Easy and Flavorful Venison
This is a collection of my favorite venison recipes that I love to make again and again!
In our house, deer meat is a prized possession, and I certainly don't want to waste it on any bad recipes! All of my venison recipes are tried and true, full of flavor and hungry fiancé approved! So, make my recipes as is or use them as inspiration to craft your own delicious family recipes.
How do you make venison without wild gamey taste?
Deer meat, like any wild game, certainly has its own unique flavor that is often described as gamey because we're all more accustomed to the more mild taste of commercially raised beef. But, with the right mix of spices and a little acid from wine, vinegar or fruit juice, you'll hardly taste the difference!
When venison is slow cooked in a sauce, it tastes very similar to beef, in my opinion. So, if you're nervous about the gamey flavor, I recommend starting with stew, chili or braised roast.
If gamey flavor isn't a concern for you, then I encourage you to dive into any of the recipes below! Even though venison burgers and backstrap will have more of a "gamey" taste, I still think you'll find all the recipes incredibly flavorful and delicious! Don't skip the smoky aioli on the venison burgers - it's amazing!!
If you enjoy my recipes, please leave a rating and comment on the recipe post! I would love to hear from you!
1. Beer Braised Venison Roast
One of the most popular recipes on Modern Farmhouse Eats, and for good reason! Cubed venison roast is slow cooked in a dutch oven with carrots, beer, broth and fresh herbs. The result is fall-apart tender, juicy, flavorful venison. Recipe also includes slow cooker and instant pot instructions.
"I made this yesterday and it was, hands down, the best venison recipe I have made to date. Putting it together was easy and having the oven on for the few hours needed left the house delightfully cozy and smelling wonderful." - Joellen
2. Juicy Venison Burgers with Smoky Aioli
Looking for a tasty ground beef recipe? This is it! These burgers are incredibly flavor and juicy! The secret is to mix finely chopped uncooked bacon with ground venison to add both fat and delicious smoky flavor.
Cook the burgers on the stovetop or grill to your desired doneness and serve on buns with simple Smoky Aioli and your favorite burger toppings.
3. Venison Stew
The perfect cozy bowl of comfort food! The venison is literally fall apart tender with zero gamey flavor, the potatoes and carrots are cooked perfectly, and the sauce is incredibly flavorful!
What's even better is that this stew only requires about 20 minutes of hands-on cooking time, then it gets transferred to the oven to slow cook for a few hours.
4. Marinated Venison Backstrap
The perfect venison backstrap and venison tenderloin marinade that adds so much flavor, while helping to tame the gamey flavor! This recipe would also work great for marinated venison steaks.
"You knocked this out of the park. My wife and daughter both loved it. It is a special occasion when they both approve of wild game recipes. I will be making it again soon. Thanks for taking the time to share it." - Rob.
5. Venison Beer Chili
This recipe may be easy, but it certainly isn't lacking flavor! Just the right mix of spices, lots of ground venison and just enough beans - my perfect chili! Simmer on the stove or slow cook in the crock pot.
More Wild Game Recipes
Easy and delicious venison and bison recipes the whole family will love!
Kitchen Essentials!
When it comes to cooking venison, there are a few kitchen essentials that I highly recommend! And like most of you, I like to buy products that are affordable, but still perform well. I did the research, so you don't have to!
- Meat thermometer. This is KEY to cooking juicy (not dry) venison is to use a meat thermometer! Using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of any meat is a game changer! You can ensure you don't undercook or overcook the meat. You'll be impressed how much better it tastes when it's cooked to the perfect temperature!
- Instant read meat thermometer. Quickly tells you the exact internal temperature of the meat using a digital screen.
- Bluetooth meat thermometer. Perfect for smoking meat! This thermometer allows you to read the internal temperature through an app on your phone!
- Cast iron dutch oven. I like using my dutch oven to make roasts, stews, braise meat and bake crusty bread! They're so versatile!
- Enameled cast iron dutch oven. The enamel coating makes for easy clean-up!
- Cast iron skillet. Perfect for getting a nice and even sear on venison, whether it's backstrap or venison burgers! All around, just a great pan for making anything on the stovetop.
- Enameled cast iron skillet. Again, I love cast irons with an enamel coating because they're easy to clean! You can use soap and you don't have to worry about it rusting.
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