Buying and cooking venison

superficies

Hi all,

Big fan of venison here, but find it hard to find it to buy. Does anyone have any tips? I prefer a butcher to a supermarket and only need a one person portion as the OH doesn't like anything gamey. Would also prefer to buy Irish is possible. Based in North Wicklow but Dublin also fine.
Am thinking of cooking in fillet style, with beetroot, some nice roast potatoes and maybe my first ever try at a chocolate sauce. Any experienced venison chefs out there have other/better suggestions for venison for one?

lucylu

The butcher in Blessington (beside AIB) sells frozen venison steaks

the beer revolu

In my experience, Venison can tend to be a little dry and cooks much quicker than beef steak. Do not overcook!!

Venison casserole is pretty accessible - maybe try that on your other half?

As you said, beetroot does go very well with venison and the combination of beetroot and orange works a treat too.

foodaholic

superquinn sells the oisin brand of venison and tescos have venison sausages which are yummy

Mellor

In general, all supermarkets and most butchers will have farmed venison, which like duck and similar be far far inferiour to wild venison.
The deer season started recently and if you know any hunters either ask them if you can buy some off them, or ask them do they know of any butchers that but wild meat near-by

superficies

Hmm wild would be much better
The vension sausage sounds great--maybe in a kind of posh cassoulet?
Fascinated by beetroot and orange combination--hints or tips?

bonkey

superficies wrote: »

Am thinking of cooking in fillet style, with beetroot, some nice roast potatoes and maybe my first ever try at a chocolate sauce. Any experienced venison chefs out there have other/better suggestions for venison for one?

TBH, it very much depends on what cut(s) you can lay your hands on.

If you can get your hands on a rack or saddle (the canons), then roasting of some sort is absolutely the way to go.
For shoulder and similar cuts, you probably want to cut it up to make a stew...there's a swiss dish called pfeffer which is really good here. (You basically sit the meat, veg and onions in red wine for about a week before cooking)
For the leaner cuts, then doing it like a steak, and serving it with some sort of sauce is a pretty-good choice.

Cranberry with red wine (or port) works well, as would a morel and cream sauce.

the beer revolu

superficies wrote: »

Hmm wild would be much better
The vension sausage sounds great--maybe in a kind of posh cassoulet?
Fascinated by beetroot and orange combination--hints or tips?

I do a beetroot and orange risotto which goes very well with venison or as a course on its own.
Cook a beetroot in chicken stock which turns the stock red. Add the juice of a few oranges and make the risotto with the orange/beetroot/chicken, seasoned stock. Garnish with segmented orange and slices of beetroot and/or dice some beetroot into it. I like to finish it with a little grated Desmond or Gabriel cheese.

Bright pink risotto is quite a talking point!


Or just slices of cooked, fried beetroot and orange segments go really well with venison. The orange contrasts really well with the richness of the venison and the earthiness of the beetroot.

jdivision

You can sometimes get venison for free from the hunting forum, they're not allowed sell it afaik so if they've too much they give it away

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I used to get it very easily from family members who hunt, but for various reasons theres been none for the last year or so. I've found it next to impossible to get any in butchers or supermarkets.

When we did get it a simple roast was my favourite way of doing it. Throw some onions and red wine in with it, then make gravy from the juices. Served with yourkshire puddings and some mash with lashings of gravy. Can't beat it.

Alternatively if you can get big chunks for stewing, a hearty venison stew is hard to beat.

I've never tried it any of these fancy ways, but they do sound tempting. I saw a guy on masterchef attempt a chocolate ravioli to serve with his venison the other day. Is chocolate something that goes with it?

Honey-ec

Downey's in Terenure usually have venison in season, but you do need to pre-order. Now's about the time that you'd want to be talking to them.

If you're really lucky they do sometimes have venison sausages going spare, which are FAB in a red wine & puy lentil casserole.

Seriously, though, if you're based in Wicklow then it may be well worth your while ringing your local gun clubs and telling them what you're after. Just make sure you specify if you want the cuts dressed.