Beer Chili (I make it with venison, bear, bison & beef)
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Top 10 Posts of 2020 | What’s Popping at MAK
Check out what everyone has been loving at Miss Allie’s Kitchen this year! Thank YOU for being one of our beloved readers!
MAK’s Gift Guide for the Adventurous Babe | Practical Gear, Apparel & Toys
post contains affiliate links
1)Fuzzy Booties (also in pink) | 2)Carhartt Coverall |3)Rattle |4)Cuddle and Kind Fawn | 5)Stroller | 6)MZ Wallace Backpack (waterproof, wipeable, lots of pockets)|7)Pikler Triangle |8)Otteroo Water Floatie |9)Cream Cardigan (Simply Ellie Boutique) | 10)Woolino 4 Seasons Sleep Sack (2-24 months) |11)Ergobaby Carrier |12)Farm Friends Stacker |13)Carhartt Fuzzy Jacket |14)Sweater Set (also in pink & blue) |15)Conservation Book Series | 16)Baby Bjorn Bouncer | 17)Pendelton Baby Blanket Set |
Gifting for babies can seem somewhat trivial. I mean, do they even know what’s going on? While they likely won’t remember, memories can be made by gifting a few, quality + useful things.
Let’s start with this Bouncer. So much fun for kiddos newborn and up to about 6 months. It’s great for setting outside, on the beach, or around the house. While we’re talking outdoor gear, this is simply the best Stroller for active families. Shock suspension for tough terrain, comfortable and a true jogging stroller. Throw all of your diaper bag essentials in this Backpack and you’re ready to go (and it doesn’t feel like a “diaper bag”). If your little loves to be held, grab this durable baby Carrier with lots of head support.
For the future conversationalist, this Book Series is adorable. Little animal lovers will also love this plush Farm Friends Stacker and sweet deer stuffed animal by Cuddle and Kind. Bonus – 1 doll provides up to 10 meals for children in need. And for babies 6+ months, this Pikler Triangle promotes play, strength, and adventure!
MAK’S Gift Guide for the Outdoorsy Guy Who Has Everything
This post has been sponsored by Carhartt. As always, all opinions remain my own and I am proud to partner with brands I love and trust. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting MAK!
1) Walker’s Electronic Muff |2)Carhartt Sherpa-Lined Duck Jacket |3) Travel Cigar Holder |4) Leather Catchall Tray | 5)Carhartt Unlined Duck Bib Overalls |6)Lowa Boots |7)ONX Hunt Maps Subscription |8)Pro 575 Traeger Grill |9)Venison Every Day |10)Bino Pouch |11)Black Lab Tie |12)Cellular Trail Cam |13)Carhartt Mock Zip Sweatshirt | 14)Darn Tough Socks |15)Patriotic Dog Needlepoint Belt |16)Garmin GPS |
Let’s talk about Jared’s Carhartt picks/my favorite gifts for literally any guy on my list. This Mock Zip Sweatshirt is such a winner. My dad, brother AND Jared all have it. It’s so warm and durable (wind + rain friendly) and it’s nicer than the old hoodie hanging in your man’s closet. These Unlined Duck Bib Overalls are great because they aren’t as bulky as the original lined version. They fit SO nicely, are crazy durable, and there are a wide variety of sizes. And of course, the tried and true Carhartt Jacket. I think every man needs one, tbh. Sizing note – Jared is 6’3-6’4″ and wears a large REGULAR. We would say guys 6’5″ and up need a tall.
For the hunter in your life, a Trail Cam is always a safe bet. They can never have too many! Make sure they never get lost and can track their “spots” with this GPS. Jared also swears by ONX Hunt Maps. While they’re hiking around these Boots will keep them warm. This Bino Pouch lets them carry their binoculars hands-free, but they’re easy to access. And quality ear protection is a must.
