Deer Meat

[RonJ]

Does it taste like anything that I may have eaten, beef, lamb etc? A buddy at work once brought me some deer jerky but I doubt that's representative.

 

[kwselke]

Like chicken.

Not really. Think of very low fat beef. It needs to be cooked no more than medium rare or it will be tough with little flavor. It will break down and is excellent in chili. Mixed with pork and good spices it can produce great sausage.

 

[Lost Lake]

It's got a gamey taste to it. And it is very different depending on where the deer lived and what it ate. The venison from southern Wisconsin where they eat corn, alfalfa and soybeans is tender and juicy with a great flavor while the deer in northern Wisconsin eat pine needles and the meat is less tender and more gamey tasting. The deer are a different color even.

.

 

[jeffsmith]

and if you can get meat from a deer that lived in an Apple Orchard

 

[mstuhr]

Mexican

Howdy,
I love it in any Mexican dish,chili,enchiladas etc. but can't stand it in Italian food meatballs,lasagna,spaghetti sauce etc..
I like it plain too.
Good luck
Mike

 

[Old Unk]

We used to eat pan fried like liver and onions. In my family we eat whatever and however the Mom [or Grandma] wants to serve the food.

Married to the Grandma..54 years now..still a good cook.

Best.

 

[BruceM]

It's got a gamey taste to it. And it is very different depending on where the deer lived and what it ate. The venison from southern Wisconsin where they eat corn, alfalfa and soybeans is tender and juicy with a great flavor while the deer in northern Wisconsin eat pine needles and the meat is less tender and more gamey tasting. The deer are a different color even.

Not hardly. This is an old wives tale & goes back to the old "swamp buck" fairy tales. Venison which tastes "gamey" hasn't been handled and processed properly. When preparing, be sure to trim as much tallow from the meat as possible.

Bruce

 

[mjr]

Think of very low fat beef. It needs to be cooked no more than medium rare or it will be tough with little flavor.

I expect venison would benefit from the use of an old-fashioned larding needle.

 

[kamloops67]

Not hardly. This is an old wives tale & goes back to the old "swamp buck" fairy tales. Venison which tastes "gamey" hasn't been handled and processed properly. When preparing, be sure to trim as much tallow from the meat as possible.

Bruce

it might be an old wives tale but it seems to hold true lots of the time, the best venison i ever had was taken from a buck that hung around the feed lot , grain fed and tasty.

 

[woodsltc]

Not hardly. This is an old wives tale & goes back to the old "swamp buck" fairy tales. Venison which tastes "gamey" hasn't been handled and processed properly. When preparing, be sure to trim as much tallow from the meat as possible.

Bruce

I agree with BruceM.........any gamey venison was not properly cared for after being killed OR the deer was stressed (run by dogs or something else) just prior to being killed.

Well cared for venison (from the field to the table) when prepared properly is some of the best meat you can eat.

Lots of people make the mistake of thinking it should taste like beef or lamb......it's never going to taste like anything but a deer, cause that's what it is and should be enjoyed for what it is IMO.

Don

 

[Norsk_jaeger]

I know that beef tastes differently depending on what it was fed (corn vs grass etc...) but I am not a hunter and only eat what is given to me. It always tastes delicious. Nothing near an Elk backstrap however...lamb would be the closest comparison meat for me, only because it is less mild than beef or pork. It really doesn't taste like venison though.

 

[RonJ]

Thanks! I have several friends that hunt every year and have meat in their freezers. They have offered venison to me but I didn't want to waste it. I think I'd like to try it in a stew.

 

[shouldazagged]

A deer should be field dressed immediately, skinned, trimmed of excess fat, then hung and aged like fine beef. A thick steak cut from the backstrap, grilled over charcoal and water-soaked hickory chips until medium rare, basted with melted butter and seasoned only with salt and pepper, is some of the finest meat you'll ever eat.

 

[TheHobbyist]

I really enjoy the taste of venison; and deer season has helped our family for food for generations. Like another poster said, it is all in the preparation.

Basic rule if you butcher the meat yourself is don't leave anything on it, you wouldn't want to put in your mouth or on the table. Grey skin, excess fat, scent glands, cartilage, will all produce a bad taste.

It is best cooked or canned in a tomato sauce. When cooking use cast iron and a low heat, as the ''water'' comes out of the meat, drain it. Do this about 3 times or until this is gone.

When all the murky water is drained from it, add onions and butter. Then add more butter. Depending on the cut of meat, a meat tenderizer is a wonderful thing, too.

If you understand how to cook wild game, be it rabbit, squirrel, deer, etc., then, you will enjoy some very fine cooking.

 

[TheHobbyist]

In thinking about it, I think the biggest mistake a lot of people make with venison (if they process it themselves) is that they leave the scent glands.

 

[cussedemgun]

Ron,

The closest domestic meat to deer is goat. Both are browsers, usually eating twigs & weeds instead of just grass like most rudiments.

As already stated, taste will vary with their diet. The best & mildest deer is from a rich green environment as opposed to sage or desert country.

The fat of a deer is white & hard when cooled. It is closer to wax than most animal fat & when left on the meat, will coat your mouth. Also, if the deer is into any noxious weeds, the most flavor will de held in the fat. A plus side is deer tallow mixed half & half with bees wax makes a great lube for cast bullets.

