Hunters Casserole With Ground Venison Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make ground venison taste better? ›

Beef fat works well with ground venison, and makes the flavor closer to ground beef. Pork fat is lower in saturated fat, has less flavor and will allow the venison flavor to shine.

Sometimes I combine ground venison and ground beef 50-50 to make a better mix for any recipe that calls for ground meat. If you do this, you can buy the cheaper ground beef that is a 75-25 mix of lean to fat, and when you add the leaner ground venison, you still get a pretty lean mix.

Add a small amount of oil or butter to the pan to prevent sticking. Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned ground deer meat and cook it until browned, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon as it cooks. Can I add vegetables to my ground deer meat while cooking on the stove? Absolutely!

Soaking deer meat in milk or a marinade with acidic components like vinegar, wine, or citrus juice helps eliminate the gamey taste. Alternatively, brining the meat in a solution of water, salt, and sugar can also improve its flavor and tenderness.

Given that deer are leaner than cows, venison is generally healthier to eat than beef. An average cut of venison, in fact, has around half the calories and a sixth the saturated fats of a similarly sized cut of beef. It also has more proteins, vitamins and minerals than beef.

The toughness is partly the nature of venison, but it is further compounded by how unforgiving the near-zero fat percentage makes it. The most tender cut on the animal for doing a rare or medium rare fast cook method (sear/grill) I've come across is the diaphragm, often discarded upon field dressing.

In a large bowl, gently fold together the ground venison, grated butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper with your hands. Be careful not to overmix the ground venison: overworking and compacting the meat will make it tough and dry.

Depending on what you're planning to cook, you may want to add fat to your ground venison. This added fat can be bacon, pork shoulder, pork belly, beef tallow, etc. It's purely personal preference. I always add about 15-20 percent fat if I'm making hamburger or kebabs, which makes the meat juicier and more flavorful.

How to cook ground venison without gamey taste? ›

Spices may be used to cover up the 'gamey' flavors in venison. Experiment with herbs like rosemary, marjoram, thyme and sage.

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.

*If you prefer to cook your steaks directly on the grill, lightly coat each piece in oil after seasoning. Top with sage leaves after flipping and drizzle foaming hot butter over the tops before serving.

Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours, and no more than 12, before proceeding to cook it as you normally would. The calcium in milk contains enzymes that will tenderize the meat, and the main protein in milk will neutralize the gamey flavor.

Overcooking your meat

But, with venison (and elk) when you cook the meat past medium-rare, you get a metallic flavor and tough texture. You should only be cooking your steaks, tenderloins, and backstraps to 120-125F (130F at the MAX) and then you should rest them tented under foil for 10 minutes before servings.

The best seasonings for ground venison include salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, and dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, or oregano. These seasonings enhance the natural flavor of the venison without overpowering it.