10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (2024)

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Not sure what to do with all the wild game in the freezer? I'm sharing ten mouthwatering Venison recipes to inspire your weekly meal planning.

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (1)

My husband loves to hunt in the fall. My brother-in-law has about 300 acres of land in Chester, South Carolina where Flynn hunts with his family. It's become a yearly ritual that he anxiously anticipates, even when we lived in Ohio he made an effort to get back south to watch the sunrise in the deer stand and drink bourbon with the boys. I've never hunted myself, but I've been told that there's nothing quite like the quiet stillness of the woods and sitting with your thoughts for hours on end. I see these moments of solitude as a golden opportunity for reflective meditation. There's no better way to appreciate the beauty of nature and deep gratitude for the source of the food on our plate.

In this recipe round-up, you'll find ideas for using different cuts of meat like Venison roast, Venison backstrap, and flavorful ground Venison recipes. I wasn't always a fan of wild game until I learned how to prepare it in different ways that I really enjoyed.

Should You Soak Venison Before Cooking?

There are quite a few different reasons why Venison could taste gamey, but this shouldn't be an issue with good-quality Venison meat. Soaking is optional, but if you are in doubt you can use whole milk (the method I used in this bacon-wrapped Venison tenderloin recipe), buttermilk, or making your own DIY buttermilk by mixing a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice for each cup of regular milk.

How To Make Venison Tender

Using an acidic marinade made with lemon or lime juice works great for tenderizing the meat and adding flavor. Also, using a good meat processor makes a big difference. Our processor adds pork fat to the Venison sausage so you end up with a juicy and flavorful patty that doesn't taste like shoe leather. You also can't go wrong with slow roasting a Venison roast in a dutch oven or slow cooker. You can season Venison just like you would a beef roast.

Venison Recipes

Bacon-Wrapped Venison Loin with Raspberry Sauce

If you're cooking for venison newbies, this is the perfect recipe to make anyone a wild game lover. Lean venison loin is wrapped in applewood bacon and soaked overnight in an herb-infused milk bath then seared to perfection in a cast-iron skillet. The finishing touch is a drizzle of warm raspberry sauce.

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (2)

Bacon-Wrapped Venison Backstrap with Raspberry Sauce

Tender venison loin wrapped with crispy bacon, drizzled with raspberry sauce.

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (3)

Venison Dirty Rice

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (4)

Venison Dirty Rice

* This delicious dirty rice is made with venison and cauliflower. It has so much flavor and is perfect comfort food for a cold night.

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Easy Venison Stew

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (5)

Easy Venison Stew

Need something warming, nutritious and comforting that requires minimal effort to make? Then this full of pantry ingredients, easyVenison Stew is your best bet.

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (6)

Hearty Venison Chili

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (7)

Hearty Venison Chili

This Hearty Venison Chili (Venison Chili) is a comforting, filling chili that will warm you up from the inside out. Made with venison, it’s lower in fat than traditional beef chili.

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (8)

Instant Pot Venison Roast

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (9)

Instant Pot Venison Roast

Use the Instant Pot as a slow cooker to make this delicious venison roast! It's a one-pot meal and great as is, but if you really like you can serve the venison with Jasmine rice.

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (10)

Easy Grilled Venison Backstrap

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (11)

Easy Grilled Venison Backstrap

Easy Grilled Venison Backstrap – The best way to prepare venison backstrap! Delicious and flavorful with no gamey taste!

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (12)

Venison Goulash

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (13)

Venison Goulash

Traditional goulash can be bland and boring, but this venison goulash recipe is FULL of delicious flavors! Ground deer meat, savory sauce, spices, and cheese, combined with elbow macaroni for a deliciously easy ground venison recipe.

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (14)

Ground Venison Big Mac Salad

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (15)

Ground Venison Big Mac Salad

Dive into this fresh Ground Venison Big Mac Salad this season! Venison meat recipes don’t have to be boring and heavy. This elevated wild game recipe brings all your favorite flavors of a Big Mac sandwich into a lighter salad alternative!

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (16)

Roast Venison

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (17)

Roast Venison

Roast Venison - An Easy, Straightforward Guide On Roasting Venison Cuts

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (18)

Venison Shawarma10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (19)

Venison Shawarma

This Venison Shawarma is a close Lebanese cousin to the popular Greek Gyro, but it’s much easier to make.

