5 Mouth Watering Venison Meat Recipes To Die For (2024)

Do you like eating venison meat? Not everyone does but we got some great venison meat recipes here that might invite others to give it a try!

Venison Meat Recipes That Taste Really Good

Cooking venison has always been a bit of a controversial subject growing up. I know my grandfather used to eat venison brains with his scrambled eggs, so some of us are adventurous.

However, several people in our family were squeamish and would only eat the hams and tenderloins if they were breaded and chicken-fried. This was the only way I knew to cook venison meat until I was in my 30’s.

A few years before my son was born, I started frequently hunting again and decided to find new ways to cook venison. I also wanted to use every part of the deer that I possibly could, so I knew this would take some creativity.

Even my extended family has come around and is now branching out from their chicken-fried limitations. My wife and three-year-old son love the flavor of the meat with nothing but salt and pepper.

Here are my top venison recipes based on popularity and on utilizing as much of the animal as possible:

1. Coffee Rubbed Venison Tenderloin

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If you are having guests over that do not mind their meat medium, this is a good option. It tones down the gamey flavor so anybody can enjoy your meal. The combination of the coffee and berry sauce is a nice highlight.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½-2 lbs. Venison Tenderloin
  • Berry sauce (optional)
  • Berries of your choice
  • Lemon juice
  • Water
  • 2 Tbsp. Sugar

Rub:

  • 1/2 cup coffee grounds
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 Tbs brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs cinnamon
  • 3 Tbs salt
  • pinch of pepper

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Mix the rub and thickly coat the tenderloin on all sides.
  • Heat a cast-iron pan to the point of almost smoking and then sear meat on all sides.
  • Pop in a 350F oven for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and then drape a towel over top. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
  • Slice 1″ thick and serve with or without berry sauce. Goes well with a spinach salad.

For optional berry sauce, put any berries along with a little water and a little sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add a little salt and turn it down to a simmer until it reduces by 1/2. Spoon over sliced venison.

2. Seared Venison Steaks

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This one is about as quick and easy as it gets.

Ingredients:

  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Venison Ham or Tenderloin

Instructions:

  • Trim all fat and silver skin off of the meat and cut it into one inch thick steaks.
  • Heavily salt and pepper both sides of your steaks. Venison needs a lot of salt.
  • On a smoking hot grill or cast-iron skillet, sear each side for 3-5 minutes. You want these steaks to be medium or medium-rare.
  • Rest your meat by removing from the grill on a plate, wrapping plate in foil, and throwing a towel on top. Rest for 10 minutes, serve, and enjoy!

3. Venison Meat Stew

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This recipe is intended for all the little bits of meat that you may throw out or grind currently. I use rib meat, flank steak, and sometimes, the neck meat for this stew.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs scrap venison cut in one-inch pieces
  • ½ lb chopped carrots
  • ½ lb chopped onions
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • ½ lb chopped celery
  • ½ lb chopped potatoes
  • 1 cup Worcestershiresauce
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
  • 1 can of cream soup (mushroom, chicken, garlic)
  • Salt, Pepper, and Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 Tbsp butter

Instructions:

  • Make sure all the fat and silver skin are removed from the meat.
  • Heavily salt and pepper the meat and then sprinkle with flour.
  • Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat and brown the meat on all sides.
  • Put your crockpot or stew pot on the high setting and add the veggies and liquids.
  • Add the meat on top without mixing, add Italian seasoning, and bring to heat.
  • Reduce to low and let cook for six or more hours. It is done when the meat falls apart like roast beef.

4. Venison Osso Bucco

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Here is one of the few ways that you can cook the shanks from a deer and have it turn out delicious. For this recipe, you will need two whole shanks sawed into disks 1 ½ inch in thickness. Partially freezing the shanks and then using a hacksaw or power saw is the best way to cut these.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 or 2 medium onions finely sliced
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 3 medium carrots, diced into fine cubes
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 8-ounce cans of vegetable stock, beef stock, or water
  • 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped rosemary, thyme, and oregano (optional, but strongly recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 325F.
  • Put an oven-safe pan over medium-high heat and add the oil.
  • Sprinkle the meat with flour and sear on all sides. Set aside on a plate.
  • Add butter and onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Drop heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes or until they start to get translucent.
  • Arrange your meat discs flat and side by side packing them all in with the bone marrow facing up.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and pepper on top of the meat. Then add stock to the pan bringing the liquid just to the top of the meat but not submerging it.
  • Add a tight-fitting lid and cook for three to four hours or until the meat can be pulled back easily with a fork. Check periodically and add more stock if the liquid is low enough for half of the shanks to be exposed.
  • Serve over polenta, rice, or couscous. Make sure you have some toast points and spread the bone marrow over the toast for added richness. Enjoy!

5. Prime Rib Style Roast

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For those of you that have ever had tough or dry venison, this recipe will blow your mind. It is also super easy.

Ingredients:

  • Venison roast (preferably bone-in)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Whole garlic cloves

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 300F.
  • With a sharp knife, cut slots in the meat to stuff your garlic cloves on all sides.
  • Rub down heavily with salt and pepper.
  • Next, Cook for 25 minutes per pound for rare and add 5 minutes per pound for medium and so on. Use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperature without touching the bone with the thermometer – 145F is rare and add 15F for medium and so on.
  • Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and drape a towel over top. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve with horseradish on the side.

