What do you have OB?

I got my first deer of the year back from processing, and I'm more specifically looking for some new recipes for my ground meat.

Appreciate all of the recommendations.

There's a Netflix episode of MeatEater where Steven Rinella gives his 3 recipes for ground meat : burgers, meat loaf, meat balls.

Of course there's chili too - don't wanna open that can of beans on this forum though.

I like to take an inner loin, season liberally with salt and pepper, and then sear in cast iron and cook no more than med-rare and rest well.

I then make a nice horseradish sauce to go over it.

I posted this on the Food and Spirits board but maybe this is better suited here.

Anybody seen a recipe like this and/or tried it?

Venison Bourguignon

I have not tried it yet, but my favorite recipe for the tenderloin/backstrap (get it whole) from Jesse Griffith's book, Afield; A Chef's Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish.

Venison Tenderloin

It's about the easiest recipe you can make and you don't get much gaminess. I've served this to many people and they think its beef. Also, in his actual cookbook I think he recommends doing 2 minutes a side on four sides of the loin as opposed to what is listed in the link which says 4-5 minutes a side for two sides.

TwoMarksHand said:

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What do you have OB?

I got my first deer of the year back from processing, and I'm more specifically looking for some new recipes for my ground meat.

Appreciate all of the recommendations.

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Does the ground deer have anything added to it?

I recently made some large jalapenos stuffed with backstrap strips and Monterrey jack cheese wrapped bacon and smoked on the pit for 1.5 hours. talk about the best appetizer ever.

GSS said:

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TwoMarksHand said:

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What do you have OB?

I got my first deer of the year back from processing, and I'm more specifically looking for some new recipes for my ground meat.

Appreciate all of the recommendations.

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Does the ground deer have anything added to it?

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Wild hog fat

Ground - replicate almost any ground beef recipes: Tacos. Pasta. Stuffed Peppers. Etc.

Whole (loin, backstrap, steaks) - AC's cast-iron sear suggestion is my go-to. I use a good, grass-fed butter (Kerrygold usually). Cooks FAST. Be ready to serve quickly.

Then there's the age-old bacon wrapped option. I take small slices a half-inch think and a few inches long. If the audience is shy on the flavor, marinade in Italian dressing. Wrap around a slice of raw (not pickled) jalapeno and pepper-jack (or cream cheese) and wrap in thin (cheaper) bacon and skewer with a kabob and grill.

Chicken-frying backstrap is always a great option also.

BlueSmoke said:

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Chicken-frying backstrap is always a great option also.

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My mom Chicken-fries backstrap and then makes homemade gravy. It's so effing good. I'm almost nervous to try something different with the loins because I know I will miss out on that meal.

Awesome!

The pictures are not showing up anymore cause imgur BS, but this was pretty effing awesome: Venison Wellington

I retain loins and backstrap. Will chicken fry some but mostly sous vide to medium rare with a pad of butter in the bag and then sear on cast iron in bacon grease. Salt and pepper. My wife who would order a prime filet butterflied medium at a steakhouse will crush the backstrap. Its really good.

I grind everything else with 10% beef fat and use it as a ground beef replacement in all recipes. It good.

My mother makes an awesome deer stew. It starts with bacon grease + flour as the roux, back straps, carrots, onions, potatoes and salt/pepper.

Get this:


Marinate your backstrap overnight with this stuff, a can of beer, and a cup of ollive oil. Wrap them in bacon with jalepenos and grill to medium rare.

Delish.

My Great Aunt does this also. Once she fries it, and makes the homeade gravy, she puts all the pieces in a pan, and then smothers them with the gravy. It is an extra touch of awesomeness!

My favorite use for ground venison is shepherd's pie:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shepherds-pie-recipe2-1942900

When I quit using venison as a beef substitute, I found that I liked venison a lot more. No more trying to cover up the flavor or take out the 'gaminess'. I prefer to find recipes that work with the flavor instead. I think it substitutes well in traditional lamb dishes, hence the shepherd's pie. Chili, tacos, etc work, but definitely has a different flavor, so I end up adjusting the seasoning. I don't really use a recipe for it, though.

