Game Recipes and Tips

cookimonster

jap gt wrote: »

anyone have a nice recipe for a leg of venison

Personally I just roast them as per a leg of lamb. But if you want something nice try this.

Roast the seasoned leg @ 180C for 30mins then if possible submerge (use deep turkey trays on sale now) the leg in a hot sauce made of your favorite gravy mix made up with glass of wine fried onions and mushrooms, a tin of chopped tomatoes, garlic and tarragon herb. Cover with tin foil put back in oven at 130-150C for about two hours. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20mins or coat in some strained sauce and glaze in hot oven then allow to rest before carving.
Based on the contemporary braising technique and the old hunters sauce 'sauce chasseur'

cookimonster

Just had some of this, its a terrine of pheasant, snipe, duck and pigeon. I used the venison terrine recipe posted here (03-12-2013) with the following changes.

1. Reserve half of the meat from the birds and roughly dice, then use the other half as described in the recipe.
2. Mix the diced meat with the remaining ingredients, a table spoon of paprika, one pinch of chilli powder and cook as per venison terrine recipe.

This gives you two different textures. Serve with red onion jam.

Double Barrel

jap gt wrote: »

anyone have a nice recipe for a leg of venison

I like cookiemonsters version for the leg.

But if you cut off the shank try this.
Traditionally, the Italian dish, Ossobucco, is made from veal shanks. Lamb shanks are cooked in this fashion also, so why not venison shanks.
Venison Ossobucco. Outstanding!

cookimonster

Good for this weather and all those bad gun law rumours....

Glazed Venison Shanks with Cabbage and Leek Colcannon

Venison Shanks, trimmed (these are 4 off a Sika calf)
Roughly cut carrots, onion, celery and leeks 200g
Thin Gravy (your favorite) 4-500 ml
Red Wine 1 glass
Thyme dried 1 pinch
Parsley dried 2 pinchs
Tomato Puree 1 tablespoon

Colcannon
Mashed Potatoes 500g
Savoy Cabbage cooked and chopped
Leek, trimed, large x 1, cooked and chopped

Preheat oven to 180C
Season shanks (celery salt, pepper, garlic powder)
Place shanks on chopped vegetables



Roast for 30mins
Mix gravy, wine, herbs and Puree together and bring to the boil.
Remove shanks from oven they should be browned



Pour over hot gravy and cover with tin foil, return to oven and turn temperature down to 150C. Cook for 1 hour or until meat is very tender.


Remove from oven, discard tinfoil.


Glaze the shanks with gravy and return to oven. Repeat every 10mins until you get a deep glazed effect.


For the colcannon, mix the potato, cabbage and Leek together and serve piping hot in the center of a plate or dish.
Spoon some gravy and vegetables around potatoes and mount with shank.

underthetumb

That looks savage.

snipe02

Im lickin the screen

Vegeta

underthetumb wrote: »

That looks savage.

snipe02 wrote: »

Im lickin the screen

Same as that, my belly is growling something awful looking at cookimonster's posts and those pies by fiestaman above. Inspirational stuff there lads, thanks for taking the time to share with us

Mauser 308

Looks amazing, can only imagine how it tastes.
I have always given the Shank to the dogs as thought it too tough and full of sinew. But no more....

The dogs wont be too happy with you Cookimonster. Thanks for sharing.

cookimonster

Shanks to the dogs nooooooooooo..........:mad:

When I processed for friends I always took the shanks by choice when offered some meat.
I normally dice the shank meat and package it separately for stews etc, when slow cooked it produces a gelatinous, rich and succulent dish. Perfect for substituting in recipes such as Beef Burgundion.

cookimonster

If like me you haven't the patience to completely bone out a neck try this one.

You can use any sauce, fresh or commercial just insure the meat is at least 3/4 covered.
Use a pot with tight fitting lid.

I used my home made chilli sauce minus the beans.

Cut the neck into managable pieces to fit your pot.
Brown well to add flavor.


Make up sauce and pop the pieces in.



Bring to the boil and reduce to absolute minimum where you only see the odd bubble. Cover with lid. Cook for 6 hrs, checking every hour or so. Reduction in sauce can be made up with water.
When the meat falls away from the bone remove them from the pot (pick off any stubborn meat)

Use as a stew or top off for a pie, I served mine with crushed potatoes



Cooking time depends on age and condition, this was a red hind so experiment away. Don't expect big chunks unless you use a whole neck, this one was semi boned out.

Mauser 308

Hi all.

