Venison Recipe

Venison Bourguignonne

(I prepare this wine stew using all the tough pieces I trim off the shoulder and

lower haunches. It's based on the Beef Bourguignonne recipe from the

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Joy of

Cooking, with some alterations. This wonderfully rich and luscious dish

tastes even better if you can cook it ahead of time and let it sit for a few days.)

2 pounds boneless venison shoulder meat

Place meat in a large glass or ceramic bowl and add:

2 C. dry red wine ¼ C. olive oil

1 carrot, peeled and chopped 1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped 1 bay leaf

2 T. chopped fresh parsley ½ t. dried thyme

1 t. pepper ½ t. salt

Stir to combine and coat the meat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator

for 1 hour to 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally. Drain the beef and

pat dry. Strain the marinade and reserve it and the vegetables separately.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add and brown:

4 oz. bacon, diced

Remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. In the bacon grease

(if there is not at least 2 tablespoons, add vegetable oil), add the venison in

batches and brown on all sides. This will likely require at least three batches.

Don't overcrowd the pan or the meat will simmer and not brown-and brown

(though not burned) is what you want at this stage. Remove meat and add the

reserved vegetables and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in:

2 T. flour

Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the marinade, then return the venison and

bacon to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered,

until the meat is fork tender, about 2 hours. (Another option is to preheat

the oven to 275 degrees when browning the meat, and then put the pot in

the oven for 2 hours). Add:

8 oz. mushrooms, quartered.

Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add:

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley Salt and pepper to taste

Serve with egg noodles, rice, or boiled potatoes.

Doe Neck Pot Roast

(This produces the most flavorful venison I've ever tasted. Unlike many pot

roast recipes, mine calls for braising the meat in browned, finely chopped

vegetables, which I then puree to make the gravy. Add larger vegetables during

the last few minutes to keep them from becoming mushy. This recipe

works best with smaller deer or pronghorn necks as well as the traditional

shoulder roasts from any big game animal.)

Preheat oven to 275°.

Season with salt and pepper:

Deer or pronghorn neck

Heat in large skillet or Dutch oven:

4 T. lard or vegetable oil

Add neck roast and brown on all sides, about 20 minutes.

Remove roast to a plate. Add:

2 C. finely chopped onions ½ C. finely chopped celery

½ C. finely chopped carrots

Cook vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they begin to color, about

5 minutes. Add:

1 C. beef stock or dry red wine

Bring to boil. Add:

1 bay leaf ½ t. dried thyme

Return roast to pan and cover. Make sure there is always at least 1 inch of

liquid in pot and add more if needed. Cook in oven for 2 to 3 hours, removing

and turning roast occasionally. Add:

1 C. carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

Cook for 5 minutes. Remove roast and carrots and set aside while making

the gravy. Pour pan liquid and finely chopped vegetables into a blender and

puree for 3 minutes. Return to pot. Add cooked carrots and:

1 C. frozen peas

Bring to simmer. Meanwhile, the neck roast will have cooled enough to pick

the meat off the bone. Serve the meat and the vegetable gravy over egg

noodles or boiled potatoes.

Mediterranean Venison Shanks

(This derivation of the Joy of Cooking's braised lamb shanks recipe is a bit

sweeter and spicier, and I add fat to compensate for the lean venison shanks.

The recipe calls for a wild mix of spices, but don't get nervous: There's nothing

here you can't find at your local supermarket. Unlike lamb shanks, deer

and elk shanks are too large to fit in a pan. I cut them in pieces or fillet the

shank meat off the bone before cooking. Don't worry that the meat is encased

in hard tissue casings. The slow, moist-cooking method will melt the tissue

off the meat and produce tender chunks of savory venison.)

Preheat oven to 275°.

2 deer shanks or 1 elk shank

Season meat with:

1 t. salt ½ t. pepper

½ t. ground ginger ½ t. paprika

Mix in a bowl and set aside:

1 t. dried or 1 T. fresh mint 1 t. paprika

1 t. ground coriander 1 t. ground cumin

½ t. black pepper ¼ t. ground ginger

pinch of ground cinnamon ¼ t. ground allspice

Heat in a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet over high heat:

2 T. oil

Add half the shank meat and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove,

add more oil, and brown the remaining meat. The smell of sautéed casing

tissue is unpleasant but will disappear once braising begins. Add:

2 onions, thinly sliced 2 T. chopped garlic

Reduce heat to medium and cover and cook, stirring often, until onions are

soft. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Stir well to coat onions. Add:

2 C. beef stock 1 C. dry red wine

1⁄3 C. tomato puree

Bring to boil. Return venison to pan, cover, and bake for 90 minutes. Add:

2 C. 1-inch carrot pieces 1 C. dried figs, chopped

2 C. diced, peeled butternut or Hubbard squash

Cover and bake 15 minutes more. Remove meat and vegetables. Add:

2 T. lemon juice ½ t. cayenne pepper

2 t. dried mint (or 3 T. of fresh) 1 can garbanzo beans

Pour sauce over meat and vegetables and serve over couscous (a delicious

North African granular pasta available in most Montana grocery stores),

white rice, or boiled potatoes. Top with a dollop of sour cream.

Venison Stroganoff

(Ken Geoff 's version of the famous Russian stew is easy and delicious. Serve

with warm bread for sopping up the flavorful sour cream gravy afterward.)

Preheat oven to 300°.

Mix:Salt and pepper into 1½ C. flour

In seasoned flour, dredge:

1½ pounds trimmed shoulder meat, cut into ¾-inch cubes

Heat in a large cast iron pan or Dutch oven:

1 T. butter or light cooking oil

When butter or oil is foaming but not yet smoking, add coated meat in

batches and brown on all sides, cooking roughly 2 minutes per batch.

Remove meat from pan and add more oil and butter. Then add:

¾ C. thinly sliced onion

Saute 2 minutes until softened. Stir in:

1½ C. sliced mushrooms

Cook 2 minutes. Stir in:

1 T. tomato paste or ½ C. tomato puree

1½ C. beef stock or broth

Pinch salt and pepper

Add meat to pan. Add enough water to cover meat. Bring to boil. Cover

with lid. Bake in oven 1½ hours. Remove from oven. Stir in:

3 T. sour cream 2 T. butter

Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.