Venison

[helveticat]

I'd neglected venison until now, mainly because I thought it was expensive. But I recently spotted a game stall at a farmers' market and decided to give it a try. Got two decent-sized steaks (125g, ~4.5oz each) for £3.50. Just had the first one for lunch today and it was delicious. FD tells me it gave me 37.1g of protein in exchange for just 2.9g of fat.

Makes a nice change from the endless tuna, chicken breasts and whey powder for those of us doing the high-protein thing.

[almeeker]

I live in Michigan where venison is very commonly served at the dinner table, especially so in the rural areas. And if you're a decent shot, venison is about the cheapest meat a dollar can buy. It costs the price of a hunting license, and a box of shotgun shells, so roughly $20-50/animal (more if you use a professional butcher), plus a day or two in the woods. Locally speaking you can also buy it at various farms that have butchering facilities. I'm glad your farmers market has a game stall and that you enjoyed your venison steaks. Venison also makes wonderful jerky, sausage, ground burger and stew. Truthfully any recipe suitable for beef works beautifully well with venison, although I will caution that it's leaner than beef and sometimes needs a bit of olive oil for cooking. Enjoy!

[frenchhen3]

Originally Posted by helveticat

I'd neglected venison until now, mainly because I thought it was expensive. But I recently spotted a game stall at a farmers' market and decided to give it a try. Got two decent-sized steaks (125g, ~4.5oz each) for £3.50. Just had the first one for lunch today and it was delicious. FD tells me it gave me 37.1g of protein in exchange for just 2.9g of fat.

Makes a nice change from the endless tuna, chicken breasts and whey powder for those of us doing the high-protein thing.

I love venison! Just don't overcook it and you will be fine. I love it in slow cooked food, like chili, I've made a sauerbraten from a sirloin roast, it was really good.

[helveticat]

Originally Posted by frenchhen3

Just don't overcook it and you will be fine.

Exact conversation I had with the game stall guy:

Me: I think I'll try two of those steaks please.
GSG [Not handing them over]: OK, but you WILL cook them pink, won't you?
Me: But of course
GSG: Because I spent too long stalking that thing for you to go and incinerate it. [Hands them over]

:-)

Sauerbraten sounds delicious, healthy and fun to make -- thanks for the tip!

[almeeker]

Originally Posted by frenchhen3

Just don't overcook it and you will be fine.

Hahaha, true of pretty much any steak (save salmon). My brother always says "sear it lightly on both sides and leave bleeding it in the middle". My husband used to get really grossed out when I would order my steak "rare", he would always order his "burnt". Then he went to a steak house in Texas where the chef refused to "burn" anything on purpose, DH had the steak of his life and he's been ordering it rare ever since. Geez, if he'd just listened to me in the first place...

If you like venison, you might give lamb a try, especially the steak and hind quarter roasts. Same thing, don't overcook it and it will be so juicy and tender, a jar of mint jelly will be laughable.

[Frances Lueck]

Wow I have a load of venison just not sure ow to prepare it. Thanks for the idea of steaks did you cook it on the grill?

[helveticat]

Originally Posted by Frances Lueck

Wow I have a load of venison just not sure ow to prepare it. Thanks for the idea of steaks did you cook it on the grill?

I did them in a frying pan with a spray of olive oil, but I suspect a hot grill would work great.