8 lbs of Ground Venison, Recipe Suggestions

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flyangler18

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A friend was nice enough to hook me up with 8 lb of ground venison, and I'm soliciting advice on some good recipes. A stew is definitely in order, given the cold and dreary day we're having here in PA.

Thanks!
 
Cold and dreary is definitely a great day for some venison chili! I just make up my regular chili recipe but substitute the venison, I also like to add a little sausage or chorizo since the venison is so lean. Another great thing I have started doing is stuffed peppers and chili rellenos with venison.

You have to find a friend to hook you up with a tenderloin to smoke. I have to beg my friend all year and usually he will come off on one. I guess I could just buy a gun.
 
cook up some rice, mix with black beans and shredded cheddar and jack cheese and season to taste, add ground venison, stuff into bell peppers, bake, yum!
 
Oh, chili would be good. I am not hunting this year, but I am probably filling in at work for a hunter, and if I'm lucky, I might find some venison coming my way too. I'm partial to some good steaks, but I'll eat any and all of it.
 
Sausage is good. You can use it just about anyway you use hamburg. If you're doing anything that needs it to hold shape (burgers, meatloaf, etc.) just put some pork fat in with it. Yum.

Venison Salisbury steak is the bomb too.
 
1/3 part venison burger, 1/3 part pork sausage, and 1/3 part Italian sausage mixed together makes an EXCELLENT buck burger.
 
We eat venison almost all the time- and much of it is ground. I make a couple of really good "stand bys" that we all enjoy.

One is a "taco bake". I brown the venison with some onion in a little oil, like I'm making tacos, adding taco seasoning (mostly cumin and ground chilis). I keep it a little bit soupy, so that it's quite runny. I add salsa as needed to get that consistency (about one jar). As that cooks, I make up some cornbread. Pour the prepared cornbread into the buttered/oiled casserole dish, and then pour the seasoned taco meat over top of that. Sprinkle shredded cheese over that, and back at about 375 for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and a knife comes out clean from the cornbread.

Another favorite- venison meatloaf! It's very lean, so I mix it with ground lamb if I have some. (I buy a whole lamb every year) Otherwise, you can mix it with ground beef or pork.

For the meatloaf, make 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, and pour milk over to absorb. Add a generous splash of worcheshire sauce, minced onions, garlic, and two eggs. (For about 2 pounds total of meat- for your small family size, you might want to cut this in half!). Mix well, but gently as to not overwork the meat. Form into a loaf and preheat oven to 375. While oven is preheating, make the special sauce- 1.5 ketchup, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 T spicy brown mustard, a generous splash of worchestershire sauce, and then taste. If more acidity needed, add a splash of cider vinegar. (This is like a sweet and sour BBQ sauce- I like it more sour, some like it more sweet- you can add more brown sugar if you're in the second camp!) Stir well, and pour over the prepared meatloaf. Cover with foil. Bake about one hour and 15 minutes, until cooked through, basting through the time.

I also make sweet & sour venison meatballs. The sweet & sour sauce is pretty standard. The meatballs are made with breadcrumbs, onion soup mix (or fresh onions minced), and some fresh ground black pepper. The meatballs are made tiny, cocktail sized, and broiled until browned. Then, added to a saucepot with your favorite sweet and sour sauce. This is wonderful over rice!

Of course, I made chili on Monday (oatmeal stout was my secret ingredient), and we have a quick stew at least once a week.

I probably have lots more, if you want to hear it!
 
A friend was nice enough to hook me up with 8 lb of ground venison, and I'm soliciting advice on some good recipes. A stew is definitely in order, given the cold and dreary day we're having here in PA.

If you're up for some Guido food...

Get a palm full or two of juniper berries, sea salt, unsalted butter, and rye seed, some decent Italian red wine (try a varietal from Bolla like a bardolino). And mix it all up in a big bowl. And, run it through the meat grinder. Then stuff it in the fridge overnight.

The next day take out a little at a time and stuff it into some cleaned out intestines. A good sausage stuffer attachment on the meat grinder machine is handy. And, it is easier if the meat is kept cold. Once all the meat is in the casings, throw it back in the fridge. It does not need to be covered. It is better that is isn't. The sausage will slowly lose moisture as it ages. It'll be fine for about a week. The more wine and salt and juniper berries you use the longer it will last. In Italian this is called Salsiccia di Cervo. (Deer Sausage)

As an alternative the mixture can be stuffed into fresh pasta comprised of 1/2 flour, 1/2 semolina, white wine and egg yolks.

You can stew the sausage or stuffed pasta in red wine (see above) composed of a sofritto (onion, celery, and carrots), cloves, cinnamon, black peppered pancetta, juniper berries, rosemary, olive oil, bay leaves, and garlic (although garlic and sofritto are not normally combined it may do some good here). Even a little cream if desired.

Or you could coook it even on a stovetop in a gremolata; that is a combination of anchovy, lemon, and parsley. In which case a little rabbit could help out the flavor some, but even by itself it is sufficient. If cooking it with a gremolata you may want to make a seperate batch of sausage using a white wine pro secco, as the flavors involved are more delicate.

(Kudos to Yooper for the mention of the lamb. It makes greaaat leftovers! I grew up with my mom feeding us on lamb, onions, potato, and oregano in the style of Avellino)
 
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