deer meat question...PLEASE help!!

[ProudGrandma]

We were given a bunch of deer meat for Christmas and not having a clue as to how to fix it or use it...I stashed in our freezer with the intent to figure that out...and I just remembered it was there. We have mostly ground meat and steaks. I fixed up one package of the ground meat and used it in a spaghetti bake last night, but I wasn't too fond of the flavor...it seemed a little game-y to me...I have heard that you can soak the meat in milk or tomato sauce to remove some of the game-y-ness..but that just seems so weird to me...I would like to be able to cook up several of the ground packages at once (like I do ground beef) and freeze it for future use, but does someone know..do I soak the raw meat in milk while it thaws, for an hour...what exactly.

 

I would ask the people who gave it to me...but I don't want them to feel bad becasue I haven't used it in 5 months...

 

So, if you can, PLEASE help me!!!!!!!!!

[KS_]

We love making jerky out of deer meat - I don't mind an occasional venison steak, but haven't ever been fond of cooking with the burger, so whenever we do get deer or elk meat, I typically make it into jerky. I can find my recipes and post them if it's something you're interested in.

[mrscopterdoc]

Hubby is an avid hunter and we have deer meat all the time. It never has a gamey taste. It sounds like it wasn't killed or cleaned properly. Try mixing it with some store bought burger like a 80/20 mix. Maybe some of the fat will help.

We have never soaked it in milk, never had to, so I have no idea if that will help.

Edited May 27, 2010 by mrscopterdoc

[kiana]

We made a lot of venison stroganoff :D

[ProudGrandma]

yes, PLEASE give me recipes...I have about 25-30 packages of ground meat...that is A LOT of jerky...hoping someone else can give me an idea...PLEASE!!!!!!!

[ProudGrandma]

recipes ladies, recipes...I NEED the freezer space and I can't fathom wasting the meat either.

 

THANKS!!!!!!!!

[Lara in Colo]

I agree with the the taste. I would be interested to find out if you can help that.--Other than that I don't recommend "regular recipies" it just glares "this is not right" try to highlight the difference. Make burgers that are "deer burgers" or "deer dinners"--I've tried to hide the taste-it just doesn't work IMO.

 

Lara

[ProudGrandma]

I agree with the the taste. I would be interested to find out if you can help that.--Other than that I don't recommend "regular recipies" it just glares "this is not right" try to highlight the difference. Make burgers that are "deer burgers" or "deer dinners"--I've tried to hide the taste-it just doesn't work IMO.

 

Lara

 

interesting...so do you have recipes???

[Hyzenthlay in Pa.]

If it was a buck & shot during the rut ,it could be strongly flavored.

 

Pound the steaks to tenderize them, chicken fry them & cover with lots of cream gravy.

Use the groundmeat in things like chili, tacos or mix with ground pork sausage to make sausage patties or burgers.

[Mom22ns]

Generally if you cook the burger with onions, mushrooms and peppers in an open pan, then it is great included in spaghetti, chili, lasagna etc. The pp that said if it had a gamey taste that was strong enough to overcome spaghetti sauce, it was not well processed was correct.

 

We don't love the taste of venison, so I don't usually make steaks anymore, but I was raised on it. They are good grilled with bbq sauce, or chicken fried. Just always keep an open pan so that the gamey scent can evaporate with the moisture from the meat. Also if there is any visible connective tissue (stringy stuff) it will make the meat taste stronger and be tougher - just cut it off. Small pieces of meat that are very clean are best!

[KJsMom]

I think you really do have to prepare it as deer meat. I don't think it substitutes well as beef. I've had lasagna and mexican casserole that someone substituted ground deer in and even though I wasn't aware of it until later, I didn't like it. I can't help you with recipes, I hope someone comes through for you!

[Ravin]

I've never met venison I didn't like--or any other kind of meat for that matter. I'm not even sure what people are talking about when they say something tastes "gamey". I would just google "venison recipes" and see what comes up. I'd think it would substitute well in most recipes that call for ground beef, if it's ground.

 

I could go for some venison fajitas, myself. Or chili.

 

You could just ship it to me... :lol:

[OnTheBrink]

I use ground deer meat in dishes that normally use ground beef. Chili, spaghetti, tacos, lasagna, etc. It is much leaner than ground beef, so I add a smidge of olive oil to the pan and sautee onions before adding the venison. Then, just use it as you would beef.

