Venison, More Than Meats The Eye
Blog By Jordan Escamilla
Venison, now known as the meat of a deer, wasn’t always defined in that way. Originally, venison was referred to the meat from a game animal, or something that was hunted. Any part of a deer’s body that is actually edible can be called Venison actually (This even includes the edible organs, yikes).The word derives from the Latin “venari” meaning to hunt or pursue.
The meat of a deer may be somewhat off putting, but it still can take on many forms. Steaks, tenderloins roasts, sausages, jerky, and minced meat, are all forms that venison can take on. Venison apparently tastes nothing like beef, its texture is very different and is said to have a slight nutty taste to it, and venison is much leaner than pork or beef. Venison can actually be a quite healthy meat option since most, if not all, deer are grass fed. Venison is actually known to have more protein than beef, and has lower calories and fat than beef as well.
Although the meat might be healthier, venison still has its share of health concerns. Commonly referred to as zombie deer disease, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, is a disease that is found in deer that affects the brain and nervous system. It is unknown whether or not this disease is transmissible to humans, as no cases of humans being infected have shown up as of this year, but scientists are still concerned.
The availability of approved venison is also somewhat low, and not only in the US, but in many other places too. The US does not have many slaughterhouses that process deer meat to begin with, and the meat that is processed often goes to restaurants. Average grocers like HEB would not sell venison either, often going to higher end supermarkets. Essentially, those in the US mostly get venison from hunting and self processing, which is a lot of work. Looking to another place, New Zealand has large populations of both wild and farmed deer, making venison a widely popular meat. In England, the hunting of deer was restricted, and so too was the distribution of deer meat.
If you get your hands on venison, it should be handled and stored in a similar way to beef and pork.You can keep it in the refrigerator in the original packaging for up to three days, or if you want it to last longer, wrap cuts individually in plastic wrap, then store it in the freezer for up to three months. Frozen meat simply has to be thawed out and re-heated. Additionally, any leftover meat can be stored in plastic tupperware for an average of 3-4 days.
And now time for the fun part, the recipe. There were many things that venison could be turned into, maybe too many to count! But I decided to keep it simple and pick a marinated venison steak recipe. Now do note, that because of availability, I was unable to actually make this myself, but hopefully I can one day.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard
- 2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
- 2 pounds venison loin or leg, cut into 6 steaks
PREPERATION
- Combine all ingredients except venison in a large bowl. Submerge venison in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.
- Heat broiler, stovetop grill pan or grill. Remove venison from marinade and season with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, place steaks under the broiler or on the grilling surface and cook, flipping once, until medium-rare, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Allow venison to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016955-marinated-venison-steaks
https://www.gov.uk/hunting
https://nomadoutdoor.com/blogs/news/115430404-deer-meat-the-best-uses-of-venison