Braised Venison

[fifi]

Mabelline... I am so glad you liked the technique. And I am honored that you told the ladies of the source of the recipe. I love it.

Do you mean that you didn't get to take home any pork skin? Does "nailed" mean that they ate it?

Funny that you should mention hummingbird cake. A dear friend heard about it and asked me to look up the recipe. I found one having something to do with the Kentucky Derby. We got all of the ingredients and were going to have a cake baking session. That got interrupted by a minor crisis and we may do it over New Year's. I don't think the recipe I found had the cherries, though. And I think it had a cream cheese frosting. Gee, I will have to google again and see just how many versions there are.

Here is what I found about cordyceps. I didn't find any culinary information, though.

this is what I found about wolfberries. Again, no culinary information.

[Pan]

As long as you don't bake it much, everyone's probably OK, but I've always found maraschino cherries bitter, and the bitterness may be caused by the additive, Red Dye No. 3, also called erythrosine. There have long been questions about whether this additive may be carcinogenic, and this recent study on mice appears to show the following about dyes currently in use as food additives, including erythrosine:

Amaranth, Allura Red, New Coccine, Tartrazine, Erythrosine, Phloxine, and Rose Bengal induced dose-related DNA damage in the glandular stomach, colon, and/or urinary bladder. All seven dyes induced DNA damage in the gastrointestinal organs at a low dose (10 or 100mg/kg).

Considering the lack of need for red dye in the diet, I would tend to avoid using it - and this from someone who, as a child, used to enjoy eating the maraschino cherries that were put on top of ice cream sundaes as garnishes. Sorry if you find that I'm being a wet blanket, a killjoy, or perhaps paranoid.

[edit: irrelevant excerpt was put in the quote!]

Edited December 26, 2003 by Pan (log)

[Mabelline]

Thanks, fifi. I did indeed mean the skin went faasst. And I suspect we mighta been subjected to a limb-pulling about the cordeceps and wolfberries. From what I saw the cordyceps was a mushroom for 1000$ for 100 grams! That ought to make the truffle mourners feel better. As far as the wolfberries, I ain't using them to get healthy, I'm cooking to eat.

Speaking of healthy, not to fear, Pan. This is the one and only use I make of mara. cherries, and I chop them real small. But I might think about replacing them with something.

But speaking of those little red orbs, I once went to a genuwine redneck party, a baby shower where believe me there was some "haut trash cooking" going on. The baby's future grannies had got together and made a real special treat for everyone. There was one of those monster bar service jars of said cherries, all the syrup drained off, and refilled with Everclear. And they were so proud because they'd "aged" it for 3 WEEKS.

[Pan]

What's Everclear?

[Mayhaw Man]

Grain Alcohol.

I think that this song by Texas singer/songwriter Pat Green sums it up nicely.

[Mayhaw Man]

My 14 y.o got a Bambi on Christmas eve. I am cooking a hind roast tonight. I will post the results (and hopefully some photo evidence) tommorrow.

[Mabelline]

Someone who drinks could tell you better. I forget its' proof, but it is lethally high.So, too, are college kids, sometimes, because they love to put it in punches. I guess it's a Southern answer to 151 rum.

[fifi]

Thanks, fifi. I did indeed mean the skin went faasst. And I suspect we mighta been subjected to a limb-pulling about the cordeceps and wolfberries. From what I saw the cordyceps was a mushroom for 1000$ for 100 grams! That ought to make the truffle mourners feel better. As far as the wolfberries, I ain't using them to get healthy, I'm cooking to eat.

YOIKS! I didn't read down far enough on the cordyceps. definitely some limb pulling. Yet another "virility" drug. Not in my roast, thank you very much.

[Mabelline]

What did you think of Marge on jackal10's blog? The adorable-ness.!

