How Do You Season Venison?

Season venison with salt, garlic, onion and woodsy herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme, and use about 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound. Trim off the fat and silver skin first, because that is where most of the gamey taste lives. Then add a little fat back, since deer meat is very lean, and do not overcook it.

That is the short version. Below is what to do with each cut, because a backstrap and a pound of ground venison want very different things.

Why does venison taste gamey?

Mostly because of the fat. Beef fat tastes good. Deer fat does not, and it turns waxy as it cools. The University of Minnesota Extension says the gamey flavor is most noticeable in the fat, and that what the deer ate and how quickly it was cooled in the field matter too.

You cannot change what the deer had for breakfast. You can do these three things:

• Trim it well. Cut away the fat, the silver skin (the shiny, thin sheet on the outside of the meat) and any connective tissue.
• Soak it if it is strong. The same extension office suggests 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a quart of water, in the refrigerator, for about an hour before cooking.
• Serve it hot. Lukewarm venison tastes greasier than it is. Warm the plates if you want to look fancy.

What seasonings go best with venison?

Think about what grows where a deer lives. Woods, not beach.

• Sage, rosemary and thyme. The classics. They stand up to a strong meat and do not get lost.
• Garlic and onion. The savory base under everything.
• Black pepper and a little red pepper. For warmth, not fire.
• Allspice or juniper. A small amount of a warm, piney spice is the old hunting-lodge trick.
• Salt. Lean meat needs it. Salt is what makes the rest of the list taste like something.

Go easy on sugar. A sweet rub that is lovely on pork ribs tends to fight with venison.

How much seasoning do you put on venison?

Start with about 1 tablespoon per pound for steaks, roasts and ground meat. Coat the outside of a roast more heavily, since the seasoning only touches the surface. We have a longer guide on how much seasoning to use per pound of meat.

If your blend lists salt first, do not salt the meat separately. Taste, then decide.

How do you season each cut?

Backstrap and tenderloin

These are the tender ones, so keep it simple. Pat the meat dry, rub it with olive oil, then put on a heavy coat of seasoning. Sear it in a hot cast iron skillet or on a hot grill and pull it early. Let it rest five minutes before you slice it.

Steaks and chops

Cut them thin, about 3/4 inch, and cook them fast. Season both sides, add butter to the pan, and do not crowd them. A marinade with something sour in it helps here: vinegar, lemon juice or Italian dressing, overnight in the refrigerator. Stop at 24 hours, or the meat goes mushy.

Roasts from the shoulder and hindquarter

These are tough and need low, slow, wet heat. Season the outside well, brown it, then braise it with broth, onions and carrots until it falls apart. Lay a few strips of bacon over the top if you have them. It is the same method as beef, so our page on how to season a pot roast will walk you through it.

Ground venison

Ground venison is the weeknight workhorse: burgers, chili, meatloaf, tacos, spaghetti sauce. Mix the seasoning into the meat for meatloaf and sausage. For burgers, sprinkle it on both sides right before cooking. Venison burgers fall apart and dry out without help, so many cooks mix in a little ground pork or beef.

What temperature should venison be cooked to?

Use a thermometer, not the color. The University of Minnesota Extension gives these minimums:

• Steaks and roasts: 145°F
• Ground venison: 160°F
• Soups, stews, casseroles and leftovers: 165°F

Venison has almost no fat to protect it, so every degree past done costs you. This is the part where most venison goes wrong. The seasoning usually gets the blame.

What is in Flavor Seed's venison rub?

Bullseye is our organic venison and wild game rub. It is heavy on sage, onion and garlic. Here is the whole label, in order: sea salt, organic sage, organic onion, organic coriander, organic garlic, organic paprika, organic celery seed, organic rosemary, organic allspice, organic black pepper, organic dill weed, organic cumin, organic spearmint, organic thyme, organic mustard, organic cayenne and organic red pepper.

Seventeen ingredients and no sugar. No MSG, no fillers and no anti-caking agents either. It is USDA Certified Organic, gluten-free and kosher, and our family makes it in small batches in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sea salt is first on the label, so taste before you add more.

It works on elk and bison too. It is also very good on lamb, pork sausage and mushrooms, for the weeks when nobody brings a deer home.

Bullseye comes in a 5 oz resealable pouch, which is the one to get if there is a full freezer at your house. There is also a 2.0 oz glass jar.

Two more that earn their keep in deer season. The OG is sea salt, organic garlic and organic black pepper, for the person who wants the backstrap to taste like backstrap. And Rock Yo' Taco turns a pound of ground venison into taco night or a pot of chili.

Quick answers

Should you soak venison in milk or buttermilk?

Plenty of families do, and it will not hurt anything. A good trim does more. If the meat still smells strong after trimming, an hour in the refrigerator in water with a little vinegar is the soak the extension office suggests.

Can you use steak seasoning on venison?

Yes. A simple salt, pepper and garlic blend is fine on backstrap and steaks. Blends made for wild game add sage and rosemary, which do more for the stronger cuts and for ground meat.

How long should seasoning sit on venison before cooking?

Thirty minutes on the counter is plenty for steaks. A roast can sit overnight in the refrigerator with the rub on. Marinades with vinegar or citrus should come off within 24 hours.

So: trim it, season it like the woods, add a little fat and watch the thermometer. And if the hunter in your house hands you another cooler, free shipping kicks in at $25.