Homemade Venison Dry Rub Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best seasoning for venison? ›

Soaking: The most common soaking liquids are buttermilk, saltwater, white milk, vinegar, lemon juice and lime juice. While some hunters swear by certain soaking methods to take the “gamey” flavor away or bleed the meat after processing, others don't find it all that helpful.

Garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste. Add equal parts of Worcestershire sauce and two of your favorite steak sauces. (This gives a blend of flavors and also is excellent for basting game roasts or thick steaks during cooking.)

Marinate your backstrap meat in a good quality olive oil with fresh garlic, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper for 24 hours. Then, place the meat over screaming hot, real-wood coals and cook it rare to medium-rare. “It's so good, so simple and still tastes like venison,” he said.

When people describe venison taste and texture, they often use words like rich or earthy; this is a festive-tasting meat, often imbued with hints of the acorns, sage and herbs that the deer enjoyed during its life. It's also considered to be less juicy and succulent than beef, but also smoother and firmer.

The distinct game flavor of either birds or animals will be milder after soaking the meat overnight in the refrigerator in either a salt or vinegar solution. 2. Vinegar solution - 1 cup per quart of cold water. Use enough solution to cover the game completely.

Many deer biologists recommend granular salt mixes that contain a concentration of 16% calcium and 10% phosphorus, and trace elements including cobalt, copper, iodine, magnesium, manganese, sulfur, and zinc that help growing deer.

It doesn't hurt to rinse the deer's body cavity with cold water to remove nasty visible debris. But realize: Unless the water is boiling hot, it won't kill any bacteria that's on the surface of the meat. Kill enough big-game animals and you're bound to face guts with your glory—just suck it up and get to work.

Does venison need to be marinated? ›

But that can be enough to give you an edge when cooking tougher venison cuts like leg steaks or kebabs. Backstrap usually only needs a marinade when it came from an old animal - especially a rutting buck - and you should marinate a tenderloin only in special circ*mstances.

Common soaking liquids include saltwater, milk, buttermilk, vinegar, or lemon juice. There are many hunters that swear by dairy products when it comes to removing gaminess as dairy “bleeds out” many meats, with blood being a source of gamey flavor.

In a mixing bowl, combine ¾ cup Kosher salt, 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Whisk well to combine.

Once your meat is seasoned or marinated, cook over medium-high heat until you achieve a nice sear on both sides. For the most tender venison, I recommend cooking to medium-rare or medium.

Tender cuts of venison should be prepared using quick cooking methods to a rare or medium-rare level of doneness (internal temperature of 120° to 135° F). If it is prepared past medium-rare too much moisture will be cooked out causing the meat to become dry and tough.

Sometimes I combine ground venison and ground beef 50-50 to make a better mix for any recipe that calls for ground meat. If you do this, you can buy the cheaper ground beef that is a 75-25 mix of lean to fat, and when you add the leaner ground venison, you still get a pretty lean mix.

The addition of seasonings can transform bland ground venison meat into delicious and flavorful recipes. Below are a few of our basic seasoning combinations that we use with some of our ground venison recipes.

Venison: Red wines with earthy or smoky flavors big enough for the meat's taste and richness (Mourvèdre, Syrah, Pinot Noir) and strong beer (Porter, Belgian Strong Ale, Double Stout). (Elk pairs similarly.)