Venison: A Whole Lot Of Venison

[Sherry]

My husband is an avid deer hunter. He gets deer every year without fail. Some years are naturally better than others. This year was one of those.
He has pulled in two does, two eight pointers and a six by four. The freezer is full and I'm happy it's so. The meat is not only healthier for you than what you can get in the stores, but it also pares down the cost of groceries a good deal.
He brings the deer home and we process it ourselves--slicing it into whatever portions we choose, grinding, pounding, etc. That's when my husband's part of it ends. He kills it. We process it. I cook it.
Many people take a lot of steps with venison that I wouldn't take. I love the taste and do nothing to it that I wouldn't do to beef bought at the grocer's. And I prepare pretty much the same dishes with it.
It always turns out very well.
The shoulders, however, are the only parts of the deer that we leave whole in our processing. We keep it for barbeque. I don't always cook it the same way. Sometimes I put it in the oven. Sometimes it's on the smoker or grill. In the end, though, I pull it. Add a little butter or olive oil. Maybe a little extra seasoning and a bit of sauce. And then it goes either on sandwiches or on a plate with slaw, potato salad and other barbeque side favorites.
So, what's the problem with that?
Absolutely nothing. It's just that it's the only thing I've ever found that the shoulder is actually good for and I'm wondering what other venison enthusiasts might have come up with.

 

[Rosyrain]

Wow, that is a lot of free meat in your freezer. I do not personally like venison, too gamey for me. It looks as though you are going to have meat to last you a long time. Do you ever barter it with friends and neighbors for other food and items?

 

[Sherry]

Wow, that is a lot of free meat in your freezer. I do not personally like venison, too gamey for me. It looks as though you are going to have meat to last you a long time. Do you ever barter it with friends and neighbors for other food and items?

Rosyrain, My husband and I love the venison. It's never too gamey for us. Apparently not for many of our friends and family members either, as we do share quite a bit of it if Ken gets enough deer in a year. So, no we never barter exactly, though we do all tend to share what we grow in our gardens and such. Everyone always has an abundance of something that no one else seems to have grown or had luck with.
As far as the free meat goes, I don't know about that, either. I mean, the hunting license costs a little bit, then there is the gas back and forth to where you hunt, which can get to be a pretty substantial amount. There is the cost of the clothing, guns, shells, etc., which is fairly minimal per year as some things are already on hand. But the most costly thing in it's own way, I think, is the time and the effort spent on the actual hunting. It's darned hard to go somewhere and walk two miles into the woods to climb up in a tree stand before dawn and then sit there in the cold for several hours before either getting lucky or giving it up til another day. And if you do get lucky, well you have a long hike out dragging a deer up and down hills, through gullies and thick brush and over fallen trees. Then you have to get the sucker into the back of the truck, get it home and spend several hours processing. So, all in all, it's hardly free--still beats the cost of the same amount of beef though.
My husband is seventy now, and for at least the past five years he has ended the hunting seasons by saying it might be his last as it's just so hard to do it anymore; but then when the season comes back around he is all game for it again. He likes doing it so much that I can't help being proud for him when he has a good year, as this one has been. Gosh! That one heap good man in great shape, methinks. And I am so happy for him.

 

[Berties]

I have been stalking as a guest a few times,but in the uk a fire arms licence is quite hard to acheive,a shot gun licence is hard enough to which I do hold,I am pretty good at skinning ,jointing and seeming the carcass,and get haunches to seam at work every week ,with the closed seasons in the uk I tried muntjac deer as it is classed as vermin it can be shot any time,the beast is small and the meat is sweeter,apart from the prime joints I love venison mince great low fat burgers and we make venison koftas

 

[JoanMcWench]

Oh, good Lord I wish I had your problems. I've always wanted to explore venison more thoroughly than I have yet. Especially using parts most people have no interest in. Like the marrow. So jealous...

 

[Sherry]

I have been stalking as a guest a few times,but in the uk a fire arms licence is quite hard to acheive,a shot gun licence is hard enough to which I do hold,I am pretty good at skinning ,jointing and seeming the carcass,and get haunches to seam at work every week ,with the closed seasons in the uk I tried muntjac deer as it is classed as vermin it can be shot any time,the beast is small and the meat is sweeter,apart from the prime joints I love venison mince great low fat burgers and we make venison koftas

I make burgers quite often, myself. The meat is just a bit dry on its own and is actually better with just a little beef fat minced in with it. You probably really like the almost no fat content in the venison, right? I do too most times, but the burgers seem better with that bit of added fat. I get it (the fat) from a small family grocer who stocks local meats here.
I don't know what koftas are. I hope I can remember to look that up later. Or, maybe you can tell me?

 

[Berties]

I make burgers quite often, myself. The meat is just a bit dry on its own and is actually better with just a little beef fat minced in with it. You probably really like the almost no fat content in the venison, right? I do too most times, but the burgers seem better with that bit of added fat. I get it (the fat) from a small family grocer who stocks local meats here.
I don't know what koftas are. I hope I can remember to look that up later. Or, maybe you can tell me?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofta
minced venison garlic,cumin,onion fresh and dried coriander,a little egg,mix and squeeze on a kebab stick,char grill on griddle pan ,serve with minted yoghurt or i do a caper salsa

 

[Sherry]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofta
minced venison garlic,cumin,onion fresh and dried coriander,a little egg,mix and squeeze on a kebab stick,char grill on griddle pan ,serve with minted yoghurt or i do a caper salsa

Thanks Bertie! That sounds like a great idea with a lot of room for experimentation. I think it might open up some new possibilities for the grill when my husband and I go to our horse camp. I am always looking for new foods that are easy to prepare out there.

 

[missbishi]

Your husband is seventy? The venison must be doing him the world of good, he looks in his mid-fifties! That's the benefits of good food, fresh air and exercise. I bet the venison is delicious, completely additive free and nothing like the rubbish you can buy at the store.

 

[Sherry]

Your husband is seventy? The venison must be doing him the world of good, he looks in his mid-fifties! That's the benefits of good food, fresh air and exercise. I bet the venison is delicious, completely additive free and nothing like the rubbish you can buy at the store.

My husband does look well for seventy, doesn't he?
Yes, I think the venison is considerably better for you than what you get in the stores. We also eat a lot of fish we catch for ourselves, avoid fast foods and go lean on the processed junk. And we're often either working outside our home or enjoying life at the horse camp.
We have a happy life.
I think that's what keeps us both young, though I really am in my mid fifties.