Venison Recipes &
Other Information

So you’ve scored yourself some prime venison and want venison recipes and information about how to prepare it. Many people get excited about the idea of hunting for deer or trying something off the beaten path but then don’t know what to do with all that meat once they have it. Of maybe you’ve been cooking venison for years but want some fresh ideas or to branch out into something beyond venison sausage, burger and jerky.

Well fear not! I’ll help you understand how to cook venison, its quirks and advantages and how it compares to cooking other red meat like beef. The most important thing to remember is that you can do most things with venison that you would do with other meats. Steaks, roasts, filets, sausage, burgers, you name it, it can all be done with deer meat. The nice thing is that while familiar, venison does have some of its own unique character that sets it apart from more commonly seen red meats. For that reason, pulling out a great venison dish always feels like a special occasion.

First of all, venison is not that dissimilar to other red meats like beef. It does have a few distinguishing characteristics which slightly alter the way it should be best prepared. If you are totally new to cooking venison, first check out the How to Cook Venison page. There you will find general information about cooking venison. After that, you can move on to specific recipes recipes and other venison topics listed below. While not all of these recipes involve a fire pit or grill, some do and some can certainly be adapted to cook on an open fire.

Venison Recipes and Other Topics

Red-Wine Roast Venison Recipe - This is one of my favorite venison dishes I've made so far. It is adapted from a Barolo-based beef recipe I found in Patricia Wells’ great book Trattoria.
Venison Dog Food - Why should you be the only one in the family to enjoy the harvests of nature? Don’t worry, I’m not advocating throwing your best cuts of venison to the dog, but with scraps you can make an excellent and healthy treat for your dog and/or cats.
Venison Tallow Candles - Great food isn’t the only thing you can make from your hunting harvest. Follow these simple instructions to make candles from the deer fat.
Tallow Bird Seed Ornaments - If you've got any tallow left over after making candles, or already have enough candles, this fat makes for great winter bird treats. Hang these outside your window and watch the birds flock to your property!

One of the best places I know to buy supplies for cooking with fire is SpitJack.com. Besides being one of the best options for fireplace cooking supplies (fireplace grills, rotisseries, cranes, long-handled roasters, etc.), they have a uniquely chosen stock of other great accessories. Their own fire pit rotisseries for pig and lamb roasting are top notch and sturdy. They also have fire pits, firewood storage and splitting supplies and more! Check them out!

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