How to Cook a Venison Steak to Perfection

The Complete Guide on How to Cook a Venison Steak

Use the right cut

The most reliably tender cut is trimmed loin not matter what age the deer is. In young deer, haunch steaks a wonderfully tender, where older deer, they can become dry very quickly when cooked. You can even cook shoulder steaks from young deer if left pink. Chops cook just like steaks as they are simply loin steaks with some bone attached. This means they can be used with most venison steak recipes if wanted.

  • Two rare venison steak filets
  • A rare cooked venison steak

Should I grill, fry or oven cook?

  • Grilling: It is not a good idea to grill a steak unless it is very thick or you risk over-cooking it.
  • Frying: Frying is the most controllable way of cooking steak and the preferred method. A mixture of butter and oil is best for frying. Make sure the butter is browned before adding the steak.
  • Oven Cook: Temperatures of ovens vary making it tricky bake a steak and keep it pink. However, if you are baking a well-done steak in liquid or sauce this is a good method.
  • Venison and corn on a barbecue
  • Venison steaks in a frying pan with herbs and vegetables
  • Venison on a grill

Barbequing Steak

Once your steak is browned find somewhere to rest it. Alternatively, find the coolest part of the BBQ and turn the steak frequently and serve it as soon as it’s done. You can also get some thick foil to wrap it in and leave at the side of the grill to keep warm until ready to serve.

The General Technique to Frying a Venison Steak:

  1. Add a butter and oil mix and wait until butter is brown then add steak
  2. Brown the steak in the frying pan by letting it sit still until the gain heat again. Don’t keep pushing the steak about otherwise you may throw off the water, stopping them browning.
  3. Reduce the heat and part cook them.
  4. Rest the steak to let it relax and finish off cooking. By undercooking the steak and allowing it to rest lets the steak relax, distributing the juices evenly throughout the meat.
  5. Serve up and enjoy
  • A steak being fried
  • Cooked venison steaks

How to Cook a Rare,  Medium and Well Done Steak:

  • Rare: Brown each side for 1 minute. Slowly fry for 1 minute for every cm (1/2inch) of your steak and rest for the same.
  • Medium:  Brown each side for 1 1/2 minutes. Slowly fry for 1 1/2minutes for every cm (1/2inch) of your steak and rest for 1 minute for every cm (1/2inch).
  • Well-Done: This is not recommended but if it is a necessity, use loin steak. Cook it the same as medium steak and leave it to rest for much longer.
  • Steaks showing a rare cooked piece, a medium cooked piece and a well done cooked piece
  • A well done, medium and rare cooked pieces of meat

Stir Frying Steak:

If you are planning on frying up small chunks of steak first heat up a pan. Once the pan is very hot add the venison chunks and serve immediately after they have all turned brown. Because they are small pieces they do not need resting and relaxing.

Want to know more?

Cooking venison steaks is pretty straightforward. Check out the rest of this section of our website for more deer meat recipes that will have your taste buds tingling. If you want to know more about our farm-raised venison at Stagison or you are looking for somewhere to buy high-quality venison then get in touch with us today. Visit our online Venison Shop to buy your own tasty cuts such as our delicious Venison Medallions. You can also call us on 01337 830237 or email us here. Happy cooking!

*From The Venison Bible by Nichola Fletcher

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