Do you love the taste of deer steaks but always end up with dry meat when making them at home? It’s likely because you’re cooking it like beef instead of venison. With that method, you’ll end up overcooking the venison, so it’ll come out dry and flavorless. You can avoid this problem by searing it on a stovetop, grilling it, or searing it in a Dutch oven before transferring it to the oven to finish cooking. These three methods are considered the best way to cook venison backstraps. Along with the cooking method, there are a few other things to keep in mind. Check out some tips to help you make a delicious deer steak.
Start With a Marinade
Whether grilling or searing your venison backstraps, you can enhance the flavor with a nice marinade. You can whip up a simple deer marinade recipe with:
- 3 tablespoons of:
- Olive oil
- Worcestershire sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- Soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of:
- Minced garlic
- Honey mustard
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
After you mix it, put the marinade in a shallow dish and add the deer steaks. Then cover it and put it in the refrigerator. The deer meat needs to soak up the marinade for 24 hours but flip the steaks halfway through.
Adding Spices to Venison
You can also add spices to your deer steaks, regardless of the cooking method you choose. While some spices bring out the gamey flavor, others tame it, improving the taste. Some of the best spices include:
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Salt
- Peppers
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Fennel
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Temperature for Cooking Deer Meat
You also need to pay attention to the temperature while searing or grilling venison. You’ll want to use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature and remove the steaks from the heat when they reach 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit. If that’s a little too undercooked for you, you can take it up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but don’t go over that. Otherwise, it will dry out.
Keep these tips in mind when making venison. Then, when you sear or grill your steaks, you’ll lock in the moistness and the flavor.
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