Does anyone have any good recipes for, or experience of, venison in a slow cooker.

I was wondering would they work best for stews, or roasts?

Appreciate any tips

Mauser 308

cookimonster wrote: »

If like me you haven't the patience to completely bone out a neck try this one.

You can use any sauce, fresh or commercial just insure the meat is at least 3/4 covered.
Use a pot with tight fitting lid.

I used my home made chilli sauce minus the beans.

Cut the neck into managable pieces to fit your pot.
Brown well to add flavor.


Make up sauce and pop the pieces in.



Bring to the boil and reduce to absolute minimum where you only see the odd bubble. Cover with lid. Cook for 6 hrs, checking every hour or so. Reduction in sauce can be made up with water.
When the meat falls away from the bone remove them from the pot (pick off any stubborn meat)

Use as a stew or top off for a pie, I served mine with crushed potatoes



Cooking time depends on age and condition, this was a red hind so experiment away. Don't expect big chunks unless you use a whole neck, this one was semi boned out.

Cookimonster, fair play. You are a genius with food. I get hungry every time you post lately. Keep them coming.

cookimonster

Slow cookers can be used for pot roast. Normally pot roast is done in an oven so you may need to modify the process using a counter top slow cookers.
Brown joints or whole birds well on a hot pan. Melt a generous portion of butter in the slow cooker add in a roughly chopped mixture of carrots, onions, celery and leeks. Place joints, birds into pot cover with lid and cook (time I don't know but I cook chickens at 150C for 90 mins resulting in a very juicy bird). The juices collected in the pot can be used for sauces or gravy.
I would use shin, shoulders, neck, brisket at any age or gender. Older animal hind legs would work. Don't forget duck and pheasant are ideal for this method.

Of course slow cookers are perfect for stews and braised joints. The variation for a braised joint is no butter in the pot, use a gravy to cover the browned joint and slowly cook (similar to the previous neck recipe or the one with the shanks) .

cookimonster

This is the authentic (ish) cooking method, you can use a deep fat fryer but don't use a basket and ensure there are no debris in the bottom.

Ingredients
Rabbit jointed
Butter milk 1L
Plain Flour 250g
Vegtable oil 250ml
Seasoning:
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon white ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon of dry sage.

Method
Marinate rabbit in butter milk over night

Mix flour and seasoning well
Drain rabbit and reserve milk
Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan (170C)
Dust rabbit in seasoned flour

Dip rabbit back in milk

Dust a secound time in seasoned flour

Place rabbit into hot oil and cover with lid, cook for approximately 8-10 mins.

Remove lid and turn over and cook for slightly less time (check for clear juices or internal temp of 72C).

Remove from pan and drain on kitchen paper allow to cool slightly, then munch.


Tips:
Flour just before cooking.
Use the same oil to continue to cook remaining pieces (unless badly burnt)
Cook similar sized pieces together- thighs & split saddles, drumsticks, shoulders best ends etc.
Do not pile cooked pieces on top of each other as this will cause soggyness as will putting them into a warm oven with the door closed, leave open a notch to allow steam to escape.

For authentic gravy, drain off most of the oil and brown any sediment in bottom of pan, stir in a table spoon of plain flour, cook out roux and blend with milk cook for 30mins and serve with mashed potatoes.

cookimonster

Just going through my freezer and decided to use up a bag of mixed game birds.

Ingredients
1Kg Mixed game birds, boned and diced (duck, pheasant, snipe)
100g Mirepox, finely diced (carrot, onion, celery, Leek)
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
75g Butter
1 Glass Port
75g Flour (browned on a dry pan)
250 ml Tomato Juice
250 ml of Chicken stock
2 Pinches of Dried Taragon
1 Pinch of Dried Thyme
1/2 Teaspoon of Orange Zest
Salt and Pepper
Roll of puff pastery (try Lidl)
Egg Wash

Method
Heat butter in pan until foaming.
Add in meat, garlic and mirepox, stir until meat is sealed.
Add in port and reduce until almost evaporated.
Sprinkle in flour and stir in well, allow to cool slightly
Blend in tomato juice slowly to make a smooth but thick sauce.
Correct the sauce thickness and volume with the stock, the sauce must cover the ingredients

Add in herbs and zest, bring to the boil and correct seasoning.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 mins or until meat is tender.
Transfer to pie dish and allow to cool.

Cover with pastry lid, brush with egg wash and cook in hot oven (200C Fan, 220C Standard) for approximately 20 mins or until crust is golden.


