Fresh venison can be delicious, or it can be gamey and tough. The key to cooking venison is to follow these simple tips to increase tenderness and reduce the gamey flavor.
Remove Fat, Then Add Fat Back In
Venison is quite lean, but you'll still want to trim any excess fat because the fat is part of what can contribute to that gamey flavor everyone complains about. However, the meat will now be so lean it can be tough, so when you're cooking the ground meat, for example, you will get very little fat melting in the skillet to give the meat a juicy texture and flavor. You can use cream, lard, butter, olive oil or beef fat when you cook the meat to give it a juicer texture and more satisfying flavor.
Slow Cook Venison Stews, Sauces, Roasts or Chili
Deer meat is usually tougher than ordinary beef (because of the leaner quality). If you're going to make spaghetti sauce or chili from the ground meat, you should cook it a long time at a slow boil, to help tenderize the meat. Otherwise, it can take on the consistency of rubber bands.
Venison can also be made more tender with a pot-roast style recipe. A deer roast cooked in liquid in a crockpot for eight hours comes out tender, but it can be admittedly gamey if the roast is not enhanced with seasonings. When roasting in an oven, make sure to roast until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but no hotter, in order to preserve the tenderness (and still be sure you've killed any parasites that may be present in the meat).
Marinate Venison
Try marinating your venison to improve the taste. Any acidic marinade will work. Some commonly used marinades are pineapple juice, tomato juice, milk or French dressing.
Flash-Fry for a Quick Meal
One exception to the long-cooking rule is to flash-fry venison tenderloin. Get a skillet good and hot, with some oil. Coat thin strips of venison tenderloin in flour (with some seasonings: salt and pepper for sure, but perhaps add in some other seasoning you might usually use for a piece of beef), and then put them in the pan. Fry each side for only a minute or two, just enough to brown it and cook the inside of each piece to medium well. Then remove from heat. The meat will be quite tender if eaten right away. Use the browned flour (with a little milk or cream) in the bottom of the skillet to make a bit of gravy to put over the meat.
 | Venison marinade can help remove that strong gamey flavor from your venison dishes. While there are many commercially prepared venison marinades available online and at specialty stores, you can make your own marinades at home inexpensively and quickly. |
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