Filling The Freezer: Our 4 Favorite Ways To Prepare Venison

Venison appears as much more than just meat on the table for the avid hunter.  It represents hard work, hours put in, and most of all, a lifestyle. And for us health nuts, venison also represents a very lean meat packed with much more protein than most animals can provide us with.  Therefore, why wouldn’t you want to make a tasty meal with it?

Considering that whitetail season provides many of us with meat in our freezer, it’s time we start expanding our horizons within the realms of the kitchen.

Here are 4 of our favorite ways at HuntWise to prepare venison.

Bacon Wrapped Venison Tenderloin

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ready In: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients:

6 thick slices bacon

2 venison tenderloin roasts (each roast being ¾ of a pound)

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon onion powder, divided

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

1 8 ounce package sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped green onion, or more for taste

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, or more for taste

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2) Place the 6 slices of thick bacon onto a baking pan and then directly into the preheated oven.  Let the bacon sit in the oven until it is partially cooked, a little chewy, and still able to bend.  This usually takes anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes depending on the oven.

3) Next, you will start preparing the venison tenderloins.  Begin to brush the olive oil on the tenderloins, and then sprinkle it with the onion powder, salt, and pepper.  After the venison is seasoned, wrap the partially cooked bacon around the venison strips. Then place the bacon-wrapped venison into a roasting pan.

4) Now, you will roast the venison tenderloins until the bacon is crisp, and the tenderloins are ready.  This usually takes about 1 hour depending on the over.

5) In the meantime, while your venison is cooking for the final 20 minutes, prepare the garlic sauce.  You will do this by heating butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then add the mushrooms and garlic until they are soft.  This usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Finally, add the green onions to your mushroom-sauce mixture, and stir in the heavy cream.  Stir often until everything is combined, and slightly thick.

6) Finally, pour your sauce over the tenderloins, and voila, let’s eat!

Fried Venison Tenderloin Bites

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ready In: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves

1 ½ cups of Italian dry bread crumbs

½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound of venison tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 lemon that is cut into quarters

Salt and pepper to taste, and any other seasonings of your choice

Directions:

1) Start by preheating the oven on the broil setting.  Set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the bottom of the oven where the heat source is located, and then, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2) Cube all of your venison into 1 inch cubes.

3) Next, heat up the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes.

4) Place the bread crumbs into a mixing bowl and pour the olive oil/garlic mixture over top.  Stir in the parsley and the Parmesan cheese into the bread crumb mixture and mix until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.

5) Now, press the cubed venison into the mixture to coat and place on top of the baking sheet.  You do not want any of the venison pieces touching so make sure you have enough room.

6) Broil the covered venison cubes until they are golden, and the venison is your desired degree of “doneness”.  I usually cook the cubes of venison for about 6 to 7 minutes in the oven, until the bread crumbs are golden, and the venison has turned from red to pink in the center, or to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes. Turn the cubes occasionally as they cook.

7) Finally, you are ready to serve.  Plate up your fried venison, and squeeze lemon on top of your venison if desired.  Enjoy!

Venison Stew

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours 30 minutes

Ready In: 2 hours 30 minutes - 3 hours

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 pounds of venison meat, cubed for stew (we do 1-inch cubes)

3 chopped onions

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon of dried oregano

1 tablespoon of salt

3 cups of water

7 small potatoes that are peeled and quartered

1 pound of carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

¼ cup of flour

¼ cup of water

Directions:

1)  In a skillet, deeply brown the meat in vegetable oil or any oil of your choice.

2) Then you will add in the chopped onions, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt, and 3 cups of water. Simmer this mixture for about 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Make sure the skillet is covered.

3) After your meat had simmered and is tender, add in the potatoes and carrots. Again, you will cook until it is tender, or to your preferred desire.  

4) Lastly, combine the flour and the ¼ cup of water, stir until thoroughly mixed, and enjoy!

Venison Stroganoff

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ready In: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound of venison, cut into cubes

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

1 finely chopped onion

2 10.75 oz cans of cream of mushroom soup

1 16 oz package of egg noodles

1 8 oz container of sour cream

Directions:

1) You will begin by seasoning the cubed venison with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  All of this is seasoned to taste, so do it based on what your taste buds prefer.

2) Now, saute the onion in a large skillet.  Once the onion is soft, add in the seasoned venison and brown it to your liking.

3) Now, you will add in the soup and let it simmer on low.

4) In the meantime, start cooking your noodles until they are al dente, which usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes. When noodles are almost done cooking, however not fully cooked, stir in the sour cream into meat mixture. Then, pour meat mixture over hot cooked noodles and serve. You now have homemade venison stroganoff!

We hope that you find these venison recipes as satisfying as we do at HuntWise. It is always a wonderful feeling having a good meal that you worked so hard for afield. If you try any of these recipes and find them tasty, share them on the HuntWise app in a log. We love to see our fellow hunters have success afield and bring it back home in a delicious way.