Karen, I've always treated deer, elk and moose like really lean beef. I know some people soak it in vinegar or something to eliminate the 'gamey' taste, but I never have. We like it just the way it comes. I do think the flavor/gamey-ness depends on what the deer feed on and how they're dressed out.

Karen:
It can be cooked the same as beef.

A friend of mine; ( I have some )who has been cooking Venison Roasts for years, for large dinners,
told me he boils the Roast for a short time and changes the water 3 times,

before he puts it in the oven.

His Roasts were always delicious.

I have had very good Steaks.

There is a lot of talk about a Wild taste.
I never had that.
It is according to how the deer is shot and prepared and
what is in the Deers diet.

If it was running hard and long, a lot of adrenaline is
pumped through out, when it is put down.

If the deer is not aware of the hunter and is put away fast
it will have a better flavor.

Most of the deer I had, ate in Corn Fields.

I lay some Bacon across the Roast after it is Browned and ready for Roasting.

The best Deer Steak I ever had was cooked in camp.
We took the Filets from a Doe, cut them 3/4 inch thick and
Pan fried them, with butter and garlic.

You could take a small piece of the Steak and give it a test run.
Do not overcook it.

I do not marinate, if I did it would not be with Vinegar or
anything to give the meat a bad taste.

Others may have more input.
LOU
PS : Save me some!!!

Have never cooked venison, but first time to eat it was a million years ago when I was in college. Was help a good friend and her family start work on a really OLD house. Her Dad was a hunter and had a deer hanging from rafters in dirt floor cellar and another already cut up. Was asked to stay for dinner... hey, free meal to starving college student is great. Was asked how I liked my venison cooked? When I said I'd never had it before... asked how I like my steaks... medium rare, always. Have a feeling we ate the tenderloin, cuz it was VERY tender and a lot like filet mignon, to me.

I just made elk last night,All I used was kikomens soy ..He said it was delicious,I wont eat it...

Yes, both Michael/Lyra and I cook and eat venison regularly. Here they eat corn, apples, hay and carrots, more grain than my grass fed beef gets! Unless you get one of those little swamp deer, those taste like swamp grass and pine trees, ugh.

Elery's favorite venison dish was a venison/broccoli stirfry I made with teriyaki sauce. I always liked it for things like sloppy joes, pulled beef, enchiladas. The chops can be simply grilled, the round would make good fajitas or when it gets cooler, swiss steak. The roast would be nice as a pot roast or you could cube it and make stew or grind it for burger.

Venison here and now doesn't taste "gamey" anymore, although if you overcook it it does get a weird texture, like liver. The deer eat so well and they are fatter than my cattle, I think. Just be sure to remove all the silverskin if there is any, I think it's extremely tough.

Annie

Karen:
I just remembered !!!
One year I had about 10 lbs. ground and had some Pork mixed in, for Hamburgers.
The best Hamburgers, I ever had.

My buddy had one and offered me 5 dollars, for one to take home, uncooked.
This is when Burgers were about 50 cents.

I said NO! but you can have one free, if you come back and eat it here.

Think I will make some Deer Burgers this Winter.

If you do not like the Venison, I would gladly take it off your hands.

LOU

Lou, We did have some burger that we have already eaten. That is great. I use it in anything I would use beef burger for. I just have never cooked the steaks/chops or roasts.

Annie, Katiec, The burger did not taste gamey at all. It was shot down here and most deer are corn/grain fed and don't seem to have a strong taste at all. Perhaps we should grind the roast for burger as we know we like that.

Bulldinkie, Did you cook yours inside on the stove or outside on the grill?

I was hoping to grill some of the steak or chops tonight but thought maybe I should use a marinate to tenderize it. Any thoughts about that?

Klseiverd, That is a funny story. You're right to a starving college student, any food is welcome.

If David cooks it regularly, I hope he adds his thoughts.

Thanks everyone.

Karen

I love Venison but haven't had it in a long time. Here's a link for hunting and fishing recipes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Venison recipes

Karen, I adore venison and thankfully still have a few peices in my freezer. Very lean and full of flavor.