 

However, don't use it in Asian dishes or any soy sauce based recipes, as deer does not lend itself well to those.

[KS_]

yes, PLEASE give me recipes...I have about 25-30 packages of ground meat...that is A LOT of jerky...hoping someone else can give me an idea...PLEASE!!!!!!!

 

For the steaks/roasts, slice the meat thinly and remove any fat or tough pieces. Soak in marinade for at least several hours (I usually leave it in overnight or longer) and then remove from marinade and dehydrate.

 

Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp to 1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ginger powder

Dash of cayenne or black pepper to taste

About 1lb of sliced meat

 

Here are a couple recipes for the ground meat - I have a jerky extruder thing I bought from Walmart (which does come with packages of seasonings, but they have MSG and so I made my own). But you'll need some way to get the ground meat mixture thin and in slices for dehydrating.

 

5lbs ground meat

2 T salt

1 tsp curing salt

1 T garlic powder

1 T onion powder

2 tsp cayenne

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp curry powder

1/2 c soy protein or dry milk

 

****************

 

1 lb ground meat

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp ginger

cayenne to taste

[Maddysmom26]

We love venison Better then regular beef ;)... Usually if it wasnt processed correctly it would taste funny.

 

I could venison steaks sliced up in small thin pieces (Like you would do for a stir fry) .. with onions, pepper, soy sauce , worcestor sauce (Sp?.)

Its very Yummy! I love how theres really little to zero fat, unlike beef :tongue_smilie:

 

You could probably put some teriayki (Sp?) Sauce in the ground beef and make burgers. Or make tacos .

 

Ive never heard of the milk thing :bigear:...

[rhrice3]

My father and brother are avid hunters - during these economic times, it supplies them with most of their meat! They usually take some to an ole guy that makes link sausage with it - 1/2 pork and 1/2 venison. He takes some of it for his work. Also, my mom cooks alot of veggie soup and chili with it. She uses some hamburger to help with the taste. My brother puts lil steaks and back strap loins on the grill, cooking very slowly, with bacon wrapped around them. Usually he soaks them in olive oil or something for a day or more, then he cooks them all on the pit and they eat on them all weekend.

 

Hope this helps.

ReneeR

[Baseball mom]

For the ground venison, I just brown as normal and use in dishes that have extra seasonings. (tacos, chili, spaghetti, etc.) I like deer, dh sometimes and kiddos like it if they don't know what it is :lol:

 

Steaks are good to put in the crockpot, add a can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 can water and cook until done. Have done this in the oven too. Just cover and bake the same way.

[Cortana]

We use deer a lot and butcher it ourselves. When my dad and dh make up the ground, they mix it with ground beef. And I know they process it correctly, but I still can taste the "gamey" flavor, it's just me as nobody else in the family can tell (my boys gobble it up, lol). I guess I'm just more sensitive to it.

 

Something I use that helps is at Costco they sell Sweet Mesquite Seasoning and for me it really cuts out the "gamey" taste. So when I make spaghetti I mix some of the mesquite in and it makes it perfect for me.

[ereks mom]

I do like to use the ground venison in chili. To me, it works well in chili--I guess because the extra spice masks the flavor of the meat? I do NOT like it in spaghetti, however.

 

Besides chili, the only other way I like venison is when I make cubed steak & gravy. I rinse the meat with water, dredge in a flour/salt/pepper mixture, then fry it in a small amount of canola oil. Pour off all but a tiny bit of the oil and make gravy in the same pan: brown a couple of tablespoons of flour in the pan, then add about a cup and a half to two cups of water and stir until thickened. Put the meat back into the pan along with the gravy; cover & simmer for about 20 minutes. You can also add onions or mushrooms along with the meat and simmer until the onions are done. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

[AK_Mom4]

When we were eating deer meat all the time (early in our marriage), I would slice the steaks very thin and use them in fajitas (regular fajita seasoning from the package). Or cube it and used in stroganoff.

 

And I never found any way to work with gamey deer except to make it into sausage.

[fairfarmhand]

If it was a buck & shot during the rut ,it could be strongly flavored.

 

Pound the steaks to tenderize them, chicken fry them & cover with lots of cream gravy.

Use the groundmeat in things like chili, tacos or mix with ground pork sausage to make sausage patties or burgers.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Any spicy concoction will mask the flavor. I don't care for the flavor of venison on it's own but hide it in spicy stuff.