[fifi]

My heart melts. I was trying to think of a way to send her some venison. (Lame attempt to stay on-topic. )

[Mabelline]

Ooh, Ooh, I know! I was going to mention how weird it seemed to me when I first got up here, that I'd say how much I liked backstrap,or back steak, and no one knew what it was. Up here it's bone-in butterfly steaks.

Also, I read all of Pan's warning about the red in cherries- and I shall definitely find something else-maybe plumped-up craisins or something.

Edited December 26, 2003 by Mabelline (log)

[Mabelline]

Mayhaw Man, my manners are sadly lacking. Congratulate that young man for me. Was he up a tree(you know what I mean)? Was he on a leasehold?

At least I was very happy to see that Marge looked like a typical American Basset.Have you ever considered rescue Bassets?

[Mayhaw Man]

Actually, he was on our farm in Morehouse Parish, LA. The bad part was that there were two boys (Miles and his 16 y.o. cousin) in the stand (a tree) and that they had passed on a really big deer thinking that it was early and it would get better. It didn't and they got the deer (it was a doe day in North Louisiana, no bucks allowed) just at dark. While it was hardly the first one he has ever gotten, it was the first one with no direct adult supervision. He was VERY proud of himself. They are both extremely responsible and have been hunting since they were very small, so putting them on a stand was really no big deal, but they thought it was, and that is what counts. I was proud of him too and look forward to a little fresh venison and some great sausage.

Incidentally, I am very lucky to have a father in law who is an orthopedic surgeon. He makes a bang up butcher . Saves me a lot of work and is a lot faster than I am. The sausage will be processed at home with my swell new sausage stuffer attachement for my Kitchen Aid. I am looking forward to that more than anything. I love making sausage.

[Pan]

What did you think of Marge on jackal10's blog? The adorable-ness.!

Could you please provide a link to her post for your lazy fellow eGulletteers?

[Mabelline]

Oh, my I fear I am too dumb to do this yet, although I keep saying I have to settle down and catch up all my instructions. I got a digital camera, too, so now I really have to line up my ducks in a row.

Maybe someone can move Marge and insert some antlers on her

Mayhaw Man, you are indeed fortunate in your sons.Responsibility with a firearm is something little understood.

[fifi]

Marge is about 3/4 of the way down on page three here. I don't know how to link to a specific post.

Mayhaw Man... Way to go for the kiddo. That is how my nephew started.

Update on the braised Bambi. My nephew and I worked out this method last night. Since he is off to Fredericksburg for another hunt and I am home, my sister was left to carry out our instructions as follows:

The about 1 1/2 cups of tender pork fat (think the fat under the skin of a ham) was whizzed in the food processor. The braising liquid was strained to remove the remains of the ginger slices and green onions. The fat and about 2 1/2 cups of liquid were combined in the pot and heated a bit. This formed a rich "gravy". The meat, pulled and roughly chopped like a pulled pork (about 6 or 7 cups), was dumped into the pot and mixed to coat the meat with the gravy. I haven't tasted it but my sister reports that we have venison luciousness. EUREKA!

This concoction will likely get put up in Food Saver bags.

Now she can't figure out what to do with all of that ginger. It is dark brown, has some of the flavor of the meat, but hasn't entirely lost it's ginger "bite" and isn't mushy. A slice on a cracker with some of our poblano cream was really good. (Now there is an exotic snack idea.) We are exploring pureeing some with a neutral oil for later incorporation into mayonaise, salad dressing, or other sauces. We hate waste.

[Pan]

Marge is about 3/4 of the way down on page three here.

I finally figured out Marge is his dog!

The pictures in that blog are amazing! I haven't been following it, but now I've decided to read and look through it in the near future.

[Mabelline]

Marge is a visiting little darlin'. fifi and I are just irrational about Bassets and jackal10 obliged so nicely with a picture.

At present I am waiting,waiting,waiting for Mayhaw Man to come back and report about his son's roast. Hope he posts it here.

[nessa]

I believe that Everclear is 190 proof Ethanol. It has no flavor and obviously is the strongest thing around.