For those that love to relax with a nice cigar, this travel Cigar Holder is stylish and is great for throwing in a golf or overnight bag. Grab a dog lover this Tie and Belt for quality, timeless touches of their canine friends.
Secretly, I think every guy has a Traeger Grill on their wish list, and make sure they have some great wild game recipes by giving them a copy of my new cookbook, Venison Every Day!
Make sure you check out my picks for her, baby and my favorite local and small businesses!
MAK’s Gift Guide for Her | Cozy, Durable & Timeless Picks
This post has been sponsored by Carhartt. As always, all opinions remain my own and I am proud to partner with brands I love and trust. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting MAK!
1)Initial Necklace (I have the 18k gold, 3 initial) |2)Carhartt Utility Leggings | 3)Antler Napkin Rings |4)Lightweight Cashmere Scarf/Wrap |5)Carhartt Shoreline Jacket |6)Ugg Waterproof Boots |7)Carhartt Pullover Sweatshirt|8)Antler Necklace |9)Venison Every Day Cookbook|10)Young Living Essential Oils/Cleaning Kits |11)Cream Carhartt Beanie |12)MZ Wallace Backpack | 13)Carhartt Duck Quilted Jacket | 14)Darn Tough Socks | 15)Classic Leather Belt | 16)To Plant a Garden Tee | 17)Sackcloth & Ashes Blanket |
Let’s talk about my favorite Carhartt picks. Carhartt holds a special place in my heart around the holidays. Our first Christmas together, Jared got me this jacket in the color shown above (item number 13). I was always working in the barn on cold, dark nights and stealing his much too big coats and it’s still one of the most functional and durable (yet pretty!) things I own. I treasure it because it was SUCH a thoughtful gift. I’m never without a beanie and love this sweatshirt for layering. The new Shoreline jacket is a perfect heavier weight rain/wind jacket. It’s got a really flattering cut so I wear it around town, but also know I can trust it on hikes, at the barn, and working around the yard! Of course, the leggings are crazy durable, don’t fall down AND hay, grass, lint, etc doesn’t stick to them! Any of these Carhartt picks will LAST for years and years and all items are true to size (if between sizes, I go with my smaller size). While you’re at it, check out my gift guide for him with Jared’s picks and my picks for baby to shop for the whole family!
Even outdoorsy gals like some luxury accessories. My Initial Necklace is such a lovely everyday piece that Jared had made with a letter representing him, our daughter Madison, and our dog Sadie. This Lightweight Cashmere Scarf/Wrap is perfect for throwing on for warmth, a travel blanket (when we can all travel again), and as a wrap for special occasions. This Leather Belt is a total classic & what a fun touch this Antler Necklace adds to an outfit. These boots are SO WARM but also…so cute.
For the home, I love adding a tasteful touch of the outdoors to my table with these Antler Napkin Rings. And your kitchen totally needs a copy of my new cookbook, Venison Every Day Cookbook. I’m all about safe/non-toxic cleaning with a baby around, and the Young Living Thieves line is my absolute favorite. MAK’s Social Media and Operations Specialist, Rebecca, is a Young Living consultant so visit her page or check her out on social media for her recommendations!
If you want to gift a Young Living Membership to someone, then follow these directions:
If someone is gifting a membership to another person, they will:
- Go to this link and select “Become a Member” at the top.
- Choose the starter bundle they want and any add-ons they’d like.
- On the Membership page, fill out the information for the person RECEIVING the gift.
- On the Shipping & Payment Page, make sure the shipping address is for the recipient, and then the payment/billing address is for the gifter.
- Then you’re all done! Rebecca is offering welcome gifts to anyone who signs up to be a member or buys $50 or more in products this year!
Happy gifting! For a small/local business guide, check out this guide!
Newborn Essentials List | What We Actually Used The First Month
Get the scoop on newborn essentials! Find out what you’ll actually use the first month with your new baby!
