Year after year deer hunters scramble to empty the freezer by October only to fill it again with fresh venison. The idea of emptying the freezer usually emerges suddenly in August or September when hunters begin to plan for the upcoming season. That’s certainly the case for me anyway. This time of year, and just after the season closes, is when many hunters try to decide how to use all the ground venison that needs to be eaten up.
Let’s discuss a few easy ways to use ground venison and make the entire family happy.
Tacos
Who doesn’t love Taco Tuesday? Since venison works well as a substitute for beef, tacos are an easy meal to sneak in the deer meat. There’s no explaining to do here, just cook the venison and season it as you would beef. Most people won’t even notice the difference.
Chili
I love a good pot of chili in the wintertime. Venison chili is a perfect meal for post-season when the weather outside is frightful. Invite your hunting buddies and enjoy devouring a huge pot of delicious chili.
Chili is one recipe that tends to hide the venison flavor. Nobody in my family has ever detected that they were eating deer instead of beef. So, if you have family members who aren’t huge fans of wild game, chili is the way to go.
Meatloaf
Meatloaf is another good way to use up extra venison. However, you have to be careful with this one. Meatloaf is typically made with beef which is high in fat. Beef from the supermarket is at least 7 percent fat. However, most people are likely buying beef with more than 20 percent fat.
Venison has nowhere near the levels of fat that beef does. In fact, it’s pretty much Zero! Therefore, if you make meatloaf that is made completely with venison, it will be dry and gross. Trust me on this one. When using venison for meatloaf, blend the venison with high-fat beef, ground bacon, or ground pork.
If you have the processor add fat to the meat during the butchering process, you may be ok to use straight venison. However, I would still recommend blending in some fattier meat or layering the top of the loaf with bacon. Add some fat to the venison and enjoy a delicious venison meatloaf.
Sloppy Joes
Even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy a sloppy joe sandwich made with venison. With the sweet sauce, no one will ever detect the gaminess that can sometimes come from deer meat. Whip up your favorite sauce or buy a can of Manwich to make it easier.
My kids think it’s lame, but when I use venison, I call them “Sloppy Does”!
Stroganoff
There are a million recipes online for making delicious stroganoff dishes with ground beef. Try replacing the beef with venison. Deer meat works well in stroganoff and won’t change the cooking procedure at all. This one is one of my favorites!
Jerky
Yes, you can make jerky with ground venison. It makes the process quite simple and turns out tasty. Most jerky seasoning and cure packages will include instructions for using ground meat. LEM makes a nice cure and seasoning kit that makes 5 pounds at a time. Here is a link to buy a package from Sportsman’s Warehouse LEM Products Backwoods Original Jerky Seasoning – 3.6oz | Sportsman’s Warehouse
After curing the meat overnight in the fridge, it can be pushed through a jerky gun into strips as long as you desire. The jerky gun will include round or flat tips for making strips or sticks. You can push the strips out directly onto your dehydrator racks, or onto a sheet for the oven. Here is a link for the jerky gun. LEM Jerky Gun – Black | Sportsman’s Warehouse
I have found that making jerky in the oven works just as well as a dehydrator. Honestly, when I take a day to make jerky, I have both running Place the jerky in the oven on a sheet if using ground meat or use toothpicks to hang pieces from the racks. Put the oven on the lowest setting and leave the door cracked. Cook the jerky for several hours until it passes the snap test!
Conclusion
When the freezer is full and it comes time to make some room, I hope this post will help you make a few delicious meals. Don’t be afraid to try new things and throw it in anything you would use beef for.
For other wild game cooking ideas, check out these blog posts. Wild Game Cooking Archives – Stream and Timber
Good Luck
