We’re gonna get deer venison crazy over here. My buddy Doug has a venison guy who donated a bunch of cuts. I have a few freezer packs full of deer and like I do, I gotta mix things up. My backstrap post – The Venison Backstrap – was taking the primo cut and dressing it nice – now we’re working with the other cuts. How many ways can I make it and which one tastes best? That’s what we’re doing. Enter combatant #1: The Stroganoff.
Like I do, the recipe is above for those that want to cut to the chase. But read ahead if you want to see the process. Spoiler: You want to see the process.
The Prep Table
I mentioned earlier Doug stopped by with a cooler of bags. I owed him one from when I loaded up his freezer with the elk ribs (See Part One and definitely Part Two). I thought I was holding these for him, but no – they were mine to keep. And experiment with. And eat the hell out of.
Let these thaw for a little bit and it was time to get with the cutting. Looking at the freezer bag, definitely needed the cutting board with the drip catch. These were going to be a sloppy mess.
No idea what I was going to get upon breaking the freezer seal. Didn’t know how large or how small the cuts were, but it looks like it was a good combination. The trim was decent, but I had to do a little bit of work. Considering I didn’t kill the damn thing, and received these at no cost – was definitely okay with that.
Can’t speak highly enough about the Victorinox knife roll I received. I probably use this knife the most, but they are an outstanding set of blades.
I wasn’t going to use all this meat for this cook. I did this particular cook on a Saturday, and the next one on a Sunday and ate venison for days. Made so much I donated it to the wife’s co-workers and I still ate this for a week. Anyway, after the trim, I separated them into two bags, one to save, one to use. Let’s get rolling.
Ain’t a whole lot to a stroganoff. Was going to season up the deer with the patent pending (lie) Meaty Bits Beef Rub, add in some onion and cream of jalapeno soup and splash all that over a bed of egg noodles. I know, cream of jalapeno? We’ll get into that.
The Prep work was basically the trimming of the deer, now it’s time for the cook
The Process
I had three recipes ready to roll for the weekend. I figured I’d decide the “day of” what I was going to do. This particular Saturday, I wasn’t really feeling an extravagant cook, but I was really looking forward to some egg noodles (it’s been awhile). I had these a lot as a young lad and was looking forward to getting back at them.
I think it was the koobideh kebab where I purchased my first container of ghee, clarified butter. I love using this in place of a butter/oil. I’m sure there’s culinary reasons to use one of the three, but hell – I just use what I like.
I chopped these up into pretty large sections. In hindsight, I would’ve cut these into smaller pieces, but it was still good. I seasoned these up, and then cut them into the pieces. I figured this way I had half the sides seasoned, the other half raw to not over-season. I like the gamey taste, I wanted the gamey taste.
Once the onion was golden and translucent, I added the deer. These were only cooked for a few minutes each side – enough to get a slight sear and stirred up and kept on going.
The picture above does this justice. You can see the the charred ends, the pink peaking through. Don’t overcook your venison. I’m sure I will at some point, but today was not this day.
Here’s where I’ll explain my “Cream of Jalapeno” decision. It’s simple. I don’t like mushrooms. I never have. If it’s on a pizza, I’ll eat it.. I won’t like it, but it’s just a personal choice. When I went to the grocery store, I saw “Cream of Jalapeno”. Well damn, I love jalapenos. It’s gotta be similar right? It may have been – all i know is it tasted damn good.
The Result
Ain’t gonna waste your time with the noodles – boil water, add noodle. Al dente, good to go. That’s what we do, that’s what I did. The deer was simmering nicely… I took a spoon to taste the result, and yeah – it was good. It was really, really good. Let’s get this thing plated.
Lay down your bed of noodles and top with some of that meat and gravy. I mentioned it earlier, I would’ve probably enjoyed a smaller bite of deer next time, but the flavor was absolutely spot on. I added some fresh cracked pepper when it was simmering on the stove, but this hearty staple of a dish was great. The venison was delicious and that onion gravy added such a homestyle flavor. If you need a quick meal idea, give this one a try.
And let me know when you do!
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The Recipe
Venison Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Venison Pieced or cubed out
- 1-2 Tsp Ghee
- 1/2 Onion Rough Chop
- 1 Can Cream of Jalapeno Soup
- 1/2 Pack Egg noodles
- Meaty Bits Beef Rub Seasoning (or SPOG) to taste
Instructions
- Get a large skillet out, heat it up on medium/medium-high and add a tsp or two of ghee.
- Rough chop an onion and throw it in the pan to saute. Let it go until soft and clear.
- Trim out venison, removing as much silver skin as possible. Season it up with your favorite rub – I recommend a SPOG (Salt, Pepper, Onion, Garlic), or my Meaty Bits Beef Rub.
- I seasoned liberally each side, then cut it up into large-bite-sized pieces. I did the pre-season so that half was seasoned, half was raw after the cut.
- When that onion is good and ready, add your deer and brown it up. I let it cook for a couple minutes, stir it up – couple minutes, stir.. kept repeating until it was no longer pink and had a good sear.
- Add your "cream of…" soup (I don't like mushroom, so I did Jalapeno) and give it a stir, decrease to low and simmer until your noodles are ready.
Noodles
- Egg noodles – boil until al dente.