Venison on the grill

Ever since I was a little kid I have loved food. As an adult I covet my food magazines the way a teenage boy covets his Playboys. I am constantly looking for something new to taste. I think as a kid I was spoiled by flavorful meats because my father hunts and fishes so we rarely bought meat. As an adult,and not the hunting type,I have resorted to purchased meats and frankly,I get bored with chicken,beef and pork. Sometimes I’ll splurge and get a duck,but even that is a pale shadow of the wild duck I had as a youth. Lamb can sometimes get me through the boredom,sometimes. I will frequently implore science and industry to create a “new meat”but what I really needed was to get back to my roots

Recently,due to economic hardship,I have gained a new appreciation for hunting skills. I can say that this is the best thing the Great Recession has done for me. My dad bagged his limit on deer in all its various hunting forms last winter. His freezer runneth over in flavorful,lean protein and he gave me more than I knew what to do with.

This past weekend being the holiday start to summer,thus a weekend begging for food cooked outside was perfect for venison to meet the coals. Venison is not like beef. There is very little marbling so you have to be careful how you cook it,because it can get tough and dry (all that actual moving makes muscles work,as opposed to our factory farmed beef). A few weeks ago I had a hind roast and “stew”meat and a fire. I didn’t plan well so I just seasoned the roast and stuck it on the grill. I realized it was going to be a hockey puck so I rubbed some oil on it too. The “stew”meat,I was going to skewer but after a few miscuts the pieces weren’t uniform enough for that. Instead I put them in an aluminum pie plate w/ some olive oil and horseradish mustard then covered that w/ foil. Much to my surprise they were both good. I left them on a little too long so there was some charring,but other than that,heaven. Back to this weekend,having learned from my past mistakes experiments,I was armed and ready with a plan to brine the roast marinate the roast and semi-braise the stew meat. So I made some chimichurri and slathered the roast when I woke up. Then I discovered the stew meat. I took a can of chipotle chilies in adobo,some garlic,whiskey,coriander seeds and cumin and mixed that,and put it in a pie plate and let that hand out. By the time I was ready to make the fire I figured they should be good to go. I covered the pie plate with foil and tossed them on the grill away from the hottest parts. Cut to a little while later and I pulled the roast off the fire. I left it on a bit too long,but the marinade prevented me from ruining it. The braise was bullet proof so I left it to it’s own devices. I let the roast rest covered while I de-silked some corn and got out the tortillas. When it was time to actually eat the roast exceeded my expectations and the braise was just spicy enough to perk you up,but not off putting. It was nearly perfection;next time I will pull any roast before it get to the well done stage,but aside from that these are definitely keeper treatments. I hope you enjoy them too.

Chimichurri (this is not 100% traditional,but I love cilantro more than parsley)

1 bunch cilantro (or parsley),discard the really long stems
1 head of garlic,peeled (I really like garlic,so there is no such thing as too much for me,but you can use less….or more)
1 cup of olive oil
cumin,salt and pepper to taste

In the food processor (or mortar and pestle) combine the cilantro and garlic until it’s a paste. Slowly add in the olive oil in 1 continuous stream until well blended. Add seasonings to taste. It’s fine to eat/use right then,but if you let the flavors meld overnight it’s heaven.

Venison Roast

1 venison roast
about 1/3 of the chimichurri

Make sure you’ve gotten all the stray hairs off the meat,rinse it well and pat dry. Trim away any silverskin (I think that’s what it’s called. It the tough stuff around the muscle.) Put the meat in a baggie or bowl pour on the chimichurri and cover. Put in the fridge for at least a couple hours to overnight. Start your fire. Experience tells me that it should cook low and slow,so wait for the fire to die down before putting it off the direct heat. Whatever you do,don’t turn it w/ a fork,get tongs or use the force to flip it. Let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes after you take it off before you cut into it. The juices have to redistribute. RESIST THE TEMPTATION,do something else,like split some french/italian bread,brush on some of the chimichurri and toast it on the grill. Cut thin slices and enjoy.

“Braised”Venison stew meat

1 pound of venison cut into chunks
1 small onion
a few cloves of garlic
Good strong whisky/bourbon/rum/congnac
3-4 peppers from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce + 1 tablespoon of the sauce
olive oil
cumin,cinnamon,salt and pepper to taste

Combine the everything except the meat together in the food processor/blender and blend until liqiufied. NOTE:If you are using whole peppercorns or cumin seeds,put them through your spice grinder (read:coffee grinder you use only for spices) first. Put the meat right into the pie plate. Cover w/ foil and let it hang out for a few hour to overnight. Make your fire,let it die down a bit and put the plate right on the grill away from any hot spots. Let it cook until you are ready for it (mine went for hours). Let it also rest about 10 minutes before you eat. Grill some corn tortillas and put the meat inside. Top w/ cilantro and queso fresco or chihuahua cheese (or sharp cheddar) and some salsa. HAPPINESS.