From the Beginning - Deer Hunting Tips

The start of succulent and delicious venison starts right after you kill your deer. Knowing how to care for your trophy deer is the key that will put you on the road to great venison.

Deer Hunting Tips: How to prepare your kill

The first thing you need to do is to remove all of the entrails such as the sex organs and wind pipe as soon as you can. Make sure to take special care of your venison meat and make sure it stays free of any contaminants. When cutting the deer be very careful not to puncture or cut the stomach, bladder or intestines during field dressing. If you happen to cut or puncture one of these organs wash off the contaminated area right away. One quick deer hunting tips is to keep a container of water near all of your deer hunting stand sites so that water is readily available when you make a kill at any of your sites.

 How to protect your venison

Consider these deer hunting tips: In order to protect your venison you will need to quickly remove your kill from the hunting area. Be careful not to cause any more bruises to your meat than those that have already occurred. You will then need to remove the deer hide and get it cooled quickly. By removing the hide when your kill is still warm, you will notice that it comes off much quicker and easier than if you were to wait and do it once the kill cools.  To ensure that your kill is safe from other animals and insects wrap your meat in several think layers of cheesecloth. This will keep your meat from being contaminated until you can get it home too be aged and then butchered.

How to age your meat

To get good, tasty and juicy venison you will have to age your meat. You can age your meat in a refrigerator or in a cooler. This should be done in quarters and will take about 10-14 days. Make sure the temperature of the venison stays at about 35 to 45 degrees to make sure it is done properly.  The process of aging the venison is to allow the enzymes to break down within the cell tissue of the venison. This makes the flavor and the tenderness of your venison much better so that any meal you make using your tasty prize venison will be amazingly delicious. These are important deer hunting tips.

Butchering your venison

Once you have aged your venison you will need to have it processed and butchered. For some this is all part of deer hunting and many hunters do their own butchering. This gives them more control over the process and they also know the meat has been kept very clean.  Since venison meat is not all alike and there are certain ways to cut certain cuts of meat you should label each and every cut of meat you make. You wouldn’t want to get a tenderloin steak mixed up with a chuck steak and cook them the same way. Many deer hunters package their meat as they butcher it with a food saver. The vacuum food saver will help your frozen meat last twice as long as it would if it were packaged another way. It would be such a shame to have your tasty venison dry out or get freezer burnt because you wrapped it with just freezer paper.

 Why should I tenderize my venison? – Deer Hunting Tips

There are several reasons why you should tenderize your venison meat. Venison is a very lean meat and it can be very dry. It is up to about 95% lean. When you prepare your venison you should be careful to make sure you remove the gristle and white fat. You should never over cook your venison because it will dry out and will not end up being very palatable. You want to be able to eat your venison not toss it out with the trash.

Do you have any suggestions on a meat tenderizer?

The Jaccard Meat Tenderizer is one of the best and easiest to use when it comes to meat tenderizers. What makes it so great is the 36 sharp, surgical steel style blades that will slice right though the venison. This will help to brake up any of the fibrous cell muscle tissue within the meat.

Should I make a Venison marinade?

Yes! Marinating your venison is one key deer hunting tips that many deer hunters live by when it comes to cooking a tasty and delicious meal with venison. By marinating your venison you will be amazed at how tasty and tender the venison is even after you cook it. You can even add a little extra flavor by using either pork or beef fat while marinating and cooking your venison. Adding a little lemon juice helps to break down the fibers. I recommend tenderizing and marinating your venison before placing it in your vacuum sealed bag. Allow at least 24 hours for the marinade to work its way into the meat before freezing. Trust me, this is one my best deer hunting tips regarding venison preparation. I use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and a little lemon juice. Then I sprinkle Adolf’s meat tenderizer, lemon pepper and either beef or pork seasoning on top.  

How to make a venison marinade before cooking

If you look around you will find both easy and complex recipes for making a venison marinade after defrosting your venison. Keeping it simple is the best way to go, especially if you are new to cooking venison.  One great marinade that is not only super easy but also make the meat taste good is done like this. Take a small venison roast, about 2 to 3 pounds will do depending on how many people you are having over for the meal. Put the roast in a plastic bag, depending on the size you can go from a large freezer size ziplock to a big trash bag. Put in one 12 ounce can of your choice of beer per 3 pounds of meat. Then add one regular cup of vinegar per 3 pounds of meat and one can of coke per three pounds of meat. Then add a half cup of the steak sauce of your choice for every three pounds of meat.  Then place your venison roast into the refrigerator over night so it has time to marinade and absorb all of the flavors in the bag.

Another great marinade to use for your venison roast is good old ginger ale. This is a marinade that not only works great on ham but also on venison. Before you pour the ginger ale over the roast make sure to cut and trim all of the fat off the roast. Let your roast sit in the refrigerator over night and then cook it in the broiler at about 175 degrees and your roast will come out looking, tasting and smelling amazing…all from a little ginger ale. But you are not done cooling it yet. Keep reading for more deer hunting tips when it comes to ways to make your venison roast amazing!

How to cook your venison

How many times have you heard people say, “I just don’t like the taste of venison” and in the back of your mind you are planning a meal that will blow this person’s socks off because you know venison can be amazing! When the venison is dressed and processed correctly it looses that wild taste that usually turns many people off to the taste of venison. Because deer are very active animals their meat does not contain a lot of fat which is what gives it the different taste that so many people don’t like. This is also the reason why if the venison is over cooked it will get tough and be very chewy. Fat tastes good and that is why domestic meat has so much of it, people love the taste.

How to make a venison roast – deer hunting tips

Making a venison roast is very similar to making a regular roast. You will want to add carrots and potatoes to the pan. Then cook the roast for about two to two and a half hours in an oven set as 325 degrees. It will come out so tasty!

 

Processing and cooking venison is just another great part of deer hunting!

Tags: Venison Cooking

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 at 6:02 am and is filed under Venison Cooking & Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.