and stir until all of the meat is covered 12. Let simmer on low for 30 minutes 13. Enjoy

Second Recipe: Terrific Tenderloin (compliments of my grandmother)

Ingredients

Deer Tenderloin

Salt and pepper

2/3 cup Vinegar

Butter

Directions

1. Slice the tenderloin into slices (3 quarters of an inch )
2. Place in a bowl of salt water and vinegar (2 Table Spoons of salt)
3. Marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator
4. Remove the tenderloin from water then, butter and pepper each side
5. Place in skillet or onto grill
6. Cook until tender, flipping ever 5 minutes (will take approx.10-15 minutes to cook)

This same technique can be used to make shish-ca-bobs (see above picture), just add assorted vegetables and the uncooked deer tenderloin to grilling sticks and place on grill.

Both of these recipes are very good. The “game like” taste of the venison, that so many people dislike, cannot be detected. Using a variety spices is the key to adding flavor to the taste of lean venison. There is something to be said for hunting and gathering your own food—it brings a sense of pride. In addition, it is much better for the circle of life if the hunter actually eats what he has killed. Instead of being a just another trophy on the wall, the deer becomes a means of nourishment for your family.

Contributor’s Note: Ashley is a junior at East Tennessee State University, majoring in English, with a minor in Secondary Education. She is currently not skilled enough to kill her own deer, but with the training from her boyfriend, she is hopeful that she will be ready by next hunting season.