Not long ago, a friend approached me on the proper way to
prepare wild game. While I do have
experience eating (and enjoying) everything from Caribou to Elk, Deer and
Moose; and even wild boar and rattlesnake, my experience cleaning and dressing of
the animal is somewhat limited. The raw
meat we have enjoyed had been prepared by someone with a lot more experience
than I had, usually Julie’s grandfather or uncle.
Wild deer lead unpredictable lives with widely varying
diets. That means their meat can range from tender and veal-like to strong and
gamey, which poses a problem for venison-loving cooks. Although a hint of
gaminess is a welcome reminder that you're eating wild-caught meat, anything
more than that quickly becomes a fault. Although much of the game, or gamey,
taste of venison occurs during the cleaning and dressing of the deer. The more
care that is taken during this process, the less gaminess the meat will have.
Yet some older bucks and does will retain a game flavor, no matter how meticulous
the cleaning process. Some venison has a stronger flavor than others primarily
because deer eat a varied diet of weeds, acorn and wood bark. If their diet
consists of more acorns than greens the venison will have a "gamier"
taste.
Harvested during fall hunting seasons, venison is a lean
meat that is lower in fat and calories than an equal-sized portion of beef or
pork. Likewise, venison also has less cholesterol than other meats.
Fortunately, there are several well-proven techniques to reduce or mask the
musky gaminess of wild venison…
Diligent Trimming
With domestic meats such as beef or pork, seams of fat or
connective tissue aren't necessarily a flaw in the meat. Both break down as the
meat cooks, lending flavor, richness and juiciness to the finished meal. With
venison the situation is rather different, because much of the undesirably
gamey flavor is concentrated in precisely those tissues. Before cooking your
venison, use a sharp knife to trim away any surface fat or large seams of fat
between the muscles. If the cut has any observable connective tissue or
"silverskin" -- the thin, silvery sheath that encloses some muscles
-- trim those away, too.
Soak in Buttermilk
A good way to remove a lot of the gaminess is to soak the venison in milk or buttermilk, which -- like a brine -- leaches away some of the meat's own strong flavor. Food scientists have noted that possibly because of naturally occurring enzymes, dairy products also tenderize the sometimes-tough meat more effectively than traditional acidic marinades. Soaking the meat overnight in buttermilk will
help remove the blood from the meat that may be causing a gamey taste. Slice the fat and silver skin off the venison
if there is any present. You want the buttermilk to be able to get into the
meat. Rinse the venison in cold water. Place in a large enough bowl that you
have enough room to cover it with the buttermilk. Poke holes in the venison
with a fork to allow buttermilk to soak into the venison. Pour enough buttermilk over the venison to
cover it entirely. If you do not have buttermilk you can use whole milk and add
1 tbsp. of vinegar for each cup you use. This makes a buttermilk substitute.
Let soak at least 90 minutes. You can soak overnight or up to 24 hours. Rinse
the buttermilk off the venison. Cook using the recipe of your choice.
Quick Brining
Soaking meats in a concentrated salt solution is a
centuries-old preservation method, used to prepare hams and corned beef, among
other cuts. If you reduce the percentage of salt, and soak your venison for
just hours instead of days, the brine will draw out a portion of the natural
juices from your venison. The meat absorbs some of the brine as well, seasoning
the meat deeply and diluting its gamey flavor. Brining has the added advantage
of helping meat stay moist when cooked, a significant benefit with lean, easily
overcooked venison. Rinse thoroughly after brining.
Using Marinades
Some venison and wild game recipes call for strongly flavored
marinades to tame the wild-caught flavor. Traditional mixtures include
ingredients such as red wine and red wine vinegar, garlic, onions and strong,
woodsy-tasting herbs such as rosemary and juniper berries. These are all potent
flavors in their own right, and counter the meat's gamey flavor by meeting it
head-on and overpowering it. Marinade
the meat in your favorite acid-based beef marinade for up to 24 hours before
cooking. If you don't have a favorite marinade recipe, you can use oil and
vinegar-based Italian salad dressing. When marinating venison, use a base of
lemon juice, wine, vinegar or other acid. This will help draw out the gamey
taste of the meat. Make a fresh batch of marinade to brush the meat while it is
cooking.
Strong Seasoning
When a gamey flavor persists despite your best efforts,
flavoring the dish generously is the final weapon in your arsenal. Deep,
complex flavors like good curry or chili powders can mask a lot the
gaminess of your meat. Earthy, smoky spices such as cumin, paprika and chipotle are
especially good at this. Long, slow cooking in a flavorful sauce will usually
subdue the meat's gaminess to a tolerable or even an enjoyable level. If the
spiciness of curry or chili doesn't appeal to you, a rich tomato sauce or
mushroom sauce has a similar effect without the heat.
Other Suggestions
Age the meat in the refrigerator for three to seven days.
This will help to improve the flavor of the venison. Never add salt to raw venison. The salt draws the natural juices out of the meat, making it dryer.
Venison is a very lean meat and as it is low in fat content, it tends to dry out rather quickly. Venison should not be overcooked. Venison should be cooked to no more than medium-rare for the best flavor. Overcooking can cause the meat to become tough and stringy.
You can wrap cuts of meat from older bucks and does in bacon
to add moisture and flavor to these tougher venison steaks and roasts.
Ground Venison
Place the ground venison in a bowl. The size of the bowl is
determined by the amount of meat that you will soak. Make sure the bowl is
large enough to hold the milk as well. Pour milk or buttermilk over the ground
venison until it is completely covered. The amount of ground venison and the
size of the bowl determine the amount of milk used. Cover the bowl with a lid
or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight. Drain the milk from
the bowl and rinse the meat in cold water. Rinsing the meat ensures all milk
and blood are removed from the meat, further removing the "gamey"
taste.
Ground venison can be flavored with herbs and spices to help
cut the gamey taste of the burger. To
prevent the venison from drying out during cooking, preheat the oven or grill
and when pan frying, make sure the pan is hot before adding the meat.