Shopping for a newborn or building out your registry can be REALLY overwhelming. I actually had a lot of fun researching “gear” for our little girl, Madison, and I’m here now to share what we actually used the first month.
post contains affiliate links. thanks for supporting the growth of Miss Allie’s Kitchen!
It can easily feel like you need to have EVERYTHING before baby comes, but that isn’t the case. However, there are quite a few great products out there that really make life so much easier.
I’m sharing our favorite gear for baby/quantities of clothing we used as well as resources and courses I found helpful for new parents/postpartum recovery. Oh, and a few things for mom, too!
Feeding
Burp Cloths (we have like 3 packs and basically use them all)
My Breast Friend nursing pillow – actually obsessed. So supportive. I also use it as kind of a boppy now that she’s bigger in bed while i get ready in the morning after she eats. I would recommend this over a boppy if you plan to continue breastfeeding for a while.
Bottle brush – we just have one from the drugstore
Sleeping/Diapering
Bassinet sheets – I would order at least 3, I started with 2 and now have 4
Monitor – I like this monitor because it’s simple to use and doesn’t sync with your phone. Some people love monitors that link to phones, but I didn’t want to have to mess that as it can drain your battery and I wanted ease for when we have a babysitter.
Hatch sound machine – holy CRAP I love this thing. We turn the red light on very low and leave it on all night. We can see enough in the dark to do diaper changes for nighttime feedings and we never have to change the light level.
SwaddleMe swaddles (you’ll want at least 2)
Muslin blankets – these are swaddles but they’re great for warm weather and in the house!
SkipHop Changing “Clutch” – great for on the go! I also keep some first aid supplies in here and you could easily put this in a tote bag and use it as a minimalist diaper bag situation, or just grab it for a walk or quick trip. We also took a trip to the beach and I just used this in a rental home as her changing station.
On the Go
Thule Urban Glide 2 Stroller – great for really active families! This is a true jogging stroller that does well on tough terrain, too. It’s light enough for me to use running errands, however, when she gets a bit older, we will probably get something super small and light for true travel and just to store in the car.
Milk snob cover – I also use this as a breastfeeding cover, it’s AWESOME
Entertainment
Play mat – the one we have is out of stock!
Bathing + Clothing
4 pairs of newborn PJs – Madison was 7lbs 13oz and fit in newborn clothes for about 3-4 weeks. I only had 3 pairs of PJs but I did laundry like every day, which was kind of a lot. I think 4 would be the perfect number – enough to get you through a few days (2 minimum if they need a change of clothes at night) but not so much that you’re breaking the bank with things they grow out of so fast!
Tank undershirts for warm weather babies – I loved putting these under outfits for when I wanted her in something warm-weather appropriate but knew we’d be inside and outside. Adds an extra layer without bulk!
Footed leggings – throw a onesie under them and a bow for a little lady and you’ve got a great little outfit that’s breathable. I got this pack with a few colors which gave us some variety. Best part is no socks to keep track of.
Bows! – these bows actually fit smaller newborn heads
Resources
Taking Cara Babies Newborn Course
For Mom
Underwear – I love these because they’re full coverage and comfortable but you don’t feel like a total granny! I’m usually a small or medium and I got a medium.
Pink Stork Postpartum Support Pack – the teas are DELISH and I can’t tell for sure if the mood support works, however I have felt great
Expecting and Empowered Postpartum Guide – this starts basically immediately after birth and is a super slow gentle start to rebuilding your core and pelvic floor by experts
Meal Prep Before Baby | What I Stocked the Freezer With
These are the best dinners, breakfasts, snacks, and desserts that are freezer friendly that I prepped before our first baby was born!
One of the biggest things that I noticed while learning about bringing home a newborn was how many people talked about the struggle to make time to eat, but also the struggle of being really hungry. I knew I needed to do some sort of pre-baby meal prep if I was going to have a chance at successfully feeding myself during a really new chapter of our lives.