Use it as you would beef. The steaks and chops I like to season with garlic and rosemary and just toss on the grill, cook to rare and serve. If well done it can be very dry. For burgers you can add a bit of chopped bacon or ground pork.

For the roast, I have a larding needle that lets me poke bacon inside. They are hard to find here in the states but if you have a Big Lots store near you, try them. I did find some there about a year ago and saw they still had them last month.

My favorite meal is a venison steak, rare, pan sauteed. Into the juices, add some sour cream, a dash of paprika, and a sqeeze of lemon. (You can extend the amount by adding some strong beef stock.) Add some sauteed mushrooms to it also and serve with the steaks. And while I am not a fan of sweet with meats, Lingonberrie preserves or cranberry sauce goes well with this stronger tasting meat.

And I never marinate the meat. I like the flavor of venison, so why cover it?

Love venison and live on it when I can. I'm guessing you mean whitetail venison... mule deer and elk are different meats all together.

My current lust is cajun venison. Hot frying pan of bacon grease and toss in venison coated with cajun spice. I like mine rather rare... it will turn to jerky if you go for well done (which is not all bad).

If it is home butchered watch close for any stray hair. One stray hair and the whole pan will take on a oily gamey taste. The hair has a protective oil that keeps the deer dry when they run around outside. Home butchered is often best given a quick rinse with cold running water before it hits the pan... I don't rinse but then I have years practice butchering so no stray hair or other booboo. If you pan fry it and it strikes you as gamey I highly recommend A-1 steak sauce... that should keep it edible to even the most sensitive taste buds.

I don't recommend tomato based dishes unless you eat venison regular. There is a chemical in many meats that gives the "gamey" taste. After awhile your sense of tastes adjusts so that it is not remarkable. Tomato will bring out that taste and highlight it... as in venison chili. I eat venison chili but vension is regular table fare for me.

My dad always likes a stroganoff dish. Fry venison, make cream sauce, stir in cooked noodles (kluski!). My grandfather's favorite burger was half venison and half pork.

I don't recommend boiling venison. It won't be ruined and I boil scraps from butchering for my animals. I have tasted boiled venison... not bad. My cat Tuna loved it that way and could eat her own weight in just a couple days. For human consumption you want the meat juices to get on the hot pan and turn to a sweet brown carmel... the browning on meat.

Buffalo venison I don't recommend as anything other then ground meat. It is so lean it starts shoe leather tough and gets tougher.

Elk is one of the finest meats in the world. More fat then whitetail/buff so it can be panfried. The sweetest and mildest of the venison family that I have tried.

Mule Deer are fairly fatty with a beef like texture. I find it stringy but tastey.

So... don't let it sit in the freezer! Get out a package and make something. If it tastes bad give it to the dog and try again. Letting it sit until freezer burned is a waste... it won't improve with age.

: )
lyra

Peppi:
I forgot about inserting Bacon in a Roast.
Might have mentioned it.

Amazon sells Larding Needles.

Lyra:
I hope we were talking about Whitetails. LOL!!!

There were some large Bucks in Delaware County, Pa.
In the 60s, I took one 246 pounds.
My friend owned the farm. He let a State Trooper use his tree stand.
He took one 292 lbs.
But there are not many places to hunt anymore.

In the Poconos, one Buck Gave me 135 lbs of meat.

When I first started hunting, I took a Dinasaur.

That had a really Gamey taste.
LOU

I do mine on the grill,my hubby is a big game hunter,weve had many elk,bear,mule deer,hes going in Sept for carribou.and just regular white tail deer in Pa

Just to report back on my attempt to grill steaks and chops. Not very good. I think that I didn't have the grill hot enough because I was doing some indirect cooking with some vegetables. The taste was good but it was like bunnyman said "jerky". I will try again and think I will do it with the hot frying pan method that bunnyman talked about, frying it fast in a short amount of time, leaving it more rare.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I won't give up because I don't like to waste food.

Karen