Whatcha eatin' right now?

[Andybev01]

Even if I had a job i wouldn't even think of paying that much for one dead bird.

In fact I could feed a dinner party of 6 or 8, very well, for less than that.

[Murfreesboro]

I'm sure it was delicious, and if someone offered to feed me with such an expensive turkey, paying for it themselves, I would eat it, too. However, I cannot believe it is necessary. I paid under $10 for a 12 1/2 pound turkey this year, and we thought it was excellent. A lot of it has to do with how you prepare it.

[witchy]

I am eating Christmas cookies, yummy!!

[Murfreesboro]

I'll be eating cinnamon Danish when my sleepyhead kids wake up!

[MauEvig]

Had some grilled cheese and tomato soup...

And I'm trying to figure out a good way to prepare this venison I got from the neighbor's. I have two packages of ground venison, a loin and she said the other package was either a loin or venison "ham."

For at least one package I'm already planning to make chili out of it and see how it tastes with deer meat. I bought some chili seasoning and some beans and diced tomatoes for that and I plan to get a few other things for it.

But I'm not sure about the loin. I'm leaning toward a pot roast of some kind...a nice crock pot meal with carrots and potatoes and venison...but I'm not sure...lol For those of you who like preparing this popular game meat, do you have any suggestions? Since it's getting colder out I'm thinking more along the lines of crock pots, roasts and oven baked. But I think the crock pot will be the way to go for sure.

[Murfreesboro]

I don't know much about preparing venison, though I have eaten it once or twice. Kolchak might know.

My aunt used to prepare wild duck quite often, because that was her SIL's game of choice. I know with the ducks, she used to soak them first, maybe in ginger ale, to get the "gaminess" out of them (if the animals know they are being pursued, they release adrenaline, which can leave a taste in the meat). I don't know about deer, though. Maybe look it up on line, if no one here responds quickly?

[Andybev01]

Kolchak = dead animals

[Andybev01]

I just finished a sweet, juicy pear from a Harry & David gift box.

If you haven't heard of them, they are a fruit company in Oregon.

Their pears are like candy from nature.

[Murfreesboro]

I believe I have heard of them, although we usually order our fruit from a Texas company called Pittman Davis.

[MauEvig]

Well the venison chili was successful. You can hardly taste the venison! It just tastes like chili to me.

Still haven't made the roast yet, but I'm not planning on it probably until after Christmas.

I think with a little online research I've come up with some good ideas for that roast...probably something involving cream of celery soup, onion soup mix, onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots in the crock pot.

[Kolchak]

As a general rule venison is much leaner than most meat. As Murph said, you sometimes kill one as they're running and their adrenal glands flood the muscle tissue and can affect the overall taste of the meat. With chili you either ground it up or use chunks as the meat. Whether its chili or a roast I prefer to soak them in buttermilk or Italian dressing overnight in a large glass bowl. The longer the better.

I'm sure a plastic or tin bowl will work just as well but I've always used glass. I need to point out that these days I seldom use either butter milk or Italian dressing. Living in Miami I found a marinade made by a company called La Lechonera that is used for chicken, beef, pork and seafood. For me it is the BOMB of marinades and acts as a tenderizer and flavor enhancer without being overpowered. It is called Mojo Marinade, pronounced Mo-Ho.

The Mojo and buttermilk and the Italian dressing do double duty by reducing some of the gamey taste and also act as meat tenderizer.

A ham/roast can be cooked on a bar-b-q or in the oven, but you might want to try to cook it in a crock pot with vegetables like potatoes, onions, carrots and celery. I also use seasoning called Everglades Seasoning, first as a rub. I will rub the ham/roast with it after I have drained the marinade and then I'll put it into the fridge for about 8 hours (6 is okay) then I will place it into the crock pot and let it cook all day. You can add the vegies as soon or as late as you want, but I like letting mine simmer all day along with the meat.

If you prefer to cook on the grill you just do the same thing with the seasoning and put it on as a rub and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours then put on the grill and let it cook until you feel it is ready. Remember that venison can be a pain not to lose moisture and nothing is worse than a dried out piece of meat.

By cooking in the crock pot you don't have to worry about that.

The seasoning/marinade I mentioned is found on Amazon and I'm sure there are other Latino marinades at your local grocery store that you can substitute for. There is no real wrong way to cook venison. Look on line for other recipes and experiment. There are a million and one ways to cook it, and you need to find the one that suits you best.

[Kolchak]

Well the venison chili was successful. You can hardly taste the venison! It just tastes like chili to me.

Still haven't made the roast yet, but I'm not planning on it probably until after Christmas.

I think with a little online research I've come up with some good ideas for that roast...probably something involving cream of celery soup, onion soup mix, onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots in the crock pot.

Mau. You're SUPPOSSED to TASTE the venison.

[Murfreesboro]

Yeah, that comment reminded me of an experience with bison once, when our family vacationed in New Mexico. The people who were putting on the barbecue absolutely drenched the bison with barbecue sauce, so it was almost impossible to taste the meat!

My husband has had some of the Everglades seasoning. He used to be uber-active in Boy Scouts, and once, when some people came up to Boxwell here in Middle TN from Florida, they gave him some of that stuff. It is good.

[MauEvig]

Buffalo bison is the best meat! Why would they need to Doctor it up?
Honestly I don't think it tastes much different than ground beef, except it's a much softer, tender meat. A little on the pricey side too, but well worth it. Makes the absolute best burgers!

[Andybev01]

Not eating right now per se, but everything is ready to make a standing rib roast and Yorkshire pudding, with roasted potatoes (roasted in the beef drippings) and beef gravy.

There may be asparagus too, if I get around to it.