Check out this recipe

10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (20)

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Amee Livingston

Hi, I'm Amee and I'm completely obsessed with all things fitness, recipe makeovers, and creating tasty, time-saving, recipes. Born and raised in South Carolina, I have a deep love for southern food culture. I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, Cancer Exercise Specialist, recipe developer, and freelance content creator. I believe that anyone can be an amazing home cook, and there's nothing better than family time around the table!

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10 Must-Try Venison Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best venison to eat? ›

We all want to shoot a big buck, but eating a doe provides better-tasting meat if you're looking for the best venison. The meat from a buck in the rut has been chasing does all night or has been spooked by hunters, and running is going to be stronger and tougher than a yearling doe.

What's the best way to cook venison? ›

Salt + heat = crispy & delicious

When roasting larger cuts, first sear all sides of the meat to seal in the juices. To achieve a medium-rare roast, cook at 350°F for 15 minutes per pound.

How do you cook venison so it's not tough? ›

so don't overcook them you want them to be like rare plus medium rare so hot and fast. and then if you have tougher cuts like large roasts to meat. you're gonna wanna raise those low and slow. so add some liquid and cook until they're really tender.

Is venison healthier than beef? ›

Given that deer are leaner than cows, venison is generally healthier to eat than beef. An average cut of venison, in fact, has around half the calories and a sixth the saturated fats of a similarly sized cut of beef. It also has more proteins, vitamins and minerals than beef.

What is the best tasting deer in the world? ›

Axis venison is considered by many to be the finest venison in the world. A native of India, the Axis deer was introduced to ranches in the Texas Hill Country in the 1930's. There are now over 150,000 Axis deer in Texas.

What seasonings go best with venison? ›

Ideal flavours for venison
  • Fruits: quince, cherries, prunes, blackberries, apples.
  • Herbs: thyme, rosemary, bay, sage.
  • Spices: star anise, allspice, black pepper, cloves, juniper.
  • Alcohol: red wine (e.g. Grenache, Zinfandel), cider, ale. Other: chestnuts, celeriac, red cabbage, chocolate, mushroom.
Mar 7, 2016

Why do you soak venison in milk? ›

Many cooks swear by a method of soaking the meat in saltwater overnight, then in milk to draw out the gamy flavor.

What do you soak venison in before cooking? ›

Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don't find it all that helpful.

How do you make deer meat super tender? ›

Like any meat , Deer meat to is tenderized by beating it, by marinating it with mild acids like lemon juice, sour curd, buttermilk, vinegar etc for minimum 4 hours . The fibers need to be cut across if you cut along the fibers the meat will be tough and chewy.

What takes the gamey taste out of venison? ›

Soaking deer meat in milk or a marinade with acidic components like vinegar, wine, or citrus juice helps eliminate the gamey taste. Alternatively, brining the meat in a solution of water, salt, and sugar can also improve its flavor and tenderness.

What does vinegar do to venison? ›

Marinades tenderize (soften muscle fibers) and enhance the flavor of venison. Marinades can add fat and calories to this lean cut of meat. Always be marinate meats in the refrigerator. Always include a high-acid liquid like lemon or tomato juice, vinegar or wine to soften the muscle fibers.

What are the disadvantages of eating venison? ›

Eating venison fresh isn't recommended because of how common parasites and tapeworms are. Even in homemade jerky and fermented sausages, E. coli can stay in the deer's intestinal tract. You should steam, roast, or boil venison to 165 degrees Fahrenheit before drying.

Why is venison not sold in stores? ›

Hunters like Crigler kill millions of deer every year in America, but the meat from those animals can't be sold: It hasn't been officially approved by meat inspectors. Also, the government doesn't want hunters to make money from poaching.

Is venison bad for high cholesterol? ›

Although venison provides slightly more cholesterol than some other types of meat, the difference is negligible. Furthermore, venison contains fewer calories and less saturated fat than other varieties of red meat, including beef, pork, and lamb. Therefore, it can fit into a heart-healthy diet if enjoyed in moderation.

What is the most tender venison? ›

Some cuts will naturally be tender (loins and tenderloins), but other cuts will be extremely tough and stringy. Below are a few methods of cooking the various cuts of venison. Tenderloin and loins: serve rare.

Is venison healthier than pork? ›

Despite its cholesterol content, venison contains less total fat and saturated fat than beef, pork, and lamb. This may make it a better option if you're eating a heart-healthy diet or limiting your intake of saturated fat.

Are deer tenderloin and backstrap the same? ›

Backstraps are the large muscles that run parallel along both sides of a deer's spine and rest on top of the ribcage, whereas the tenderloins are much smaller, and are located inside the abdominal cavity underneath the backstrap and the spine.

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