Deer - How To?

Mark_B_Good

OK so there's no Venison Topic Area, so it's parked here under Beef.

My buddy dropped off what is probably a 4 lb piece of deer meat (like a roast cut) yesterday.
I'm semi-thinking to do this for my parents who are coming over on Sunday, but don't want to 
mess it up.

If I want to roast this thing in the BBQ or Oven ... what am I doing to get that look of amazement
on everyone's face when they bite into it?

Appreciate any help!

Langner91

I cook venison the same way I cook pheasant.  I wrap it in bacon, throw it in a crock pot with potatoes, carrots, onions, corn, green beans, one can of beer and some garlic.  S&P to taste.  Let her run 6-8 hours.

Bring the roast out and carefully put it on the egg at 450°F indirect to crisp up the bacon.

Then, and this is the important part, I THROW OUT THE VENISON OR PHEASANT, and eat the bacon, potatoes, carrots, onions, corn, and green beans.  DANG!  It never disappoints.

Not knowing if it is an old critter, fat critter, or what, each cook can be totally different.  I never had any luck cooking one without drying it out.  

sumoconnell

+1 @Langner91

Most people pretend to like deer, you need to grow up with game food to like it.  I've had plenty of reindeer/caribou when in Scandinavian countries and farm raised can be OK.  

MasterC

I made this once and it was great. This recipe is from the Marlboro Country Cookbook; I use to smoke when not grilling, and if anyone wants to provide the venison I make it again.

TideEggHead

We do the Mississippi pot roast with cuts like that but it is normally in the crock pot for ease of cooking. If you use the recipe that calls for a stick of butter, I use half a stick or less and a 1/2 cup beef stock instead of the whole stick of butter. We do venison kabobs sometimes but that is usually with the backstrap.

Here is a good source for recipes:

https://www.themeateater.com/recipes?qs=venison

I made Steve's goose pastrami a few weeks ago and it was really good.

fishlessman

have never cooked a venison roast but im thinking its prime for a sousvide cook. if its back strap, maybe 6 to 8 hours. if its a tougher roast, alot longer like a chuck roast. any way to know what cut you have. i would do it at 131f, not kill it like an old timer. i have eaten some way over cooked venison before

JohnInCarolina

MasterC said:

I made this once and it was great. This recipe is from the Marlboro Country Cookbook; I use to smoke when not grilling, and if anyone wants to provide the venison I make it again.

“This looks pretty good, but it needs a little more garlic.” - @caliking

Mark_B_Good

Langner91 said:

I cook venison the same way I cook pheasant.  I wrap it in bacon, throw it in a crock pot with potatoes, carrots, onions, corn, green beans, one can of beer and some garlic.  S&P to taste.  Let her run 6-8 hours.

Bring the roast out and carefully put it on the egg at 450°F indirect to crisp up the bacon.

Then, and this is the important part, I THROW OUT THE VENISON OR PHEASANT, and eat the bacon, potatoes, carrots, onions, corn, and green beans.  DANG!  It never disappoints.

Not knowing if it is an old critter, fat critter, or what, each cook can be totally different.  I never had any luck cooking one without drying it out.  

LOL

Mark_B_Good

sumoconnell said:

+1 @Langner91

Most people pretend to like deer, you need to grow up with game food to like it.  I've had plenty of reindeer/caribou when in Scandinavian countries and farm raised can be OK.  

Look, some of my Italian familia will make dear in a tomato sauce and I have to say it's absolutely delicious ... just wondering if there's a roast recipe that will work, cause I am king of the BBQ in my home.

Mark_B_Good

MasterC said:

I made this once and it was great. This recipe is from the Marlboro Country Cookbook; I use to smoke when not grilling, and if anyone wants to provide the venison I make it again.

This sounds like a winning recipe! Maybe I'll give that a try!

abtaylor260

Just did a venison roast 2 nights ago. 24 hr sou vide at 131. Sou vide has been a game changer for lean deer cuts. Your roast will have very little fat. Easy to over cook and dry out. 

Next time I will go 12 hours as the moisture content was lower than I wanted. The flavor was excellent. 

Cooked in a red wine garlic thyme marinade. 

Made au jus with the drippings. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

We grind all the non loin cuts for sausage. I do love back strap and tenderloin but roasts are always difficult to get right. The Sous Vide suggestion above would be my choice as well. I literally feed roast meat to my dog when we have it lol. 

MasterC

Opening day deer roast

ColbyLang

Cube it and cook it like a beef stew, except add 1 link of cut up smoked sausage for some fat. 

CornfedMA

If it’s a 4ish lb roast, it’s probably from one of the quarters. My absolute favorite for those is to cure it for either corned venison or pastrami. You don’t have time for that so I’d go with Hank Shaw’s Barbacoa.

https://honest-food.net/barbacoa-recipe-venison/

I make this at least 6 times a year with everything from goose to venison to chuck. Never disappoints and super easy to do on the egg. Serve it with tortillas, over rice, by itself, whatever. It all works. 

Mark_B_Good

I was wrong, after defrosting i realize its a buch of steaks/pieces. I srill marinated wirh the above recipe ... and about to cook. I think ill lower the temp a bit to keep it moist ... maybe go with 325F ... aim for 150F internal.

Mark_B_Good

Ok settled on 350F for the entire cook. Expecting just over 1h. I marinaded meat as per the above wine marinade for 2 days. About 4 lbs to 5 lbs of meat, consisting of small steaks and pieces.

Took meat out of marinade, placed in pan, added about 10 whole cloves garlic, rhen topped with vegetables (bell pepper, butternut, ruderbager, and baby carrots). Spread 4 tablespoons of the marinaded to the pan, poured about 1/4 cup of oilive oil around, and added a few slices of non salted butter on top. Wrapped tightly with foil, and put in the over (convection roast setting, 350F). 

I'll add seasoning to it once the cook is done and i taste the first sample. Will likely keep it simple, with salt and pepper ... lets see how this goes.

Mark_B_Good

So, it turned out great.

I ended up cooking at 350F, and taking the deer out after around 1h 20 min. I was busy doing chickens, so got distracted, and the meat was 195F to 200F ... i was really worried, but what saved me was the juis from the vegetables on top.  Next time, should probably check at the 45 min to 50 min mark. It cooks quickly!

Made a gravy from the marinade. Took all the marinade, and reduced to about half the volume. Then I added 1 teaspoon of salt (which i probably didnt need to add as the marinade was salty enough, especially after boiling it down), 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, and 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken. Was AMAZING!

Deer was very tasty, but for sure better served with the gravy. Meat was obviously a bit tough ... but everyone was really suprised at how it turned out. No gamey taste at all, and i think if i stop at 150F internal next time, it will be a real winning dish.

Here's some pictures:

Foghorn

That definitely looks like a win all around.

Mark_B_Good

Yeah, it was suprisingly good. Forgot to add, i did need to season the deer a bit, used KEG seasoning, just a light dose. The vegetables needed no seasoning at all, they were delicious.