When it comes to serving your cherished venison steaks to company have you ever had anyone turn you down because of a gamy taste? All the hard work it took on your part to get those steaks to the table seems to be met with very little appreciation. And to be honest venison can sometimes have a gamy taste. But what if when you served your venison you were consistently told, “this is the best steak I’ve ever had.” I have had that experience time and time again and so can you .
I have hunted everywhere from New England to the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. I have harvested Whitetail deer, mule deer, elk, and antelope. Now it’s true that many hunters want to have a large set of antlers that they can hang on the wall , but the does or cows, depending upon what you’re hunting will be much better eating. I have a number of recipes that I like but I’m going to share one that in the opinion of those who have tasted the goods above the rest.
I have catered events with hundreds of people present and I found that in time I was feeding two kinds of people. The first kind are those who have been at these events in the past. These come straight to the grill to make sure that we’re serving venison. The second group are those that are drawn to the grill because of the wonderful smell but when I tell them it’s venison they get that funny look on their face and say ‘I don’t like gamy meat’. Now personally I love a challenge, so I’ll coax them into taking just one bite. Literally 99% of the time not only will they say they like it but they tell me, ‘this is the best steak I’ve ever had’. Then they ask in disbelief, ‘Is that really venison?’ I just smile and offer another bite.
Time for preparation
So, how to go about it? I’m really very particular about the handling of the meat I harvest so I always butcher my own. It is a much easier process than many people think. I will cover that in another article. The first rule of thumb is, if I don’t want to eat it I don’t put it on the plate. This means that with a very sharp knife I carefully prepare each piece removing any sinew.
Before cleaning …..
After cleaning with all the white membrane gone. This particular cut contains 2 muscle groups. So just separate them.
The Recipe
In this rush rush world that we live in I’ve never seen anyone impressed by one of those meals were you just add water and stir. I say that because this does take a little bit of work. But honestly it’s not overwhelming and it’s very well worth it. You and your friends will enjoy a fine meal.
The first thing you need is a grill large enough to accommodate hardwood as it’s fuel. If your grill is a little on the small side just cut your wood a little smaller. Hickory, white oak and applewood are my favorites. They can be combined or used separately but should be well seasoned.
Now onto the marinade. You will need the following ingredients:
- extra virgin olive oil
- McCormicks Montreal steak seasoning ( I like the low-sodium)
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
- Apple cider vinegar
You just need enough marinade to cover the meat generously.
So let’s say you’re going to cook one backstrap. Fill a pint mason jar halfway with the olive oil. Add about 1 ounce of the McCormicks Montreal steak seasoning. Add about 3 tablespoons of the Worcestershire sauce and about 3 tablespoons of the Apple cider vinegar. Now put the lid on the jar and shake it vigorously.
With your backstrap all cleaned up as described earlier, slice it into steaks. I like to go about 1 1/2 to two fingers thick.
Place the meat in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over top of the meat. Make sure all sides of the meat are in contact with the marinade. Place it in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours. In about 1 to 2 hours you can pull the meat out of the refrigerator and work your steaks around in the bag. You want all pieces to be equally marinated.
Prep The Grill
Please don’t cook these steaks over the bits and pieces of chicken and hot dogs that fell down in the bottom of your grill last summer. I like to clean out all the old ash and whatever else is in the bottom of my grill with a garden hose in between uses. You’re going to want to place your fire off to one side of your grill. This will provide a hot direct heat and what’s known as indirect heat or the cooler side of your grill. You will want some long tongs so you can stay back from the heat. I like to get my grill up to about 500° and then place the steaks directly over the hot coals. I know I have this part right if the flames come up and touch or rise slightly above the steaks. As soon as you have good grill marks on one side turn the meat over. When you have good grill marks on both sides it’s time to move the meat over to the cooler side of your grill. Finish cooking with a lid down. Rare to medium rare is as much as you want to cook this. Take the steaks off the grill let them rest for five minutes and enjoy!
