Deer-Based Recipes

• 2 pounds deer chops (venison)

• 1 cup ketchup

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 /2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix

Thinly slice the deer chops and brown them in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

Transfer the meat to a slow cooker. Mix in the ketchup, water, onion, brown sugar, and dry onion soup mix. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or until tender. If you want to cook it in a roaster, bake at 350°, for 1 hour.

• 3 pound venison roast

• small onion, sliced

• small bell pepper, seeded and sliced (or carrots)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 (1 oz.) package dry onion soup mix

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

Layer half of the slices of onion and bell pepper in the bottom of the crock pot, top with venison roast and remaining onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and pepper.

In a small bowl combine onion soup mix and mushroom soup; mix together and pour mixture over venison. Cook on low setting for 6 hours.

• 3 lb. of venison roast (I also like to use one large back strap cut into two halves, don't kill me.)

• 2 lb. of small red potatoes cut into halves

• 1 ½ lb. of baby carrots

• 1 large white onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces

• 2 envelopes (1 box) of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

• 1 cup of water

• 4 cloves of garlic minced

• 1 can of diced tomatoes, optional (I like the petite dice.)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

Begin by spraying down your slow cooker to make for easy cleanup. Add to the bottom of your slow cooker 1 cup of water, the garlic and your chopped onion. Then place your venison on top of the onion bed.

On top of the venison, add both envelopes of the Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix, salt and pepper. Finish by adding the carrots and potatoes on top.

Cover your crackpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours, or until tender.

About halfway through, stir and add can of diced tomatoes.

Note:

If you would like a more gravy like mixture, which tends to make it more of a beef stew, you can remove the juices before serving, and place the juices on high in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir frequently while bringing to a boil. After boiling, let sit for approximately 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of flour or 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with a couple tablespoons of cold water. Stir until desired thickness. If your mixture does not thicken, add more flour or cornstarch a little bit at a time until desired thickness.

• 1 lb. venison tips (any cut of venison roughly chopped)

• 1 can golden mushroom soup

• 1 can French onion soup

• 1 package dry onion soup (do not add this if you feel the mix is too oniony)

• Hot cooked rice

• Note: Ingredients are easily doubled for guests or delivering a meal to someone else]

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.

Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Serve over hot, cooked rice or mashed potatoes.

• Venison roast

• 1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (save until the end of cooking)

• 1 large diced onion

• Several cloves diced garlic

• 1/2 cup Worcester sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1 pack of French onion soup mix

• 1 carton of beef broth

To get this recipe started, simply add your roast to a crock pot with all of the above listed ingredients except for the bottle of BBQ sauce. Only use enough of the beef broth to add liquid to the crock pot until it almost fully submerges the roast. (See below meat after broth is cooked down.) Next, set the crock pot to low and allow it to cook for up to eight to ten hours.

After the roast is done, remove roast to a platter and use two large forks and pull the venison into pieces. It should pull very easily. Strain the broth into bowl and return one cup of broth to slow cooker.

Add the pulled venison back into the cup of broth. Finally, pour in your favorite bottle of BBQ sauce and stir. Allow this to cook on low (or warm for longer) for one more hour. Remember to stir every twenty minutes to ensure nothing burns.

Now, all that's left is to add this to some buns, top with coleslaw, and try to not eat it all in one sitting. Enjoy!

Just because venison is red meat doesn't mean it should be cooked the way you cook beef. People have opinions about venison. They toss around words like "gamey", and "dry", without ever defining what gamey is or considering what to do to prevent dry meat.

Some people even have rigid attitudes without ever tasting venison. Or they tasted it once, poorly prepared, and think you have to "make it edible". They forget venison was plenty edible for generations of Native Americans who ate well for thousands of years with venison as the foundation of their diet.

I don't call venison "gamey". In fact, I don't even know what "gamey" is. Yes, it is game, but I don't hear anyone describe squirrel, rabbit, turkey, and pheasant as gamey. The fact is, they're all different, just as venison is different from beef. And right there is the big clue as to why people make plenty of mistakes cooking deer meat. Just because venison is red meat doesn't mean it should be cooked the way you cook beef.

1. Mistake #1 - Allowing Venison to Dry Out

   • The best beef is well-marbled with succulent, juicy fat. Fat in meat does two critical jobs. First, it keeps the meat from drying out. Second, it keeps the meat flavorful. Health experts argue that juicy beef isn't good for your cholesterol, but juicy beef doesn't argue with your taste buds!

   • Remember that the nature of the moisture in beef and venison is totally different. When you grill beef outdoors you get flare-ups. That's because the melting fat fuels the fire. Beef can afford to lose some of its moisture into the fire; venison can't. In fact, the moisture in venison goes the other way- it rises with the heat and nothing can restore it.

   • What can you do to keep venison from drying out? Lots of things. One is marinade. Ask five fans of venison what they use for marinade, and you'll get at least four answers. Just in case the fifth person has his own idea, here are five simple and common marinades:

     1. Milk and egg batter or evaporated milk

     2. Italian salad dressing

     3. Mushroom soup

     4. Teriyaki sauce

     5. Red wine

   • Check the Internet for prepared marinades and marinade recipes. Five to six hours is usually enough time. Other ways to retain moisture in venison is to wrap it in bacon, cook it in gravy, or lay some strips of beef fat on it.

2. Mistake #2 - Failing to Trim Fat Away

   • Let's chew the fat about fat on another point. Beef fat tastes great; venison fat tastes terrible. It's tallowy. It coats the inside of your mouth. It's better used in the candles on your dinner table than on your dinner plate. If the truth is told, fat might be the reason people think venison is "gamey ." Here's a simple solution - trim away all the fat.

3. Mistake #3 - Slicing Too Thin Before Cooking

   • Another mistake people make is to slice venison too thin. If you're going to slice it thin, it's better to slice it after it's cooked, or cook it submerged in a sauce. Venison cooks very quickly, so if it's sliced thin prior to cooking, it won't take much heat to dry it out. An inch isn't too thick. After you cook it, your Havalon skinning knife will slice it as thin as you want.

4. Mistake #4 - Forgetting the Meat Thermometer

   • Meat thermometers are in vogue these days, and you should use one for venison just as you would for pork. New guidelines say 145° F is adequate for pork. The same works for venison. When you use a meat thermometer, insert it so the tip is in the thickest part of the meat, and don't let it touch a bone.

   • A meat thermometer gives you confidence your meat is cooked through even though it's still pink inside. Don't cook until the pink gets gone, because the moisture gets gone too.

5. Mistake #5 - Adding Salt

   • Salt has its place. If you're preserving meat, salt is absolutely necessary (Think Jerky!). But if you're cooking meat, salt will further dry it. Let your dinner guests decide whether to add salt or not. Keep in mind if you've used a marinade, it may have salt in it already.

   • Most of these mistakes have something to do with drying the meat out. Avoid drying venison, and find a way to supplement its moisture. Do that, and you'll put a culinary delight on your dinner plates.