[KatieJ]

I would hesitate to say because it tastes odd to you that it was processed wrong. If you are not used to venison that would be enough of a reason for it to taste odd.

Don't feel you have to hurry up and use it, it will keep a year or longer.

Use it as you would ground beef in chili, meatloaf and such, but use half regular hamburger, 80/20 to put some fat into it. I also would use lots of onion, garlic and such in those recipes.

 

Steaks can be soaked in milk or buttermilk for a couple of hours before using.

[hornblower]

If you really decide you don't love it, put in craigslist under the pets section. Folks who feed dogs raw usually prefer to get meat with bone on but will also take boneless meals & adapt them with other bones.

I'd pay $1-3/lb for it.

 

You'd get your freezer back & some $ to spend on what you actually want to eat :)

[LaissezFaire]

I use it in any way that I would use beef.

[kwickimom]

We raise deer, and hunt them, and my DH is a taxidermist....LOL see the pattern?

(Just had twin buck fawns born yesterday...they are soooooo cute!)

 

Anyways, we also process all of our own meat. That is all we eat. We mix our ground deer about 70/30 with beef or pork. I am not super fond of the steaks at all, but we marinate them the same way you would do a beef steak. There are tons of recipes online, but we just always use it where you would use beef. I didnt start eating deer until I met my DH and I have never found it to be gamey, but I know some do. I am not sure if it is because of our mixtures??? 100% straight ground deer has like 0 fat and 0 zero taste IMO. You can get jerky mix at a farm store (like Farm and Fleet) and make the ground meat into that and its awesome!

Edited May 27, 2010 by kwickimom
typos

[gpsings]

stew. Just like beef stew in the crockpot. YUM!

 

cook with taco seasoning and make mexican!

 

I'm actually quite jealous! My hubby does not hunt. He's an indoor boy. I never get venison.

[ProudGrandma]

you guys are amazing...THANKS a ton...will be trying some of these things...for you who told me to mix it with ground beef...is it 50/50....or more one than the other (and if so, which one should be more)....I was sort of thinking one pound of deer to 2 pounds of beef...but maybe that isn't right. THANKS again.

 

Kathy

[KatieJ]

you guys are amazing...THANKS a ton...will be trying some of these things...for you who told me to mix it with ground beef...is it 50/50....or more one than the other (and if so, which one should be more)....I was sort of thinking one pound of deer to 2 pounds of beef...but maybe that isn't right. THANKS again.

 

Kathy

 

 

It really depends on how strongly you disliked the flavor of the venison. When we have ground out own venison and added some pork to it, it's fine and I don't add beef at all. Other times I add it 50/50. There is no wrong here.

[emeraldjoy]

Most of what we eat is game of some sort or another.

The best to "cover" the taste would be taco or chili as already discussed.

With the steaks you can cut them up into very thin slices (this is easiest while they are still mostly frozen)....and I mean very thin...and then stir fry them. I cook them in sesame oil, soy sauce, etc. Then I mix the cooked meat with veggies and make stir fry which usually includes a lot of ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar,e tc, etc.....this is our favorite way to do steak.

Crock pot steak is good too....add a ton of seasons and cook all day.

Stew is good, although I don't like stew..but I add quite a lot of beef bullion to the broth to help with the flavor.

Hamburger strogenoff and regular strogenoff with the steaks is also good.

If you marinate the steak for a night that will help too...and barbque.

Any of these recipes I talk about are just regular recipes for beef ...just use deer and a tad extra seasoning.

Fajitas is also a favorite...we use montreal steak seasoning and cumin for the spice part and yellow, red, and orange peppers and onions,..so, so, so yummy, but not the best leftover.

I also do a meatloaf with a ton of spices....lots and lots of garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, worchesire, thyme, sage, onions and celery and peppers cooked in butter, salt, pepper, and I cook it in a cast iron skillet on stove top.

lets see.........that's about it.

Oh yeah, anothe easy thing to do is the steaks, cut up in chuncks in the crock pot with taco seasoning...I always do my own with cumin, thyme, celery seeds or salt, onion and garlic powder etc......you can make this is huge batches and freeze and then you have this taco meat you can pull out at any time. Don't be afraid to load the seasonings on.

Hope that helps.

e