Serve with remaiing port.

cookimonster

These are going on the bar-b this evening regardless of the rain



Simple, skewer the following, alternate vegetables for best colour and variety.
Diced venison (back straps, chumps or topside)
Squares of mixed red peppers
Quarter of small white onions or large sweet pickled onions
Halved mushrooms

Season well and cook on bar-b-q, under grill or in hot oven.

Serve as you like, but they do go well in a large sub roll.

Update: Finished on Bar-B-Q

cookimonster

Right, a bit more experimenting, as the title says rabbit in a bag.
This is taken from confit and sous-vide techniques.

Ingredients
14 shoulders of rabbit
Table spoon of salt
2 tablespoons of duck fat
6 pepper corns
1 Bay leaf
Pinch of crushed chilli
Pinch of ginger powder
Garlic to taste
Star Anise and or Whole Pimento (not essential but brilliant for flavour)

Method
Rub rabbit with salt and leave for 24 hours.
Quickly wash off salt (do not soak)
Place all ingredients into a freezer bag (Lidal) or vacuum bags and vacuum seal.
Place into a pot of boiling water and bring back to boil, reduce to simmer, cover with lid and cook for about 3 hours.
Test degree of cooking by remove bag and carefully press meat away from the bone. The meat should be very tender to the touch.



You may eat now or allow mature in the bag under refrigeration.
The juice / jelly can be used for potatoes, vegetables or moped up with bread.



The meat may be nuked, blasted in a hot oven or gently heated on pan, but ensure its heated through.



Great for snacks, hot sambos, spring rolls, pies etc or with spuds & 2 veg.
This will freeze in the bag for long term storage.

I have done this with venison and will be trying a few ducks from the freezer.

cookimonster

My son was on to me about doing venison ribs so here goes:

For the ribs:
These ribs where cut from a Sika calf shoot in early Feb. The hind legs and shoulders where removed leaving loin and whole of rib cage intact which was going to furnish me with loin chops and cuttlets. After determining cuttlet length I then sawed through the rib cage and was left with two sheets of meaty (if not small) ribs. Split theses in half.


Rub with dry rub (recipe to follow) mixed with sugar.

Coat well.

Allow to marinate couple of hours, the marinade will darken.
Place into a moderate oven (150C) and cook for 2-21/2 hrs basting in its own juices.
When the meat is very tender glaze with following:

2 tblspns Sugar
2 tblspns Malt vinegar
2 tblspns Tomato puree
2 tblspns Orange juice
1 tspn Garlic powder
1 tspn Cumin powder
1 tspn Sesame seeds
Mix together and bring to boil until a syrupy consistency.

Brush ribs and place back in oven, do this several times to obtain a thick sticky glaze.



Allow to rest for 20 mins

anthonyos

You have a lucky son

cookimonster

I normally eat pigeon in one of two ways, quickly fried on the pan or as part of a mixed meat dish - pies, terrines or stews. Otherwise I find it too irony and dry.
Well last week I applied the above confit rabbit recipe to 36 pigeon crowns and it worked end product was a very moist and flavoursome meat with no toughness or iron taste.
Unfortunately ate the test ones before I got a picture and the rest where half hitched by the buddies. Give it a go if you like confit you'll love this.
Pigeon crowns already salted


In the bags with chilli, ginger & garlic


Sealed with duck fat ready for 3hrs cooking (simmer in water or steam)


When cooked cool and store in fridge or freeze.
When you want to eat some tip all into pan, pull meat off the bone (will come away easy) and reheat in its own juices. Leave chilli in the pan if you like spice.

marlin vs

Ahh cookimonster you never mentioned the humble Bay leaf which can be found wild.

Kat1170

Question for the lads making their own venison burgers. Where do ye get the wax paper discs. Local/National shop, local butcher, E-bay or elsewhere online ??
Cheers Joe

daithi55

used to buy the wax disks and went through them for sport.. i now reuse the same wax disk when making burgers and wrap them in cling film once pressed... could probably use grease proof paper... i find it a lot faster using the same disc as it sticks to burger press after a few burgers have been made
the wax disk stops the meat sticking to the burger press

or flebay http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313&_nkw=burger+disc&_sacat=0

remember 200 discs is 100 burgers

clivej

Kat1170 wrote: »

Question for the lads making their own venison burgers. Where do ye get the wax paper discs. Local/National shop, local butcher, E-bay or elsewhere online ??
Cheers Joe

My butcher uses round plastic discs, 2 per burger. Far better for getting off frozen burgers.