Many associate a strong or gamey taste in deer meat with the fall rut. I believe it has more to do with the green preferred food of summer being harder to find & they switch to a survival diet of evergreen twigs or sage.

To judge the quality of any meat, the best tool is your nose, If it stinks, you probably won't like to eat it, no matter how it is seasoned. To produce good food, you gotta start with good product! Second test of meat is feel, if it develops a slimy feel, that is usually surface bacteria such as coliform. Best to not risk illness with meat that is in doubt, especially someone else's harvest.

Properly cared for, deer (venison) is a rare culinary treat, as good as they taste, it's a wonder there are any left

 

[cussedemgun]

That's one but -

In thinking about it, I think the biggest mistake a lot of people make with venison (if they process it themselves) is that they leave the scent glands.

To wind up with good meat it has to be well bled & to do that, there is no substitute for hanging head down as soon as possible. In any meat or fish, the quickest part to spoil is the blood.

Also important is cooling. Get the hide off & get the body heat out of the animal as soon as possible.

Next, be sure to have game bags to protect the meat from dirt, hair, & most importantly, flies. Be sure to have a means of keeping your hands clean while handling the meat. You are handling food, YOUR OWN

 

[eveled]

pan fry it with butter and onions, salt and pepper to taste. Don't grill it! It is usually very lean and drys out when grilled. Ed.

 

[Oldiron]

Best deer meat comes from one that is just walking by and gets both lungs center punched with a broadhead. Not one of those the folks on TV shoot with the little lite broadheads that just goes in about 3-4" all the way through. The buck that is hanging above my computer desk was killed on MLK day back in '89 with a neck twice the size it normally is (rut here is Jan. into Feb.). No gamey taste at all.
My favorite prep is stew. 2 lbs of meat, about 3-4 'taters, a large onion, garlic, some corn , peas and a qt of home canned 'maters with salt and pepper to taste.
Larry

 

[PeterK]

I have to disagree with Ed, I love venison on the grill. The way I do it is ill take some frozen steaks or loin, thaw it in a zip lock bag with extra virgin olive oil, then let sit in evoo till ready to grill. It keeps it moist and doesn't over power the taste. Put a little garlic salt and pepper on and grill to medium rare, leaning towards the rate side, and that's some GREAT eating!! Charcoal grill only.

Peter

 

[RonJ]

OK, learning a lot here. Beginning to wonder if I should eat someone elses kill.

 

[CAPops]

A deer should be field dressed immediately, skinned, trimmed of excess fat, then hung and aged like fine beef. A thick steak cut from the backstrap, grilled over charcoal and water-soaked hickory chips until medium rare, basted with melted butter and seasoned only with salt and pepper, is some of the finest meat you'll ever eat.

Your making my mouth water and I just finished a great grilled rib eye,
I agree with proper handling (a must) and what they eat makes a difference. I am from NW PA and harvested both "farm" fed deer and "mountan" fed deer and they aren't the same. Both are great but not the same.

 

[Texas Star]

Diet matters. I've eaten mule deer that had been feeding on juniper or sage. It was in the flavor of the meat.

I prefer moose meat, which is more like beef. I haven't tried elk, which is supposedy very good, as is mountain/bighorn sheep.

 

[Old Seabee]

Deer

As stated a good kill , a quick field dress get hung & hosed out asap . We order beef trimmings now from near by butcher shop due to the fair cattle getting done up . We keep loins & fish the rest to burger 10 to 20 percent fat very good.

 

[finesse_r]

It's got a gamey taste to it. And it is very different depending on where the deer lived and what it ate. The venison from southern Wisconsin where they eat corn, alfalfa and soybeans is tender and juicy with a great flavor while the deer in northern Wisconsin eat pine needles and the meat is less tender and more gamey tasting. The deer are a different color even.

.

It only has a gamey taste if it is not properly tender aged or treated in some other fashion. If it is tender aged for a week or more at 34 to 37 degrees F, you will get much more tender meat and a meat with no gamey taste. It is a little trouble but well worth it.

Some people soak it over night or a little longer in milk but I have never used that system.

I have never had any beef lean enough to taste like deer meat. Deer back strap is about as good as it gets.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I took my first buck about 60 years ago. All have been good eating with proper care. Get the hide off as soon as possible after gutting. I wipe the carcass down with vinegar & water. Snow works well also. Hang it in a deer bag until you get it home or to the butchers. I've only hunted Mule deer & Black Tails here in the West so don't know about White Tails. Elk is grand meat, some of the best I've ever eaten.

 

[jeffsmith]

I was once on a Hunt where the Hunter was in a wheelchair
he shot at a Doe (Legal) and took it down
When the State Wildlife folks running the hunt found the doe
they also found her Fawn Killed by the same shot

Venison was always shared
because not everyone took a deer
that Milk Fed (Legal) Fawn was Delicious

 

[gregintenn]

Deer meat is dark and somewhat stringy. It is tough and dry if overcooked. Seasoned with garlic, among other spices of your choosing, and cooked properly, it is pretty good stuff.

 

[rdcl]

Could someone please describe "gamey" for me? Not being a hunter I wouldn't know. I've always heard folks for years describe deer as tasting "gamey" if not prepared correctly. OK.....so what does "gamey" taste like??


Russ

 

[Oldiron]

rdcl, I would describe it as a weird twang. Kinda like the difference in eating sugar free pudding verses real stuff. Not a taste that is describable but once you hit it you will know it.
Larry