It’s that time again. The time in West Virginia when nature’s bounty is harvested and appreciated; and we are once again thankful.
I am not a hunter, but fortunately I know many of them. My brother-in-law is always happy to share his catch of venison with me as I am someone who appreciates it. Venison is one of the most misunderstood and under rated game meats, mainly due to people’s experiences of eating gamey, tough steaks that some jack-leg hunter/chef prepared for them on his backyard grill. (AKA accidental deer jerky)
Look, I don’t claim to be an expert, but I know what I have, when I am handed a nearly fat-free hunk of deer muscle, with some connective tissue holding it together. This is not a cut of meat that is going to do very well on the” barby”. Almost every inch of the West Virginia White Tailed Deer is well toned muscle except for the very tender “backstrap” sections along each side of the backbone; I guess it’s the only part of the deer that doesn’t get a workout.
As for the gamey nature of deer meat, I am told that it is 100% dependent on how the deer is dressed (cleaned and gutted) in the field and how it is handled all the way through butchering. Again, I am no expert. What I do know (thanks to the Food Network), is how to braise a piece of meat until it forgets that it’s supposed to be a tough muscle, rendering it to a flavorful , tender and lean nugget of meaty goodness that even Papaw and Me maw can chew.
I like to braise deer roasts very slowly in a crock-pot at very low temperature. You can cover the meat (or nearly cover it) with a variety of aromatic spices, veggies (mirepoix) and of course liquid; my choice is generally beer (any brown ale or lager works), broth and sometimes wine; two of the three (never beer and wine). The best thing about a deer roast is that you really can’t overcook it as long as you cook it really slooow, like 7-10 hours for a 2-3 pound roast. The other nice thing is that you have really made two meals. Meal one is the roast itself, with some veggies and potatoes. You see, no cook worth his or her salt is going to dump that leftover juice down the drain. The next day we make Soup! I will take off any fat from the top (usually none) of the cold, coagulated juices. You will need to add more liquid; for this I usually use beef bouillon or canned beef consommé and some water. Check your salt levels after it warms up and add more water or salt appropriately. Chop up any remaining chunks of roast and add back to the soup. Add some kind of noodles or rice to the soup. I like pasta myself; I used tortiglioni pasta in my last soup, but anything works.
I serve this hearty soup with a hearty winter ale. My winter saison fits the bill very well; I call it Walloon Winter, named for the region of Belgium that inspired the beer. Walloon Winter is about 7%abv, and is amber-brown, deriving its color from a small amount of dark candi sugar and Munich malt. I very lightly spice the beer with bitter orange peel, coriander seed, ginger and star-anise. (See the picture of the soup and beer). Don’t drool on your keyboard!
Another favorite of mine is summer sausage made from deer. My Brother in Law takes his deer to a place in Mason County that does a fantastic job of making a slightly smoky and peppery sausage that really does honor to the deer. I had to show you a picture of the sausage, cut-up and served with smoked Gouda, sweet mustard and flat bread. The beer is called “Beers to You” Oktoberfest, which is my recipe but expertly brewed by my friend Jeff Rabatin (beer, cheese and sausage pictured). Let’s not forget deer chili made from ground deer burger.
Eat more Deer and drink more Beer!
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