Your guide to cooking venison

If you’ve ever felt that venison feels a bit wild for your kitchen – we’re here to convince you otherwise. Lean, but full of flavour, venison deserves a spot in your repertoire and we’re going to show you just how easy it is to master.

Cooking venison might sound scary, but we’re here to let you in on a little secret: if you’re comfortable cooking lamb and beef, you’re not far from mastering venison. Cooking game is easier than you think – here are our top tips for getting it right.

How is venison different to other red meat?

Venison is loosely defined as the meat of a game animal. In South Africa, the immediate association is springbok, which is served in many restaurants. However, other examples of venison include eland, kudu, wildebeest and even impala, all full of flavour. The drawcard for venison is that it’s richly flavoured, lean and comparatively low in fat, and, provided it’s responsibly sourced, also offers a more sustainable meat option for carnivores. You can substitute venison for any other red meat.

How to prevent venison from drying out

As venison is lean, there’s little fat to protect the meat from becoming dry. Counteract this by ensuring you’re cooking with lots of fat and/or braising liquid to retain as much moisture as possible. Classic cookery will tell you that you have to marinate larger cuts in buttermilk before cooking as a way of ensuring the meat is tender. This isn’t wholly untrue, but isn’t necessary for all cooking techniques. If you’re making a stew of cubed venison, for example, the buttermilk step is helpful to keep the meat tender. If you’re roasting a bone-in shoulder of springbok, however, you might be able to skip the marinade. Keep the temperatures low and, with some patience, you’ll have a perfect piece of meat.

Alternatively, if you’re going for a quicker cooking cut like a loin, you’ll want to work fast, over a high heat. Kyle Knight, owner of The Shop restaurant in Sea Point, says he likes to cook venison simply. “I love it grilled over the fire, with a brush of butter.” He continues. “If the animal has been treated and aged properly, you really don’t have to do anything else to it.” You’ll want a nice hot pan, a generous glug of olive oil and no more than five minutes’ cooking time. The general rule of thumb with venison is to keep it as rare as possible, to avoid drying it out.

Inspired? Here’s a delicious recipe to get you started.

Venison stew with smoky brinjal and naan

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg Woolworths Venison Cubes
  • 1 T cumin seeds
  • 1 T coriander seeds
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1 T ground coriander
  • 1 T smoked paprika
  • 5 T olive oil
  • 1 T butter
  • 2 red onions, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 large brinjals
  • 6 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 4 naan breads, for serving
  • Verlaque pomegranate concentrate, for drizzling

Method:

  1. Coat the venison in the spices and chill for 15 minutes.
  2. While the meat is marinating, heat 2 T olive oil and the butter in a pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Heat the remaining olive oil over a high heat in the same pan and add the marinated meat. Cook until well browned.
  4. Add the cooked onions, chicken stock, water and cinnamon stick. Reduce the heat to low and cook the meat until tender, about 2 hours. Season to taste.
  5. To make the smoky brinjals, place each brinjal directly over the flame on a gas stove or under the grill. Turn every minute to ensure the brinjals are evenly cooked. Once cool enough to handle, halve lengthways.
  6. Serve the venison with the smoky brinjals, naan and radishes. Drizzle with pomegranate concentrate.

Cook's note: To cook this dish in a slow-cooker, cook it on high for 5 hours, or until tender. Reduce the gravy on the stovetop, then add to the venison.

(Serves 4)

Feeling the need to grill?

SHOP VENISON