Right prep steps are key to enjoying venison

When I see a nose wrinkle at the mention of venison I can often trace the aversion to a single experience. Maybe a friend, or an uncle, or a guy who lived down the street killed a deer, and felt inclined to share the bounty.

Maybe the deer wasn’t field-dressed properly, or in a timely manner. Or maybe the carcass hung from a tree for five days in 60-degree weather. Or maybe the hunter took it to a processor who butchered it like a farm animal, cutting through bone and leaving fat and sinew on the meat. Or maybe the person cooking it didn’t know that “well done” is the kiss of death for venison.

Having experienced the result of every one of the mistakes mentioned above, I can understand why one unfortunate encounter with venison could turn a person against it forever. In my case, however, I had no intention of giving up deer hunting, so I was determined to do everything possible to allow the meat to achieve its rich, low-fat, hormone-free potential.

This begins in the woods, with a clean kill, a quick recovery, and a careful, thorough evisceration. I learned — through trial and error, mainly — how to skin and butcher a deer. My method — although it’s not the only one — is to completely debone everything, except for the neck roast (which goes into a crock pot for eight hours). Once the meat has been removed from the bone, I put in the time necessary to cut away all the sinew, fat and connecting tissues.

The prime cuts — particularly the two strips of meat along the backbone — should be eaten as they are, preferably grilled, medium rare. I turn the rest of the meat into roasts, kabobs and stewing meat. I grind the scraps into burger.

I especially enjoy serving my venison to confirmed nose-wrinklers because I like hearing them admit that they may have been hasty in their judgment. It’s possible that they’re just being polite, but I doubt it.

Read John Schneider’s daily blog at www.johnschneiderblog.com.