Recipes Cooking: venison

Showing posts with label venison. Show all posts

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Venison Neck Irish Stew

In past years, neck meat was always thrown into the hamburger pile. With the deer Rick shot last November, we wondered how it would taste when left whole and braised. Filleting both sides, we got a total of two pieces from the neck. If we had had the right equipment, we mightve just cut out the entire neck, bone and all. But we didnt.

When I thawed out one of the pieces last week, I was a tiny bit apprehensive. Looking at it, there seemed to be so much silver skin and fat running through the muscles. There was no way that I could trim and clean it all without disfiguring the entire cut. I wasnt worried about the silver skin so much as the fat. Silver skin tends to melt away during long, slow periods of cooking, but any deer fat left over can give your venison a bit of an "off" taste. Some call it "gamey." So, I cleaned and trimmed as best as I could and prayed that the braising process would do the rest.

After a few hours of being in the oven, I found the neck to be unbelievably tender and moist. Because of the little bit of unavoidable fat left on the neck, I will say that this dish does have a stronger taste compared to more ideal cuts like tenderloin. However, it was a taste that I appreciated. For those used to eating game, you will love this dish for its distinct and robust flavors. It was probably the most tender braise I have ever done with venison. I was quite proud of myself. All-in-all, this is an easy dish with an Irish flair; traditionally, Irish Stew is made with lamb or mutton. It requires few ingredients and will feed a house full of hungry hunters, huntresses and hunt-munchkins. Please enjoy! -Jen

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 1/2 hours
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour (I like to use white whole wheat flour)
- 3 lbs. of venison neck, silver skin and fat removed
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 4 red potatoes and 4 baby yukon potatoes, halved
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 3 1/2 cups of hot beef stock
- 2 tbs. of chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Clean venison neck. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Dredge well in flour.

2. Lay the venison flat in a baking/casserole dish.

Next, layer onion on top...

Then carrots and potatoes.

3. Sprinkle in the thyme and pour in hot beef stock.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 325 F oven for 2 1/2 hours.

Shred venison neck into serving size pieces. I like to keep them sort of big so guests can continue shredding themselves. Garnish with parsley. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. Feed to hungry carnivores.

This is a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

If youre interested in following my Nebraska adventures, please check out these past blog posts at http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/

"Midland Musings with Jenny Nguyen - Treasures From the Past:" http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2013/02/midland-musings-jenny-nguyen-treasures-genoa/

"Midland Musings with Jenny Nguyen - A Change of Environment:" http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/blogs/2013/02/45860/

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Venison Taco in a Bag

There are certain foods that I hesitate to eat in public, and crunchy tacos are one of them. They fall apart in your hands, the filling always finds a way onto your (white) shirt, the grease and salsa dribble all over the place, and lets not forget the mountain of napkins that accumulate before your eyes. Its completely barbaric-- or maybe its just me.

For all those reasons, this is why I love this recipe. You get all the flavors of a crunchy taco, but in a disposable, no-mess tortilla chip bag. Its perfect for dinner, lunch, parties, tailgating and yes, even deer camp! For me, its a nice change from all those hotdogs and hamburgers I normally eat at outdoor gatherings.

This hunting season, mix up your camp menu and try Venison Taco in a Bag. Its easy and quick, perfect for all your impatient and hungry hunting friends after they come back from sitting at their blinds. They could even take the bags with them to eat while hunting, but Im not sure how the deer in the area would feel about being able to catch the scent of their late uncle buck again-- gloriously wafting in the autumn breeze like once before, but this time accompanied by an unsettling bouquet of chili powder and paprika. -Jen

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of ground venison
- 1 tbs. of vegetable oil
- 1 tbs. of chili powder
- 1/2 tbs. of ground cumin
- 1 tsp. of cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. of Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3/4 tsp. of paprika
- 1/2 tsp. of ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. of dried oregano
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup of water
- 4 single-serving bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos
- Taco fixings: shredded cabbage, crumbled queso fresco cheese, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced onions, diced avocado, salsa, etc.

1. In a small container, combine taco spices: chili powder, cumin, cornstarch, salt, paprika, coriander, oregano and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbs. of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add ground venison and cook until browned. The great thing about using venison is that you dont have to worry about the hassle of draining out any fat. Considerable lower in fat, cholesterol and calories, ground venison is a whole lot healthier than ground beef.

3. Next, stir in taco mix seasoning and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer until almost all liquids have absorbed and evaporated, stirring often. Then take off heat and adjust seasonings. Keep in mind all the salt thats already in the chips and cheese.

4. Snip off one side of each Doritos bag.

Then add some venison taco meat and all your favorite taco fixings in the bag.

Voila! Now you have a Venison Taco in a Bag. Enjoy!

Monday, January 27, 2014

SANDRA’S VENISON TEX MEX CHILI with PREMIUM CORNBREAD MUFFINS

This is a Tex-Mex version using
some of their unique spices,
which adds to this a very
hearty and robust chili...

I found that my photo and recipe are featured @
http://pinterest.com/pin/121386152426146053/

Servings: (6)
Prep: 10 Mins. |
Cook: 50 Mins.

Posted: by Sandra at

INGREDIENTS

4 bacon strips, cut into 1/2 " slices
1 lb. lean venison burger
½ spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz. can) stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz. can) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (16 oz. can) chili beans, undrained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 carrot, shredded
½ cup celery, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Or more if you like it spicier)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon unsweetened Hershey’s Cocoa Powder
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

***Toppings (Optional):
--Cheddar Cheese, shredded
--Jarred and sliced pickled jalapeno peppers

METHOD

Heat a dutch oven, or large heavy-bottom pot, to medium-high heat, and brown the bacon until crisp, and set aside, while reserving drippings. Add the venison burger and brown in drippings, and when it’s about ¾ the way cooked through, add the onions and saute just until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients, except the bacon and fresh cilantro, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, while occasionally stirring for 50 minutes.

Premium Cornbread
Muffins

Meanwhile, begin preparing the Premium Cornbread Muffins about 20 minutes before Venison Tex-Mex Chili is scheduled to be done, if making...(as they take about 15 minutes to bake).

-- Premium Cornbread Muffins - For recipe, click here: Sandras Premium Cornbread Muffins)

After the Venison Tex-Mex Chili has cooked for 50 minutes, stir in the fresh cilantro, and crispy bacon.

To serve, ladle the Venison Tex-Mex Chili into soup mugs placed in the center of a plate, and place Premium Cornbread Muffins around parameter. (Top the Venison Tex-Mex Chili with shredded cheddar cheese and sliced pickled jalapenos, if using). - Enjoy!

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Tip: This is just as fantastic using any other type of lean ground meat or poultry as well!