Venison cooking statistics describe more than calories and protein. USDA nutrient data quantify the composition of cooked ground deer meat, a USDA cooking-yield study measures how much weight remains after cooking, and FSIS guidance defines temperature targets for safety. A Pennsylvania deer-serology study adds a separate wildlife-health measure that should not be confused with cooking performance or food-safety temperatures.
Table of contents
- Nutrition in a 100-gram portion
- What an 85-gram serving provides
- Fat and fatty-acid measurements
- USDA venison cooking-yield study
- Cooking-yield comparison and retention
- Temperature standards for safer cooking
- Why color is not enough
- Deer serology findings in Pennsylvania
Nutrition in a 100-gram portion
USDA SR 28, NDB 17344, lists the reference food as game meat, deer, ground, cooked, pan-broiled. The figures below are reported per 100 grams of edible portion. They are composition measurements for this particular cooked venison entry, not universal values for every cut, recipe, or cooking method.
| Nutrient or component | Amount per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 174 kcal |
| Protein | 24.60 g |
| Fat | 7.64 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.99 g |
| Fiber | 0.00 g |
| Sugar | 0.00 g |
| Alcohol | 0.00 g |
| Water | 64.23 g |
| Ash | 0.00 g |
| Cholesterol | 98 mg |
The USDA entry reports 174 kilocalories, 24.60 grams of protein, and 7.64 grams of fat per 100 grams. Carbohydrate is listed at 0.99 grams, while fiber and sugar are each listed at 0.00 grams. Alcohol is also 0.00 grams. Water accounts for 64.23 grams, and ash is reported as 0.00 grams. The same 100-gram reference contains 98 milligrams of cholesterol. Source: USDA SR 28, NDB 17344.
These values make the reference entry relatively protein-dense by weight within the dataset: protein is measured in the tens of grams, while carbohydrate is below 1 gram. That comparison is descriptive only; it does not substitute for a broader comparison of deer cuts or recipes.
What an 85-gram serving provides
USDA SR 28 also reports the same venison item using an 85-gram serving, identified as 3 ounces. That serving contains 159 kilocalories and 783 kilojoules. Protein is listed at 22.48 grams and fat at 6.98 grams.
The 85-gram serving contains 0.91 grams of carbohydrate, 54.60 grams of water, and 83 milligrams of cholesterol. Fiber, sugar, and alcohol are each listed at 0.00 grams. The serving-level data therefore preserve the same general pattern as the 100-gram data: substantial protein, moderate measured fat, less than 1 gram of carbohydrate, and no listed fiber or sugar.
For recipe planning, the serving basis matters. A 3-ounce cooked portion is not the same reference size as 100 grams, and the USDA reports both rather than treating them as interchangeable. The source label for these serving measurements is USDA SR 28, NDB 17344.
Fat and fatty-acid measurements
The USDA reference provides several more detailed fat measurements. Per 100 grams, total saturated fat is 3.993 grams, total monounsaturated fat is 1.939 grams, and total polyunsaturated fat is 0.444 grams. Trans fat is reported at 0.004 grams.
For the 85-gram serving, the corresponding reported amounts are 3.394 grams of saturated fat, 1.648 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0.378 grams of polyunsaturated fat, and 0.003 grams of trans fat. These are serving-specific entries from the same USDA record, not estimates created by this article.
The record also lists individual fatty acids. Per 100 grams, arachidonic acid 20:4 n-6 is 0.081 grams, linoleic acid 18:2 is 0.098 grams, alpha-linolenic acid 18:3 n-3 is 0.262 grams, and eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5 n-3 is 0.002 grams. Per 85 grams, the listed values are 0.069 grams, 0.083 grams, 0.223 grams, and 0.000 grams, respectively.
An additional venison nutrient line set in USDA SR 28 reports 1.545 grams of total polyunsaturated fat per 100 grams and 1.313 grams per 85-gram serving. It reports total saturated fat at 0.320 grams per 100 grams and 0.272 grams per serving, total monounsaturated fat at 1.769 grams and 1.503 grams, and protein at 1.691 grams and 1.437 grams. Because these figures are presented as an additional line set in the same source record, they should be retained as source-reported values rather than combined with the primary totals.
USDA venison cooking-yield study
The USDA Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry describes a venison study using 93% lean ground venison from fallow deer. The study drew samples from two wholesalers: Venison America in Newport, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Venison in Green Bay, Wisconsin. USDA described those wholesalers as representing the two largest venison wholesalers in the upper Midwest.