Obviously, I love food and I love to eat. I’m a food blogger! But, I struggle just as much as the next girl on some nights to get dinner on the table or to get a healthy breakfast in my system before the day begins. My husband, Jared, and I share most of the household duties but seeing that he often works well past 6 pm and I often have food from a day of shooting or recipe testing, I do most of the cooking.
I knew the key to pre-baby meal prepping for me was going to be homemade, healthy meals + snacks that were easily frozen and reheated.
I actually found meal prepping freezer meals to be really easy. What I mainly did was make double batches of some of our favorite dishes. When I would make that favorite dish for dinner, I would divide the recipe in half. half would get eaten right away and half would be frozen. That way, I wasn’t spending a day or two slaving in the kitchen in the heat of July.
I’d say I started doing this about 1-1.5 months before my due date, so again, nothing felt rushed and I didn’t have to really give this much “extra” time.
So, let’s get to it! I made dinners, breakfasts, snacks and some cookies to make sure we had plenty of meals on hand. I’ll also tell you about some of our favorite things that I stocked up on the week before my due date to have on hand in the freezer.
Dinners
I wanted to have about 2-3 pre-made frozen meals per week. Jared does cook, but he only gets about a week for paternity leave and often works later at night. With limited takeout options, it feels good to have homemade meals we love to fall back on!
Venison Bolognese (could also do beef, elk, bear, or bison)
I often serve this with zoodles!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Just freeze the curry mixture after cooking
Enchiladas (recipe coming this fall!)
Southwestern seasoned ground meat (I used bear meat but beef, venison, bison and elk work!), salsa, and cheese layered between potatoes.
I actually froze a new recipe, but this taco style instant pot stuffed pepper recipe is also a hit!
I froze uncooked, shaped patties on a parchment lined baking sheet and then vacuum sealed them
Fajita Chicken for Fajita Chicken Bowls
For these, I just prepped the chicken, onions and peppers and froze them. We’ll add rice, lettuce and toppings later.
Breakfasts
I’m not a huge breakfast person, but I know the importance of starting the day off with enough calories. I only like eggs when they’re cooked fresh or hard boiled (so pre-made egg bakes aren’t really my jam) but below are a few things I have on hand. Usually, if I have a sweeter breakfast, I’ll follow that up with some hardboiled eggs or a meat stick for my mid-morning snack.
Linked is the recipe for my sourdough waffles. I actually used Simple Mills baking mix this time, but the sourdough waffles are to die for.
I prepped individual smoothie portions for myself to throw in the blender. Sure, smoothies are fast, but the first couple of weeks I’m trying to rest as much as possible so any time saved pulling out ingredients is great.
You can make these in individual portions or bake in one large dish!
Banana Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
I actually made my apple cinnamon flavor, but baked it in a baking dish as shown here.
Snacks/Desserts
I have a few fun snacks/desserts in the freezer that I’m excited to nosh on. I always like to have cookie dough in the freezer for guests. It’s nice to be able to throw cookies in the oven and have a few fresh baked ones on the counter.
The Best Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies by Restoring Radiance (I make the dough, scoop, and then freeze the balls) – just check the recipe for specifics!
Cherry Chocolate Chip Energy Balls by Fit Mitten Kitchen
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies by The Toasted Pine Nut (I haven’t made these yet, but planning on it!)
Pre-Made Goods I Have on Hand
I have a few store-bought things on hand for laid back nights. Some of them aren’t the healthiest, but for us, that’s OK! We’re all about balance in this house. We’ve also got:
- Frozen pizza (from ALDI – we froze the take and bake one from the deli section)
- Frozen BBQ chicken flatbread (from ALDI)
- Pizza dough, bought fresh and frozen (from ALDI)
- Jarred pasta sauce, pasta, and chickpea pasta
- Potstickers
- A few bags of frozen veggies + riced cauliflower
- Organic Italian Chicken Sausage (from ALDI)
My Favorite Sourdough Recipes + Resources for the Beginner Baker
Recipes, tips, tricks, and more from one beginner sourdough baker to another!
