A family friend gave us a deer (um, for our freezer, not for a pet) this past winter, and what a blessing! We have had a freezer full of deer, and it has saved us so much on groceries! It's pretty safe to say that venison is basically organic - and you know how much organic meat runs. Not to mention the added bonus that venison is much leaner than beef. I chose to get most of my meat ground, with a few cubed steaks, tenders, and backstrap packs thrown in.
The biggest complaint I hear from people is that venison tastes too gamey. I'm hear to tell you, that if your venison tastes gamey, then you may not be cooking it properly. Meat like this needs seasoning, especially if you're used to the taste of store bought, grain fed, minimally exercised meat.
We had a cookout for all our naysayer friends and family who thought venison was gamey, and all who tried our "deer burgers" said that they were delicious. Most were very surprised by how good they were.
Here's our general recipe:
I start by tossing 1 medium yellow onion and a few cloves of garlic in the food processor.
Pulse until finely chopped.
Add in a handful of spinach leaves and pulse mixture until it looks like picture above.
Combine with 1 pound of venison.
Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
Form patties and grill to desired cook temp.
*I cook our burgers well done - that's just my style.
Dress your burgers as desired and dig in! So delicious!
How do you feel about venison? Have you cooked it before?
My husband is a big hunter so we usually have 2-3 deer in the freezer each year. Can't wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
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