Venison Cuts
You’ve got a freezer full of venison. Now what? Here are some suggestions for how to cook different cuts of the venison meat.
Grilling: loin and rump cuts, burgers (add in some oil to give meat a little fat). Grill to medium rare to medium. The meat will cook very quickly—at least half the time it takes for a comparable cut of beef. So don’t take your eyes off it until you get a feel for how quickly your grill cooks.
Roasting: loin or rib roast. Trim off all game fat. Place on roasting rack in uncovered pan, bone down. Roast uncovered at 200ºF, allowing 20 to 25 min/lb. Since lean game meat usually cooks faster than beef, use a meat thermometer, if possible. Take it out when it’s about 5 degrees under what you’re aiming for. Here is an internal temperature chart:
Rare: 130–135
Medium-rare: 135–140
Medium: 140–145
Medium-well: 150–155
Well done: 155–160
Broiling: loins, steaks, or chops. Preheat the broiler. Trim all natural fat from steaks or chops. Brown meat on each side but avoid charring.
Pan frying: loins, steaks, or chops. Partially heat a heavy frying pan. Rub the medium hot pan with bacon fat, butter, or oil of your choice (depending on the recipe). Cook meat quickly over high heat. Wait until the blood rises to the top, then flip it and wait for the same to happen on the other side (cooking time varies with thickness).
Braising: Less tender cuts of meat like a chuck, round, or shoulder roast. Cook according the recipe, remembering that venison cooks faster than beef.
Stewing: less tender cuts like the shank or neck meat. Cut the meat into one inch cubes. Cook according to recipe.
Ground venison: Less tender cuts, or any spare pieces from butchering. You will usually need to add a binding agent to keep the burger together during cooking. The recipes in this site include a binding agent. For your own recipes, ground pork or pork sausage adds flavor; bread, oatmeal, eggs, onion, or a grated potato will also work. Olive, peanut, or canola oil will keep it together.