Bonus: The Classic Chicken-Fried Venison Meat Steaks Or Hearts

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Ingredients:

  • Tenderloin, ham or heart
  • Oil
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions:

  • Cut tenderloins, hams, or heart into steaks ½ thick and trim off fat or silver skin.
  • Heat oil in the pan to 350F.
  • Dredge in flour, salt, and pepper (with or without egg-wash depending on how thick you like your breading).
  • Fry both sides until golden brown and move to a plate with a paper towel.

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When you have time to cook, do give these venison meat recipes a try. We’d love to hear how they turn out in the comments section!

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5 Mouth Watering Venison Meat Recipes To Die For (2024)

FAQs

What's the best seasoning for venison? ›

Ideal flavours for venison
  • Fruits: quince, cherries, prunes, blackberries, apples.
  • Herbs: thyme, rosemary, bay, sage.
  • Spices: star anise, allspice, black pepper, cloves, juniper.
  • Alcohol: red wine (e.g. Grenache, Zinfandel), cider, ale. Other: chestnuts, celeriac, red cabbage, chocolate, mushroom.
Mar 7, 2016

How do you cook venison so it's tender? ›

The best way that I've found to make sure a venison roast (bone-in or out) tender is to cook it in the crockpot or slow cooker on low for 8-9 hours, or until it is falling apart. If you cook it on low you won't dry it out. Please note that I don't recommend cooking this on high for 4-6 hours.

How to make good deer meat? ›

General tips:
  1. Don't overcook or cook at temperatures above 375 F. The short fibers in wild game meat will get tough.
  2. Serve game meat very hot or very cold. Lukewarm game fat has a very greasy taste.
  3. Baste very lean cuts with additional fat to improve flavor. Covering roast with bacon strips will provide self-basting.

Is it safe to eat venison rare? ›

Eating deer meat that is not cooked to this temperature can increase the risk of food poisoning. Eating medium rare deer meat is generally safe if it has been properly handled and cooked. Ensure it reaches an internal temperature of at least 160°F (71°C) to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

What takes the gamey taste out of venison? ›

Vinegar solution - 1 cup per quart of cold water. Use enough solution to cover the game completely. Discard the solution after soaking. You can also marinate game to give it a savory flavor or to tenderize it.

What tenderizes deer meat? ›

Coffee and ginger are both acidic and will break down the enzymes in the meat. In this way, they tenderize meat just like marinades.

Does venison get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Large cuts of venison taste best when pot-roasted for several hours. If you have access to a crock pot, use any recipe for beef pot roast and you'll be pleasantly surprised. However, instead of cooking for two to four hours, venison may require substantially longer cooking time for the meat to become tender.

What is best to soak deer meat in before cooking? ›

Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don't find it all that helpful.

Why is my deer meat tough and chewy? ›

There's really very little fat in venison, so it's a pretty tricky meat to cook quickly. Most wild game cooks recommend medium-rare because if too much moisture is cooked out of the meat, it'll become tough and chewy.

What can you soak deer meat in? ›

People have been soaking venison and other proteins in milk or buttermilk for years. The claim is that the acidic or low ph level helps to break down the tissue to tenderize the meat while also ridding the meat of a powerfully “gamey” or wild/iron-like flavor.

Why do you soak deer meat in water? ›

Years ago, before hunters started feeding deer like they do today, deer meat had a strong gamey taste. This led to the practice of soaking the meat to remove the gaminess.

What does salt do to deer meat? ›

Salting has always been one of the most common methods for preserving meats, so after coming across reference after reference to salted meats in medieval cookbooks, I decided to try it out. The theory is simple - a sufficiently high amount of salt will dehydrate the meat and prevent any bacteria or mold from growing.

What is the parasite in venison? ›

Trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, is a disease that people can get by eating raw or undercooked meat from animals infected with the microscopic parasite, Trichinella. Persons with trichinellosis may initially experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting.

When can you not eat deer meat? ›

Do not shoot, handle or eat meat from deer and elk that look sick or are acting strangely or are found dead (road-kill). When field-dressing a deer: Wear latex or rubber gloves when dressing the animal or handling the meat.

How is venison best cooked? ›

Naturally tender cuts like loins and tenderloin take well to high heat grilling, pan searing, or stuffing and trussing and should be served rare to medium rare. Here's my recipe for how to cook Chili Cocoa Crusted Venison Loin. Tougher muscles from the shoulder, shank or neck should be braised or stewed slow and low.

How to flavor deer meat? ›

So, if you have a nice, tender venison tenderloin/backstrap, all you really need to do is sear it in a hot cast iron pan, baste with herb butter (made with unsalted butter & fresh herbs, such as rosemary, parsley or thyme), garlic cloves, season with salt, pepper and a bit of lemon juice.

How to season deer meat? ›

You can simply pat the venison dry and season with salt and pepper before cooking, or you can marinate the cut of meat for a few hours or overnight. Personally, when it comes to venison steak and venison backstrap, I like to use a simple marinade to enhance the flavor of the venison without overpowering it.

What makes venison taste good? ›

Some people call deer meat “gamey” but a swift kill, solid field dressing, chilling the meat quickly, good processing, and the right recipes make a world of difference.

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