slo’s TUESDAY 11/4 poll - Venison (Deer Meat)

[LuvOrlando]

Raised a family in PA so we knew many hunters and had it a few times. I've had it in chili, a sausage, prepared as a kind of steak tips with a gingersnap sauce and it is also very popular as a jerky. I didn't dislike it but I wouldn't seek it out either, people seem to like to prepare it with other strong flavors so it is a thing you probably have to grow up with to love. I knew quite a few families who went hunting to help makes ends meet and had dedicated freezers for this purpose, this was very common in PA.

 

[rndmr2]

Most of my husband's family are big fans of venison. I have not officially had it (I just can't do it, LOL) but I have eaten the veggies that were cooked with it when my MIL made a venison pot roast. To be fair I am not the biggest fan of red meat in the first place.

As far as the "Gamey" part. From what I have heard from everyone in the family, that can be avoided depending a lot on how it is prepared and my MIL is Very good at making Venison. Plus apparently in this area (Finger Lakes area of NY), the deer are pretty good because they eat very well around here with all the farms.

 

[robinb]

It’s just okay. It depends on the cut and the preparation.

Nowadays, we have a lot of CWD in Wisconsin so I don’t eat anything deer (including sausages) anymore.

 

[kimmar067]

...my DH is a hunter and I USED to prepare and eat it but NO LONGER. My 59-year-old DS-in-L "supposedly" ate 'exotic' meat (and we are thinking venison). She contracted CJD [Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease] and 3 months later succumbed to it. It is 100% fatal - doctors do not know how 85% of the cases occur. Basically, it's the human version of Mad Cow Disease - a most horrendous, dehumanizing disorder. To watch the person suffer is something I wouldn't want my worse enemy to contract, as it slowly eats away at your brain.

 

[kimmar067]

As a side bar, one of the best ways to reduce or eliminate the gaminess, is to soak it for a few hours in milk.

 

[NC Belle]

My parents told months ago that I had venison when my grandparents had a dairy farm, but I don't remember eating it. They claimed that I liked it. That was maybe 45 years ago.

 

[mikehn]

I once made a bunch of jerky sticks with ground venison, about 3 pounds worth. Brought them into the office and just left them on the lunch counter with a note for everyone to eat up. I think by noon the bag was all gone. Nobody could believe it was venison after I told everyone.