If you go it processed, you won't have shanks, but I tried Hank Shaw's Tunisian braised shanks recipe from Buck, Buck, Moose, and it was the best venison dish I've ever made. I can't find it online right now, though. I have that book as well as his original one, and they are fantastic. Most can be found on his website, but here are the books themselves:
Buck, Buck, Moose
Hunt, Gather, Cook


Finally, I have made venison bourguinion, but not from the recipe posted earlier. It's more of a slow-cooked stew, so I wouldn't use backstrap like that recipe suggests, but cubed meat from a good roast, or maybe even from the shoulder. Once you get it started with all of the ingredients, put it in the oven at like 250 for a couple of hours, and it's phenomenal.

Love ground venison chili. Lots of beans of course!

This venison stir fry is nails. I don't add the sesame oil at the end because I never have any.

Stir Fry

Take a tenderloin (best if never frozen, but a very slowly thawed one will do as well).

Make a marinade- start with equal parts brown sugar and your favorite soy sauce (preferably NOT low sodium), adjust ratio to taste. Marinade the tenderloin in fridge for a couple hours.

Wrap the soaked tenderloin in bacon (I like a thick sliced applewood, or a pepper crusted bacon). Make sure WHOLE tenderloin is covered. Coat outside of bacon with marinade.

Smoke the bacon wrapped tenderloin. LOW AND SLOW. I like to smoke these between 180-200. Timing will totally depend on size and thickness of your loin. You are looking to get the center of the loin to 120 degrees. I baste the outside with marinade periodically as well.

Next, remove the loin from smoker, and put it on a HOT grill (450+). Make sure to liberally coat the bacon in marinade, and keep basting it while grilling. A quick sear on the grill will caremlize the marinade, making the bacon almost turn to candy. You are looking to just crisp the bacon and bring the loin up to your desired temp/doneness. I would suggest Not exceeding 145.

If you want your final product to be more rare, pull off the smoker at 110, and grill to 120ish.

This thing will be SO tender, and a good balance of sweet and salty. Unlike so many bacon wrapped things, where the bacon is still raw on bottom and not really good, if you follow this method of cold smoking first, then searing a finish, the bacon will be perfectly done and firm, when the meat is med-rare. Call and thank me later.

A little off topic, not ground, but for backstrap. Cube up in 1 inch cubes. Marinate in 1/2 lowry's chophouse and 1/2 balsamic for 24 hours. Balsamic take away any gaminess and tenderizes. Put on skewers and add montreal steak seasoning...grill hot, pull off at rare to medium. Amazing, I started with bacon wrap, but relaized it wasn't necessary. I grew up on fried backstrap, but would rather have fried porkchops and save the backstrap for this way.

For ground, I make dirty rice with deer and ff you add beef tallow, cook patties with onions and cover with cream of mushroom soup--over rice.

The best of all, similar to my grandmother's insert meat ( rabbit, squirrel, duck, deer,quail) smothered dish. Quick fry with in oil ( chicken fried is fine). Put in baking dish and add water and onions and cover in oven for an hour at 300. Makes it's own gravy.

Marinade tenderloin in olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. Sear on all sides in a very hot cast iron pan. Throw in the oven at 500 or so until rare (or medrare). Remove and rest. Add a little beef stock to pan on stove, deglaze. Add a spoon of black current jelly and disolve. Add chopped cherries. Season with salt and pepper and thicken with corn starch if needed. Slice loin thin and spoon sauce on.

Debone entire ham. Buy a fatty pack of bacon. Cut off fatty ends. With a meat knife cut holes straight down but not all the way through...like 15. In each hole place bacon fat, 1/2 garlic clove, and some rosemary. Cover ham with rest of the bacon. Smoke low and slow with pecan until med.rare. Rest. Slice like roast beef.

I have served this to family and they have no idea it is a deer butt.

That ain't medium rare, dude.

Haha right after I finished the last post I popped off a fawn at 110 yards...we do it every year for xmass. Getting the crown racks as we speak...

