Maybe I have some sort of subconscious issue with religious holidays. Earlier this year, I cooked rabbit for Easter. Monday night, I cooked Rudolph. It wasn't actually reindeer, just venison that we bought from our butcher. The Easter bunny thing was intentional, but Jess and I purchased the D'ARTAGNAN venison tenderloin oblivious to the irony. Only on the drive home did it dawn on us that we were about to pan-sear a Christmas icon.
Let's talk about the sides first.... We had a simple, fresh-herb salad with balsamic vinaigrette. We made the vinaigrette with some really nice, syrupy balsamic vinegar that we also picked up at the butcher. Delicious.
Even more delicious were the Baked Cheese Grits. I've made these once before, and they came out too soupy. This time I figured out the issue. The recipe calls for "Old-Fashioned" grits. Here in Boston, I have only been able to find quick grits and instant grits. Instant grits are an abomination, so I bought quick grits. What I hadn't taken into account previously was that quick grits require less liquid than old-fashioned grits. It's a 5-1 grits to water ratio for old fashioned, but just a 4-1 ratio for quick. This adjustment fixed the soupiness, obviously. Less obvious was another tweak I made. Instead of cooking the grits in water, I used chicken stock. YUM! I think even my showers would be improved if I could use chicken stock instead of water.
Now for the deer.... Deer meat is dark red, almost like liver, with very little intramuscular fat. The tenderloin is especially lean, and will become tough if cooked the slightest bit too long. Everyone recommends pan searing the tenderloins, whole, just until rare and then slicing them into medallions. I opted for medium-rare, and thanks to Jess' advice, they were cooked to the perfect temperature. For an added touch of decadence, I used ghee instead of plain butter. It's basically clarified butter and its advantage over ordinary butter is that you can get it really hot without it smoking. I also prepared "Hunter's Sauce" to accompany the medallions. I haven't eaten a lot of game, so I thought this would be a wise move.
I'm going to be blunt here. Deer is gamy. I'm not talking lamb magnitude gamy. I'm talking third-world-country gamy. My first few bites were very enjoyable, but the gaminess seemed to accumulate in my mouth. As the meat cooled, it tasted funkier still. As we tried to enjoy the meal, I pondered aloud what dog might taste like. Jess speculated that he had probably been served dog, secretly, during his travels overseas. At the end of the meal, we concluded that venison just isn't our cup of tea. It definitely does not taste like chicken. But Cheese Grits cooked in chicken broth ROCK! Recipe follows in next post...
4 comments:
Hmm . . . years ago I had a similar experience with venison. My venison came from a friend who had a friend who had actually hunted Rudolph. So, it was quite fresh, but I was put off a bit by the few hairs that had made it onto the meat. Gamy. Yes! And, I've never tried it again since. BTW, have you seen it on a menu lately?! However, the grits sound yummy and the chicken stock shower could work for me, too!
Those cheese grits look insane! I'm going to Atlanta next weekend and I hope I can get my fill when I'm down south. Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge has some grits that are made in South Carolina. Maybe these are closer to what you were looking for.
http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1334&osCsid=5e170f85a4b7378925396fd7303ad91d
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If you do even a small amount of searching on venison preparation, you'll see recommendations for marinating for at least a few hours, if not overnight. I cannot emphasize enough how critical this step is to producing really yummy venison. The wine/vinegar/sherry etc., plus the added fat, really transform this meat. Without this step, what you get is what you describe in your post- a really gamy taste that accumulates and bears some resemblance to liver.
Back in the fall, Al and I split a deer with some friends of ours, so we've had lots of opportunity to figure out what methods of preparation work well for venison, and I can wholeheartedly recommend the following recipe. Use it for venison chops or steaks (1.5 lbs).
1/4 c soy
1/4 c oil
1/4 c sherry or red wine
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Mix ingredients, pour over chops and marinate overnight.
Before cooking, remove chops and add to marinade:
1/4 c molasses (or sorghum)
Grill chops/steaks (you can also successfully use a very hot cast iron pan) while basting with marinade.
This recipe produces an absolutely succulent venison chop with a much more complex, though not at all heavy, taste than I would ever have expected! No gamy, liver-like taste here! So, really, how about a second chance for Rudolph?
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