Venison in Pepper Gravy
Deer meat is a very low-fat, excellent meat. Most of the time, it isn’t very gamey either. If you do have gamey meat, soak it in buttermilk or milk for a few hours. Another technique is to cook in a crockpot with chicken stock for two or three hours–then throw out the broth and cook again with fresh broth another two hours until the meat is tender. The first cooking should take off some of the stronger flavor. The second cooking tenderizes the meat. You can then use the meat in a stew or as meat in just about any dish. (This crockpot method works for almost any game meat–elk, deer and even bear meat. If you are in a hurry, you can achieve the same tenderness by using a pressure cooker. Bear meat is quite good when cooked in a pressure cooker.)
The best venison steaks (back steaks, tenderloin, meaty part of the leg) can generally be used in dishes such as pepper gravy or strogonoff without much preparation. Marinate the pieces of steak in soy sauce or sprinkle with a meat tenderizer. Sprinkle with pepper and leave in the refrigerator for several hours (usually venison is frozen, so just marinate it until well thawed, turning several times.)
When ready to cook:
Dredge the meat in flour, coating both sides.
Pepper the top with fresh ground pepper.
Heat two tablespoons olive oil in skillet and lay each steak pepper side down. Pepper the top side.
Cook on medium heat until juices form on the top of the steaks. The flour will begin to clear on the edges and top. Turn the meat over, carefully scraping the flour coating with it.
Cook the meat through. When the meat is very nearly done, add any remaining marinade. Slowly add chicken or beef stock, about 1/4 cup at a time until you have incorporated about a cup to a cup and a half. You can let the juices cook down, but if you add slowly, you’ll end up with a nice gravy without needing more cooking time.
Venison should be cooked all the way through with no red, but you don’t want to overcook. The gravy keeps the venison from being too dry. It also picks up the richness and flavor of the meat, melding the flavors quite nicely.
Serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing. (You might want to make an additional, light gravy to smother the mashed potatoes and stuffing.)
Leftover Tip: If you have venison steaks/gravy leftover, add sauteed mushrooms and onions. Heat the meat/gravy and then add a few tablespoons of sour cream and you have strogonoff! Serve over cooked noodles.