I will put 3 or 4 burgers in a plastic bag together. Fill the sink with water and then lower the bag in to get all the air out (water vac). Twist the bags neck, fold under and then freeze.

A round nose knife when pushed (hammered) between the froze burgers will separate them easy enough.

cookimonster

Kat1170 wrote: »

Question for the lads making their own venison burgers. Where do ye get the wax paper discs. Local/National shop, local butcher, E-bay or elsewhere online ??
Cheers Joe

I cut acetate paper to fit the inside of my burger press and use a bigger piece to press the burgers onto. This helps the burgers release from the press, is very durable and easy to clean.
The trick with the press or mould is to keep it damp so the burgers come out easily. I dip mine into a bowl of cold water between patties.
I freeze my burgers in small batches of four. Four 5-6oz burgers fit in a Lidal freezer bag in one layer using a Lidal vacum packer. This is perfect for portion control and prevents freezer burn. This way there's no need for discs etc.

If you have space, freeze the packets in single layers, this ensures faster freezing, which is better for the meat and reduces the chance of the core not freezing.

cookimonster

IMAG1410.jpg
Pre roasted joints
IMAG1409.jpg
sliced potatoes and onions
IMAG1411.jpg
Dish assembled prior to covering in tin foil and cooking

Just to get into the mood for this season.

Roast a joint of venison preseasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary at 200C for 30mins.
Slice up a couple of pounds of potatoes and 2-3 onions.
After the time is up for the roast add the potatoes and onions to the roasting tray and cover with chicken stock.
Bring to the boil on top of the stove, place the joint on top and cover with tin foil.
Return to oven at 180c and cook until the potatoes are cooked and the stock soaked up.
Traditionally served with a bernaise sauce but gravy will be just as good.

Vegeta

Great to see more of these posts cookie, some of the best content on the site imho

clivej

All I can add is

"I can't roast as leg of venison" for the life of me. Always over cook the fecking thing and end up tossing it out to the dog and night creatures. Used a stick in the meat while in the oven thermometer and was very pink. Put back for 15/20 minutes and st!te again.

Slow cook, stew, steak, and burgers are perfect

Going to try a slow oven cooked front leg the next chance I get, what do you think 140C for 4 - 7 hours??

Sparks

Best €30 I ever spent in the kitchen Clive, just sayin'. The key feature is, you stick the probe in the meat when raw and leave it there while it cooks (you can close the oven door on the lead without destroying it), and you set the alarm for the internal temperature. Doesn't matter if you're roasting chicken, turkey, beef, pork, venison or anything else.

cookimonster

clivej wrote: »

Going to try a slow oven cooked front leg the next chance I get, what do you think 140C for 4 - 7 hours??

For the above, blast it at 180C for a half hour, then turn it to 120 or even 110 for about 3 hours. Make sure its well wrapped in tin foil for the second stage to retain juice etc. Check to see if the meat after the longer cook comes away from the bone.


Better still try 'stewing' the whole joint after the initial 1/2 hour roast.


As for roasting a leg, many people cook the joints at too high a temperature, I have started cooking at a lower temperature of 150C for all my joints (meat type not herbal), start at 180C for 30 minutes and then turn down the oven temp and cook away.


If cooking birds, start the birds on their breast side down for the 30 minutes and turn right side up for the remainder, this allows the heat to penetrate the back bones while slowing down the cooking time of the breast meat so that by the time the legs are cooked through the breast meat is not over cooked.


Back to the legs, the probes are the business but many people still over cook the for two reasons.

1. Too high an internal temperature....if you are using a whole joint i.e. one that has not being boned and rolled you should be aiming for an internal temperature of between 57C - 66C (rare to medium), boned and rolled joints should read 72C (to ensure food safety)


2. Not resting meat prior to carving..... when you remove the joint from the oven and insert a probe, skewer or knife and bloody juice comes out the tendency for most is to bang it back in the oven 'its not cooked'.. wrong if the probe reads right or the skewer etc is hot to the touch then its cooked, now you must leave it to rest, lightly draped in tin foil, for at least a half an hour.
As the meat relaxes after its cooking time in the oven the juices will move out from the centre of the joint and the 'bloodiness' will disperse among the tissue. Not only will this improve the look of the joint it will improve the eating quality and ease of carving.


If your consistently cooking the same joints and roughly within the same weight take a note of the approximate cooking times and use them as a yard stick.

Sorry about the lecture, but you caught me in teaching mode.