On the mushroom soy sauce, its my absolute FAVORITE. I buy a big ol 750 ml bottle at the Hong Kong Market. The mushroom flavor is subtle, but there. I even put a dash or 3 in my mushroom risotto last night.

The brand I have is "Superior" and its only $1.99 for the 750ml. At least i think its 750 ml its the size of a wine bottle......

My favorite way is to have it over some hot sushi rice with a dash of sesame oil.

Mmm mmm good. Now I'm curious and want to see how it pairs with venison. I'm SO not a deer fan, I've had some pretty revolting experiences but I did have some venison sausage this Holiday season that was quite tasty so perhaps I'll give it another shot!

[Pan]

Wow, 190 proof! 95% alcohol. Make sure to keep that far away from your stove!

[Mayhaw Man]

I ended up with Bambi and Bambi's brother as Christmas gifts (thanks to my 14 year old, who will henceforth be known as Hawkeye, apologies to J.F. Cooper ).

A large part of this is being processed into various things (sausage, tamales, etc.). but the backstraps, that is another matter.

They were taken and split lengthwise and stuffed with bacon (Richard's Bacon, which I have sung the praises of many times), granny smith apples, and yellow onions (halved and sliced), and chopped porcini mushrooms. Each one was trussed with string and tightly tied, in order to keep in the stuffing while being turned on the grill.

A basting sauce was made. The sauce consisted of 2 cups of red wine, 1/2 cup worcestershire, and a puree of garlic, green bellpepper, white onion, and apple. This was reduced by half in a saucepan.

The meat was then grilled over a medium hot bed of hardwood charcoal until medium rare, basting constantly with the sauce.

Meat was sliced into half inch medallions and laid on a serving platter.

This was served with black eyed peas, stewed cabbage, yukon gold pots. that had been boiled and then riced into a casserole along with chopped onions, garlic, and a good quality parm. reggiano. This was served along with a slaw of cabbage with a very light, but fairly sweet, slaw type dressing (the dressing was not unlike regular poppyseed without the poppyseed). Two pans of homemade cornbread (one with OKRA and one without) came along with the bargain.

Dessert consisted of a cake that I got of of the new Gourmet (the one with the cover everybody but me and hjshorter seems to hate ). I cannot remember the name of the cake, but it had fresh orange juice and sour cream in it. It was iced with a very sweet orangy icing. It was simple and very good.

The venison was unbelievable. It was the single best venison dish that I have ever eaten. There was not so much as an onion left over. Every savory morsel was consumed and our New Year was started off in great fashion.

Welcome to New Year's Day in the Louisiana Delta.

[fresco]

That sounds incredible, Brooks. You seem to know a great deal about venison. Does your knowledge include the effect on the taste/quality of venison of available forage? Does rice, for instance, account for much (or any) of a deer's diet where you are?

Is there any part of the country renowned for the succulence of its wild venison?

[Dana]

A little more info, please, MM. Did you saute the bacon, then cook the remaining stuffing ingredients in the bacon fat before stuffing? If the backstrap was meduim rare, then the stuffing would need to be cooked before, wouldn't it? This sounds like something I'd try. We have a freezer (actually 2 freezers) full of venison.

[fifi]

Yes. More details please. We have a pretty good set of backstraps to deal with.

Okra in cornbread? GET A ROPE!

[Mabelline]

Now see there, I knew the wait would be worth it! That sounds so good, MM, I wish I could make food sound as good as you all do. Backstrap, yum.

Nessa, thanks for that info. I only occasionally drink scotch or wine, so I don't keep up with the particulars anymore. Suffice it to say that I had one in my drink(the killer cherries) and it was enough, thanks. And would anybody be surprised that a couple of rows broke out?

Thanks also for the soy info. I have some tracked down. I'm just waiting for better weather to go shopping. fifi, you gonna try yours that way?