NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/725550
OCTOBER 2016 • NEBRASKAland 35 taught me not to cook venison beyond medium-rare or medium. Overcooking the fatless venison makes it tough and brings out the wild flavor. I favor slow grilling at a low temperature over rested charcoals, while occasionally basting the meat with marinade. The result is a juicy, tender steak – "worthy of the finest of restaurants" in the words of one dinner guest. I now also age my deer, letting them hang in the coolness of my garage for four or five days before butchering. During the aging process, which all store-bought beef goes through, natural enzymes in the muscles break down fibers enhancing tenderness and flavor. If temperatures in the garage rise above 55 F, increasing the chance of bacterial growth, or there is a threat of the meat freezing, I will immediately butcher the animal. I age my deer with the skin off; others leave the skin on. When aged, even the large muscle groups from the upper legs make good steaks. I cube for stew meat or grind for burger only the meat from the lower legs, neck and scraps. In recent years, I have found that deer hunting with a gun and bullet, rather than bow and arrow, compensates for my buck fever, and I have managed to bring down a couple somewhat larger bucks – nothing overly praise-worthy. Honestly, I found the meat of these 2 1 ⁄2- year-old bucks rather tough and tangy. Like my brother before me, I now target young bucks (1 1 ⁄2 years in age), does, and in times of plentiful deer, even fawns, the most tender-meated of all deer. Driven by gastronomical interests, my conversion to meat hunter is now complete. ■ Gerry Steinauer is a botanist for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and has been writing and photographing for NEBRASKAland for over 25 years. Aged, marinated and slow-grilled deer steaks will impress dinner guests. Fatless venison steaks, cut from the hind quarters of a doe. Bob's Delicious Deer Marinade Ingredients: • ¼ cup soy sauce • ¼ cup red wine vinegar • 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar • 2 heaping tbsp Dijon Chardonnay mustard (or other mustards) • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce • 1 tsp black pepper • 3 cloves crushed garlic • A dash or two of habanero sauce (to taste) • ½ cup olive oil (add last) Using a fork, mix the ingredients in a bowl. Place the steaks in the bowl making sure the meat is covered by the marinade. Marinate the steaks from a few to up to 24 hours (keep the steaks refrigerated during the process). Occasionally poke the marinade into the meat using a fork. Once marinated, the steaks can be grilled or pan fried. When grilling, baste the steaks once or twice with leftover marinade. This recipe also works well for grouse, pheasant and other wild game. PHOTO BY GERRY STEINAUER PHOTO BY GERRY STEINAUER Hunter