Conference turris::cooks

Christine,

venison is just like a very, very lean beef....except that, depending on
what the deer eats (what part of the country, what has the weather been
like?), you may also need to deal with some gaminess.  For gaminess,
make a marinade based on red wine.  I will give a recipe for lots of
marinade (enough) to use for a roast - you can cut this down if you
need to by simply halving all ingredients:

	3 cups red wine (dry and drinkable)
	1/2 cup red wine vinegar
	4 cloves garlic, crushed, smashed, or diced
	2 teaspoons cracked pepper
	2 bay leaves, whole
	
Marinade a large chunk of meat for 6 - 10 hours, turning as needed.  If 
marinading steaks, reduce time to 2 - 4 hours.

Cook venison to retain moisture.  If you want to make an oven roast,
cover the top of the roast with either:

	1) strips of suet, held in place by toothpicks - ask your local
	   butcher for beef suet strips for "barding".  If he's any good,
	   he'll understand what you mean.

	2) bacon strips, thick slice, held the same way.

Place in roasting pan on rack and bake in a moderate oven (325) until
a meat thermometer registers medium rare.  Don't cook to well done - it
will be too dry....at most go to medium.  Time depends on weight of
meat, but a cookbook that has times to roast beef will lead you in the
right direction.

Broil steaks like a good beef steak, only to medium rare...and you can
also add bacon strips to steaks for additional moisture.

NEVER salt until you eat the meat....

There are some game recipes in the hunting conference (DNEAST::HUNTING)

I've also got a cookbook of "hunter's recipes" that I got from a book club
and have never opened - perhaps I'll remember to look up some
recipes to enter here...

/. Ian .\

    
      Try to get the L.L. Bean Game cookbook. It is advertised in some
    of thier catalogs. It has many good recipes for everything from
    Muskrat to moose, and albacore to pike. It also has many tips
    on the correct handling of meat from the woods to your freezer.
    well worth the money.....
    
                             Walt
    
    p.s. I'll look up the phone # and catalog # and mail them to you
    if you want it.

Here is the result of dir/tit=venison:

2073.0    CSCOA5::HUFFSTETLER   29-OCT-1989     1  Caloric/fat info for venison?
1589.0    SSGBPM::S_SMITH        6-JAN-1989    21  recipes wanted for venison
197.0     FSLENG::GIUNTA        10-DEC-1985     3  Venison stew

Another good marinade base is BASLSAMIC vinegar.  You could substitute it for 
the wine and vinegar in the previous recipe.

Also, if you want to keep the fat out of the meal, braise the meat instead of 
dry cooking it.

    This is a good recipe for broiling...
    3 gloves garlic,
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    1/2 cup oil
    pepper corns to taste
    juice of 1 lemon
    
    crush garlic and pepper corns in a mortar to a paste, add oil, moving
    constantly, add soy sauce, then, lemon,  brush meat and refrigerate at
    least 1 day, brushing often and turning often to coat well.
    Then, broil to medium... ( never liked rare game, it is too strong for
    me)
    
    (Lemon juice/oil/soy sauce is a very effective tenderizing combination)
    Bonn Apetite! 

    
    A favorite way i like venison bar-b-qued is. MArinate the steaks in
    worcestershire sauce and add some Nature Season Blend, by Morton. To
    add the seasoning,just shake like pepper. You don't need much. I use
    1/3 c of worcestershire sauce. Let it marinate for 3 hrs turning now
    and then. Then bar-b-Q away. You can also add your favorite red cooking
    wine too!! That's it now you done it. I'll have to go home and cook
    some. Tuff job, but it's one i'll do anytime anywhere! 
    
    good eating!
    
    Dan

    My husband is a big hunter and when we first started dating I began to
    experiment with venison, duck, quail, dove, turkey, etc.,.  All of the
    marinades mentioned are great, but one easy one is Wishbone
    Italian dressing. Marinade for 24-hours and then treat it just like it
    was beef.  I love it grilled.  K-bobs are always good with green pepper
    and onions.  
    I have the meat processed just like a side of beef into hamburger,
    sausage (both link and patty), cube steak, and stew cuts.  Guests never
    know if they are eating venison or beef at my house.
    Turkey can be cooked just like a butterball.  Don't try to eat anything
    but the breast.  Use a brown n basting bag and follow the directions. 
    I particularly recommend a meat thermometer to keep from overcooking
    any game.  Check a cookbook for recommended temperatures.
    I recently had turkey cut into strips marinated in Italian dressing and
    grilled-excellant.