I love sourdough bread. Is there anything quite like that tangy flavor, crunchy exterior, and soft middle? So, a few years ago, I decided to try my hand at sourdough baking. I still consider myself to be a beginner, but I’m compiling all of my favorite recipes here for quick reference along with some things I’ve learned along the way.
(post may contain affiliate links)
Let me say this off the bat…sourdough baking is more advanced and time-consuming than yeast bread baking. I’ve dabbled on and off over the past 3 years and even though I consider myself to be an advanced cook, I’m still a beginner sourdough baker.
Before you begin your sourdough journey, it’s important to know that it’s a commitment, you have to be consistent with feeding your starter, and you want to plan ahead before you start baking a loaf of bread.
Another thing to note, bread baking is not the time to try out substitutions. The first few times you bake something, follow the recipes EXACTLY. If then, you feel like you could make some tweaks, go ahead, but beware. Sourdough recipe developers are precise, exact, and experienced. There’s a science and reasoning behind every ingredient.
All of that said, the extra effort is 100% worth the bit of labor involved. The best way to get started is just to get started. You may have some flops, but the process can be really fun!
The best way to get your starter going
I haven’t had great luck starting directly from flour and water. A lot of people do, but I find that it’s best to get this dehydrated sourdough starter and follow the directions exactly, OR get some starter from a baker friend.
How I feed my sourdough (hint: weight is best)
Once I have a healthy sourdough starter (it’s bubbly, doubling in size within 4-12 hours of feeding), I feed it once a day if it’s on the counter or once a week if I’m storing it in the fridge (note – if your starter has a lot if liquid – also known as hooch – on top of it, you may want to feed it more often).
I used to feed it by volume (for example – 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of flour) but my starter was often too runny or too thick. I now feed by volume and use my small kitchen scale.
If I need to discard (I do once a week so I don’t have an overflowing jar), I remove starter from the glass jar I store my starter in. Then, I add 75g water and 75g flour back into the jar. I always use unbleached, all-purpose flour. When I stir it together, it looks like shaggy, thick-ish pancake batter.
Now that I have my sourdough going, I usually feed it once a week like that, and bake with the discard. It gets stored in the fridge between feedings.
What does my baking process look like?
Say I want to have fresh bread for dinner on Saturday night, which is usually the case for us. Here’s what the process looks like:
- On Friday night (or the night before I want to bake), I take my starter out of the fridge and remove about 75g of starter.
- I place the starter discard in another glass jar or a glass bowl.
- I feed my original sourdough starter (by weight like I explained above – 75g water, 75g flour), stir it up, loosely screw on a lid and place it back in the fridge until next week.
- If I’m baking sourdough bread the next day, I add an additional 75g water and 75g flour to the discard, mix it up, and let it activate on the counter overnight. (note – for my sourdough, one feeding is usually enough for it to be active before baking. If yours needs 2 feedings to really get it going, do this process 2 nights before you want to bake) .
- The next morning, I use the fed discard to make bread, or I use it in a discard recipe (like my waffles or muffins).
The best basic bread recipe
When I’m talking about baking bread, this is the recipe I use. The Easy Sourdough Dutch Oven Bread by Simple Life By Kels is hands down the best I’ve tried.
If I start this recipe before 9am, I usually have a baked loaf cooling by around 4pm. There’s a moderate amount of steps in this recipe, but it’s pretty foolproof and the flavor is unreal (I think it’s the honey). It’s MUCH easier than some of the recipes I’ve read through, I don’t see a reason to complicate things when I’m just baking for our enjoyment.
Ways to use up discard
If you don’t have time to bake a loaf of bread but you don’t want to waste your weekly discard, here are a few great recipes that I’ve found and tried. Discard recipes usually don’t have a rise time, the discard just gets mixed in and adds flavor and good for you natural yeast.
