Tips For Cooking Venison Meat

Many people are afraid to try venison meat because they don't know how to prepare it. Believe it or not, venison is actually pretty simple to cook. All you really need to know are just a few basics before you begin. If you're like many people, once you've tried venison meat that has been properly prepared, you will start looking for other ways to prepare it.Some claim that anythiing you do with beef can be done with venison. While this is partially true, there a few things to keep in mind. Venison meat is actually quite lean so you will probably need to add some liquid or fat when cooking. One option is to simply mix one part ground venison meat with one part hamburger for recipes such as meatballs. The tastes are similar so this is a good way to introduce venison meat to your picky eaters.Since you probably already have several favorite beef recipes, you're already on your way to using venison meat. Not only is it a good beef substitute because the taste is comparable, but it is also a healthier choice since it is usually leaner than beef. From my experience, however, you may need to add a little more seasoning with venison than you would with beef to combat the somewhat gamey flavor it may have.Another difference with venison comes with steaks. When preparing these, you must make sure to marinate them. If you don't, they may turn out hard or even stringy. Any beef marinade should work, just let the venison marinate for about forty-eight hours.Do you like barbeque? Well, venison meat can be used for that too. Just take a venison roast, put it in a crock pot and cover it with barbeque sauce. Allow the roast to cook all day on a low setting. Once it's tender and cooked through, use a fork to shred the meat or cut it into small chunks. If you see any fat in the meat-- it will have a somewhat silver appearance to it-- make sure you cut that out. It isn't something many people enjoy eating.Of course, venison meat can be used alone, or if it's ground, it can be combined with beef to stretch out the latter. Though chances are if you have a hunter in the family, once you get adjusted to the taste of venison you may stop buying beef altogether. When someone brings home a whole deer, you definitely get more bang for your buck than buying that much beef (pun intended).There are quite a few benefits to using venison meat, both financial and health related. Of course the lean meat is a better choice than beef, but you also know that it's probably fresher than what you can buy in the store. We've all wondered at some point or other how long that ground beef has been sitting on the shelf in the meat aisle. With venison, you probably have a good idea of exactly when the meat was processed. Not to mention buying store-bought meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics will cost you a pretty penny.It might take your family a few trys to get used to the taste of venison. However, this really is one of those things that will pay off down the road. The next time someone wants to give you some venison meat, go ahead and take it. In fact, take as much as they are willing to share and do a little experimenting with your own recipes. You and your family may just find a new favorite!