MizooAg94 said:

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Debone entire ham. Buy a fatty pack of bacon. Cut off fatty ends. With a meat knife cut holes straight down but not all the way through...like 15. In each hole place bacon fat, 1/2 garlic clove, and some rosemary. Cover ham with rest of the bacon. Smoke low and slow with pecan until med.rare. Rest. Slice like roast beef.

I have served this to family and they have no idea it is a deer butt.

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WOW
unbelievable
Best one ive heard in a while.
Brilliant

I didn't say that one was, I don't think. The wife likes them more done than I.

Surprisingly, cooking with a cold smoke and reverse sear, the meat doesn't dry out at all cooking med+.

I'll be trying this!!!

HumbleAg04 said:

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I retain loins and backstrap. Will chicken fry some but mostly sous vide to medium rare with a pad of butter in the bag and then sear on cast iron in bacon grease. Salt and pepper. My wife who would order a prime filet butterflied medium at a steakhouse will crush the backstrap. Its really good.

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This.

TwoMarksHand said:

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BlueSmoke said:

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Chicken-frying backstrap is always a great option also.

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My mom Chicken-fries backstrap and then makes homemade gravy. It's so effing good. I'm almost nervous to try something different with the loins because I know I will miss out on that meal.

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Growing up we only fried the back straps, and we made all 4 quarters straight into sausage. Now that I'm older I realized that we severely under utilized and under appreciated the deer meat we had. Now, don't get me wrong, frying it really good, but you can get almost the same effect by cutting out the same size pieces out of the butt roast and frying them up. I did that not too long ago and no one could tell the difference. So go ahead and try something different with the back straps... and while you're at it, pull a ham out of the sausage pile and make some cuts out of it. There's some excellent meat on those babies.

Sliders.

Slice the ground venison in 1" think slider patties right out of the casing. Liberally season with Montreal steak seasoning.

Enjoy on jalapeo Hawaiian rolls

Cut backstrap thin and place in electric skillet with some onions salt and pepper and a can of French onion soup. Cove and cook low and slow mix in a little corn starch at the end to thicken up the soup to what ever consistency you want your gravy.

https://whatscookingamerica.net/Soup/TolbertChili.htm



Tolbert's Original Bowl of Red Chili Recipe is by Frank X. Tolbert, from his book, A Bowl of Red, published by Texas A&M University Press, 1953. Frank Tolbert founded the Terlingua International Chili Championship in Terlingua, Texas and owned a chain of chili parlors in Dallas, Texas.

The most famous and well known chili cook-off took place in 1967 in Terlingua, Texas. Terlingua was once a thriving mercury-mining town of 5,000 people and it is the most remote site you can choose as it is not close to any major city and the nearest commercial airport is almost 279 miles away. Just getting to Terlingua requires a major effort. It was a two-man cook-off between Texas chili champ Homer "Wick" Fowler (1909-1972), a Dallas and Denton newspaper reporter, and H. Allen Smith (1906-1976), New York humorist and author, which ended in a tie.
Learn more about the history and legends of Chili, Chili Con Carne.

Tolbert's Original Bowl of Red Chili Recipe:

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Yield: serves many

Ingredients:

3 pounds lean beef
1/8 pound rendered beef kidney suet (if you want to go for it)
1 teaspoon each oregano, cumin powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco
3 tablespoons chile powder (optional)
4 hot chile peppers
At least two chopped cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons masa harina, cornmeal, or flour (optional)*


* The masa adds a subtle, tamale-like taste, but it also thickens the chili. Masa Corn Mix is a tradition Mexican whole corn flour that is found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores (not to be confused with corn meal).




Instructions:

Sear beef in a large soup pot or cast-iron Dutch oven. You may need a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. When the meat is all gray, add suet, chile peppers, and about two inches of liquid (you can use water, I use beer). Simmer for 30 minutes.


Add spices and garlic, bring just to boil; lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes. NOTE: Add more liquid only to keep the mix from burning. Skim off as much grease as you can, and add masa harina. Simmerfor another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.


This is a spicy chili, so leave out some of the spicy stuff in the beginning if you have a tender tongue. At this point, I refrigerate the chili overnight which allows the chili to mellow and you can skim off all the grease.