Ultimate Sourdough Banana Bread by The Clever Carrot
Sourdough Cornbread by Homestead and Chill (this one does need some time to sit before baking but no active time is involved)
Healthy Sourdough Banana Bread Muffins
I’m dying to try these sourdough cinnamon buns, I’ll report back when I do!
Favorite sourdough bloggers
How does the saying go, again? If you can’t sing, share someone else’s music? That doesn’t seem right, but the point is, I’ve learned a lot from fellow bloggers about sourdough baking. These are my favorite bloggers with sourdough resources. I encourage you to browse their recipe indexes and give them a follow, they know their stuff!
Homestead and Chill (vegan & gluten free recipes here!)
I hope this post is helpful & it inspires you to get baking!
The Best Ways to Store and Defrost Venison
Learn the best ways to store and defrost venison so that your meat stays fresh for a long time and is safe to cook and eat.
You just brought home a bunch of deer meat and it’s time to stock the freezer. But, what are the best ways to store and defrost venison so you can have some in the months (and maybe years) to come?
Storing and defrosting venison is very easy, but there are a few simple tips and tricks that will make your life a lot easier and result in fresher meat when it’s cooked. If stored properly, venison can last up to 2-3 years!
How to properly prep and store venison in the freezer:
There are a few tools that I find most handy when storing meat in the freezer. They make the process more streamlined and there’s less guesswork when you find yourself wanting to cook some meat.
These are the tools I find most helpful when preparing venison for the freezer:
- Vacuum sealer
- Kitchen scale
- Permanent marker
While your first thought might be – do I really need a vacuum sealer, it depends on your goals.
When my husband and I primarily got ground meat from his deer, we used to eyeball portions out and store them in zip top freezer bags. Storing meat in freezer bags only preserves them for about 6 months-1 year.
If you’re savings precious cuts like tenderloins, back-straps and roasts, you’re going to get a lot more freezer burn if you don’t use a sealed bag.
Using a vacuum sealer prolongs the life of venison in the freezer by at least a year (less food waste!). If you’ve ever had dried out, freezer burnt meat…you know how important it is to properly store your meat and vacuum sealing is the best way to do that.
Before I seal my bags I like to weigh them on a kitchen scale and write down exactly what is in each bag. This way, I know how long to cook roasts, I can easily grab 1 lb. portions of ground meat for burgers or meatloaf, and I know how much meat I need to serve the crowd I’m feeding.
That’s where the permanent marker comes in hand…I use it to write on the bags after their weighed.
All of this may seem pretty self-explanatory, but I guarantee you that it will make your life MUCH easier in the long run.
How to best defrost venison for cooking:
The BEST way to defrost venison is to plan ahead and let it thaw out in the fridge. For a pound of meat, this usually takes about 2 days for me. I always place a paper towel under the meat in the fridge to collect any water (or sometimes blood) that comes off the package during freezing.
If you’re in more of a hurry, you can defrost venison safely by submerging it in cool/cold water. Be sure to use cool/cold water to prevent the temperature of the meat from spiking, potentially resulting in food-borne illness.
You may need to change the water ever 30 minutes or so (like when you defrost your Thanksgiving turkey) to make sure the meat and water doesn’t start to climb to room temp.
I don’t recommend thawing meat in the microwave. While this is technically safe to do, I have never been able to do so effectively. The edges of the meat always thaw first and they start to toughen up and cook. This isn’t ideal, especially because you’re working with a leaner animal that can easily toughen up if it isn’t handled properly. However, if you’re really in a bind, use your microwave on low power and do this as gradually as you can.
I hope you’ve found these tips for storing and thawing venison helpful! Make sure you head to THIS PAGE to check out my top healthy venison recipes and grab a copy of my FREE guide full of Venison Cooking Tips and Tricks!
Why Does My Deer Meat Taste Gamey? | The Top 5 Biggest Venison Cooking Mistakes
Do you wonder why your deer meat tastes gamey? Find out what cooking mistakes you might be making to make delicious meals with venison.
