I'm not a fancy chef. I don't even play one on TV. Like a lot of men, I like to cook, but I have only a few tried-and-true recipes I stick with.
True to my heritage, I can whip you up some of the best beans and cornbread you ever sunk a tooth into. I even went to another level and got away from doing pinto beans all the time. I now cook a big pot of white beans - usually great northern - and I always add a smoked hamhock to cook with them and I well I can't tell you everything in my recipe.
I will readily admit that having the skill to do a pot of beans, the occasional skillet of fried potatoes (with ramps in the spring, but we will talk about that some other time) and smoke a pork shoulder for barbecue does not exactly qualify me to compete on "Iron Chef America."
However, I have spent a few days in the woods in and around hunting camps, and I have been associated with various and sundry deer hunters, and I have dined on deer meat. I've tasted some venison so exquisite I contemplated never eating beef again. I've also sat down to offerings of venison I'm not sure a starving wolverine - who don't pass up much food-wise, starving or not - would have eaten.
Most people who say they don't like venison (or really any wild game) almost always say the same thing. Ready? Let's say it all together, class!
"I don't like that old, wild, gamey taste!"
Hunters, especially deer hunters, have heard this for years. As most deer hunters are men, they do what most men do when they hear something that they (A) don't understand and (B) don't want to hear. And what is that, ladies?
That's right, they ignore it!
You can see how this becomes an endless cycle. If a hunter is doing something wrong while preparing game for the table, he needs to fix that.
Not taking the time to properly process and care for your deer leads to the result of Case's Outdoor Theorem No. 17, which says a lot - and I mean a lot - of venison taken every year eventually winds up in the trash.
So how can we end this vicious cycle of wild game abuse? How can we teach hunters the protocol of delivering clean, savory, wild game to the homestead? No, the answer is not, as one lady told me, waiting until your husband goes to work and taking all of his deer rifles to the pawn shop.
I personally do not recommend this approach as I am told it did not work out very well for her.
As usual, your humble outdoor scribe is here to help. So in no particular order, here is a list of things to do (and not to do) that will have you cooking a lot more venison and throwing a lot less away.
Following these simple tips will keep your venison from tasting like Goodyear steel-belted radials.
- Shoot the right deer - and shoot it correctly. Many hunters know a plump young doe is better to eat than a battle-worn buck with big antlers and a gray nose.
Most states have a rifle season in the fall during the rut, and most of us want to take a big buck with large antlers. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you want a deer for eating, a young animal is always best. (Bucks are perfectly edible, you just need to take the time to process what are usually tougher cuts of meat.) Many states have liberal doe seasons, so you have lots of time to go after your meat.
Deer that are shot and drop almost instantly are also a better bet for the table. An injured animal that runs a long way has more time to stress and build up adrenaline and lactic acid in its muscles, and this will affect the quality of the meat.
Aside from the humane aspect, this is another reason we should practice our shooting - we need to be confident in making clean, one-shot kills.
- Field-dress and cool the deer down quickly enough. Nobody likes to field-dress - that is, remove the guts from a deer - but like dying and paying taxes, it has to be done.
If possible, remove the entrails from the deer immediately after it falls and start cooling the meat. In warm weather (40 degrees and higher) get the hide off the deer, quarter it and get the meat on ice as quickly as you can.
Do not make the classic mistake many hunters make when they take down a large buck. Often the deer is loaded on the truck and taken on tour to every camp and buddy in the area. This can go on for hours.
Don't do it. If you need to brag, take pictures and put them on Facebook.
- Age that deer for best results. Any good steak you have ever eaten was aged, probably for a lengthy period.
If you have access to a walk-in cooler, you are very fortunate. Use it. The temperature needs to be above freezing but below 40; 38 may be about right. Hanging the meat at the proper temperature will make for better venison. About seven days should be enough.
I believe you can age deer quarters in a cooler on ice, though some do not agree with this. The cooler needs to sit in a cool place on a slight incline with the plug removed so the water can drain. Stick a thermometer in there so you can monitor the temperature.
- Trim your venison, then trim it again. Trim everything you don't want to eat - all the connective tissue, fat and sinew. That "silver skin," which is connective tissue, has to come off. It is a lot of work and tedious, but the result is worth it. You should end up with only good cuts of red meat.
- Cook as well as you process. I told you before that I am no great chef. The Greenbrier Resort is not pounding on my door to come work in their kitchen. I do know, however, that following a few simple rules with venison will give you better results.
Don't overcook venison, ever. To grill venison such as a back strap (what some call the tenderloin), get your grill extremely hot. Place the meat directly on the grill and sear it about four minutes on each side to improve the flavor.
You can finish the venison on the grill, but you may want to put it in the oven for better temperature control. Some do not like really rare meat, but rare is better than well done here.
Tougher cuts of venison can be made very tasty by first searing in a hot pan, removing the meat, then using the drippings to make a heavy gravy by adding flour, beef or chicken stock and your favorite seasonings. Put the meat back into the pan and cook slowly - I mean for hours - on top of the stove or in the oven.
As usual, I have gone on too long. The editor will be yelling at me, but that is OK. I'm getting ready to take off hunting again, my squirrel dog needs to run, and I might even chase a bear.
Good luck with your venison, and I might share that bean recipe if some of you will help me with my cornbread. It just doesn't seem to be up to snuff lately.
"The Trail Less Traveled" is written by Larry Case, who lives in Fayette County, W.Va., has been a devoted outdoorsman all of his life and is a contributing columnist for The Times Free Press. You can write to him at larryocase3@gmail.com.