Each wholesaler had approximately nine contract growers. The dataset used seven patty production lots, with 3-pound samples for each lot. Those details establish the study’s sampling frame: it measured a defined set of ground fallow-deer venison patties, rather than every species, cut, grinding ratio, or household recipe.
The study’s central cooking-yield result was an average yield of 83%. USDA reported a 3 percentage-point standard error for cooking yield, and the patties ranged from 81% to 85% cooking yield. In practical terms, the reported cooked yield remained below the starting weight in every listed range value, while the exact result varied among the production lots.
Cooking-yield comparison and retention
The USDA yield figures can be read together as a compact description of cooking change:
| Measure | USDA venison result |
|---|---|
| Lean ratio of ground fallow deer | 93% |
| Production lots | 7 |
| Sample per lot | 3 lb |
| Average cooking yield | 83% |
| Standard error | 3 percentage points |
| Reported yield range | 81%–85% |
| Moisture retention after cooking | -17.7% |
| Fat retention after cooking | -0.1% |
The same USDA cooking-yield study reported -17.7% moisture retention after cooking and -0.1% fat retention. The negative moisture-retention figure indicates a reported loss relative to the study’s retention reference; it should not be rewritten as a claim about every venison burger or every cooking method. Likewise, the near-zero fat-retention result belongs to this study’s 93% lean fallow-deer patties and seven-lot dataset.
Yield and nutrient composition answer different questions. Cooking yield describes how much of the sampled product remained after the study’s cooking procedure. The USDA SR 28 nutrient record describes the composition of a cooked ground-deer reference food. Neither figure alone predicts the exact cooked weight or nutrient profile of a home-prepared patty.
Temperature standards for safer cooking
FSIS says all food should reach a safe minimum internal temperature before removal from heat. Its Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart sets ground meats at 160 F. The same chart sets leftovers at 165 F and casseroles at 165 F. It lists fish and shellfish at 145 F, whole poultry at 165 F, and beef, pork, veal, and lamb steaks, chops, and roasts at 145 F with a 3-minute rest.
For a ground-venison preparation, the directly relevant FSIS category in the supplied guidance is ground meats: 160 F. A casserole containing venison also falls under the listed casserole target of 165 F, while a leftover portion is listed at 165 F. These categories are not interchangeable, so the preparation’s form matters when applying the chart.
FSIS also states that the guidance for cooking raw beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to 145 F applies before removing the meat from the heat source. That particular statement concerns the named red meats and whole-cut format; it does not replace the 160 F ground-meat target for ground venison.
Why color is not enough
FSIS says ground beef can brown before it reaches a safe temperature, and that color is not a reliable indicator that meat is safe. It identifies a food thermometer as the only sure way to know whether food has reached a high enough temperature. The same FSIS food-thermometer guidance says foodborne-illness symptoms can occur anywhere from minutes to weeks after consumption.
One additional FSIS statistic is behavioral: only about 15% of people consistently use a food thermometer, according to FSIS’s Doneness Versus Safety guidance. That figure is separate from the temperature standards themselves. It describes reported thermometer use, while 160 F, 165 F, and 145 F are cooking targets for specific food categories.
For venison cooking, the measurement distinction is important. Appearance can change before the relevant internal temperature is reached, and delayed symptoms cannot be used as a cooking test. The FSIS position is therefore measurement-based: use a food thermometer and match the target to the food’s category.
Deer serology findings in Pennsylvania
USDA ARS reported a separate wildlife-health finding from sera collected from 593 hunter-killed deer in Pennsylvania. Sixty percent of the tested sera were positive for Toxoplasma gondii antibodies. The study tested sera at 1:25, 1:50, and 1:500 dilutions.
The reported positive rate was 59.9% for male deer and 60.2% for female deer. Those sex-specific percentages are close to the overall reported 60% result, but they describe antibody findings in that Pennsylvania sample, not the temperature at which venison becomes safe and not the prevalence in every deer population.
This serology result belongs in a different evidence category from cooking yield and nutrient composition. USDA SR 28 measures nutrients in a defined cooked-food entry. The USDA cooking-yield table measures changes in a defined fallow-deer patty study. USDA ARS measures antibodies in hunter-killed deer sera from Pennsylvania. FSIS supplies preparation and thermometer guidance. Keeping those scopes separate prevents a wildlife-health percentage from being mistaken for a cooking statistic or a universal food-safety rate.