Why does my deer meat always taste gamey? Have you ever wondered this?
If you’re anything like me 4 years ago, you definitely are. You might have a stash of venison in the back of your freezer, collecting freezer-burn, and every time you try to make something with it, it has this weird, metallic taste to it.
I might be an expert on working with wild game now, but when I started out, that sure wasn’t the case. I grew up in a household where we ate mainly pork, beef and mostly chicken. Sure, I’d had deer jerky at a BBQ, but we never ate it at home.
When I met my husband Jared, who is an avid hunter and fisherman, I suddenly found myself with pounds of deer meat in the freezer that would get wasted every year. This REALLY bothered me because I believe that if you’re going to hunt, you should respect your harvest. For my husband and I, this means consuming as much of it as possible.
Over the past 4 years, I’ve learned a lot about cooking with venison. So much so that I’m actually coming out with my first all venison cookbook and my wild game recipes are some of the most popular on the internet. Click HERE to get on the waitlist to pre-order my book!
I think the biggest overall mistake I find people making is cooking venison like you would cook beef.
In this post, I’m going to break down the 5 biggest mistakes you might be making. A common theme I see is home cooks swapping venison directly for beef. This may work in very few cases, but in most it won’t.
Venison is leaner than beef and it has a different flavor profile, so they aren’t exactly interchangeable. They’re both red meat types, yes, but just making a few simple switches when subbing or working with venison will make a huge difference.
Here are the biggest venison cooking mistakes you could be making:
- Overcooking your meat
- Not using fat
- Not using acid
- Under-seasoning the dish
- Not cooking tough cuts of meat long enough
Overcooking your meat
I know a lot of people like medium to well-done steaks. But, with venison (and elk) when you cook the meat past medium-rare, you get a metallic flavor and tough texture.
You should only be cooking your steaks, tenderloins, and backstraps to 120-125F (130F at the MAX) and then you should rest them tented under foil for 10 minutes before servings.
This helps preserve the tenderness of the meat and the natural flavors can shine, and are much milder.
Not using fat
Venison is a lean meat. It needs fat to be tasty. That’s why restaurant food tastes so good, because chefs use plenty of fat. I’m not saying you have to down your meat with melted butter or fry anything, but you want to make sure you’re mixing some sort of fat (like ground bacon fat) in with ground meat and using plenty of oil (I like good quality EVOO) in marinades.
Not using acid
This is my favorite cooking tip/hack and it works wonders. Adding acid to dishes, marinades or cuts of meat is a game changer.
Acidic foods, like citrus juice & vinegars, brighten up the heavy flavor of venison, bring out the best tasting notes, and cut through a bit of that “gamey” flavor.
I make sure to use acid in all of my marinades (it also helps to tenderize the meat), and in almost every single dish I make with deer meat. Adding some acid to a dish you normally make with beef if a good first step to changing a recipe to work with venison.
Under-seasoning the dish
Food that lacks salt, pepper and flavor just doesn’t taste good! It’s important to properly season venison dishes because having enough salt and seasoning makes you want to go back for more!
Not cooking tough cuts (like leg, neck & rump roasts + shanks) long enough or with enough liquid
Tough cuts of venison, like roasts (from the neck, shoulder, or rump) or shanks have a lot of sinew or connective tissue running through them. In order for these cuts of meat to be tasty and tender, they need to be braised (or slowly cooked in liquid) for enough time that the connective tissue can melt.
In the early days, when a roast wasn’t falling apart with a fork, I would still pull it out of the oven and try to cut it. Now, I baste the meat with cooking liquid in a pan and keep roasting it low and slow until it is fork-tender. The slow cooker or an Instant Pot is a great tool to use here.
All of the venison recipes on Miss Allie’s Kitchen keep these exact principals in mind and everything is expanded upon in my cookbook.
Click HERE to get on my cookbook pre-order waitlist! Comment below if you have a question!
