Who Cares About Where's the Beef?, Show Me Your Venison Recipes

Delicious and healthy venison has been a secret among hunters, their family and friends.  Old family venison recipes are even better secret.  It was part of the reward to those that loved the hunt.  Besides the allure of nature’s beauty, the hunt and the camaraderie of the deer camp, the rich, tender and wholesome venison was the icing on the cake for the investment in gear and time.  Venison for the most part could not be found commercially in restaurants or meat markets.  The need for USDA inspection prevented venison from moving from the sights of a gun to the dinner table for those that did not actually shoot it or know someone that did.

A strange thing happened with the consumption of venison in America over the last 70–100 years.  History suggests that venison has been consumed as a food longer than other meats, including beef, chicken and pork, that are more popular today.  During the first part of the last century, venison was still a staple for many families.  The urbanization of America and industrialized production of meat began to change our eating habits.  The ability of putting your own food on the table was being replaced by packaged meat from the grocery store or meat market.

There are even social implications that affected the consumption of venison.  The ability to buy meat at a meat market and not needing to hunt your food provided social status.  Those that still hunted their food were part of “old America” and the rest of the country was moving on to bigger and better things.  Industrial meat production and the resulting lower prices speeded up the process.   The number of people consuming venison was shrinking fast.  Along with that was the percentage of the population that would go deer hunting.

In my opinion, so much the better.  I have no problem sharing venison with my family or friends, but I really don’t want to share my buck and the experience of the hunt with the entire population of the United States.  Call me selfish.  The fact that not everyone understands the satisfaction and peace of mind that can be attained by a successful hunt doesn’t bother me.  The fact that the connection to nature has been replaced for many by DVD’s and video games doesn’t bother me much either.  I would rather not share the woods with 10 times more people.  I am digressing and getting off topic. 

As of late, “the times are a changin” as Bob Dylan would say.  Many outside of those that love the hunt are beginning to discover how delicious and healthy venison is, in many ways more so than beef, chicken or pork.  It started in Europe and is also seeing a rebirth in Asia and the United States.  Venison is beginning to show up with more regularity on the menus of many fine restaurants and in the meat sections of stores.  The demand is rising for venison and the growth of farm raised deer is trying to keep up with it.  New Zealand and the United States are the leading producers of farm raised venison and it is a growth market.  It is starting to become the “in” meat.

While the flavor of the meat is directly related to the animal's diet, venison is typically described as having a full, deep taste that is somewhat akin to a deeply woody, yet berry-like red wine.  It has a texture that is supple and tender.  The variety of ways that venison can be prepared is endless.
Venison compared to most meats is fairly low in fat, especially saturated fat and is also a very good source of protein.  Four ounces of venison supplies 53.5 grams of protein compared to 52.14 grams for beef and 47.14 grams for pork.  Compare this to the same portion of venison having 1.751 grams of fat compared to 5.806 grams and 2.322 grams for beef and pork respectively.  (See table below)

Venison is a good source of iron, providing 28.2% of the daily value for iron in that same four-ounce serving, almost twice as much as beef and six times as much as pork.  Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for producing energy and metabolism.  And for pregnant or lactating women, their needs for iron increase.  Growing children and adolescents also have increased needs for iron.

Venison is also a very good source of vitamin B12, providing 60.0% of the daily recommended value.   It is a good or very good source of several others of the B vitamins, including riboflavin (40.0% of riboflavin's daily recommended value), niacin (38.0% of niacin's DRV) and vitamin B6 (21.5% of the DRV for B6).

Vitamin B12 has a positive association with osteoporosis, and a recent study found that osteoporosis occurred more frequently among women whose vitamin B12 status was deficient or marginal compared with those who had normal B12 status.  Vitamin B12 has also been shown in studies to be helpful in reducing the risk of colon cancer by protecting colon cells from the effects of carcinogenic toxins.

At the end of the day though, all the nutritional advantages aside, venison tastes damn good.  Whether having steaks on the grill, a slow-cooked roast or the classic venison sausage, it can’t be beat.  Browse our large collection of recipes in our Wilderness Cookbook.

Selfishly, I hope the domestic deer farms keep up with the rising demand.  I understand why that once someone tries venison and they want some more and more often.  I am confident that the masses aren’t ready to drop their PlayStation controller or end their Netflix subscription and try joining me in the woods for the hunt.

I am O.K. with that too.

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