Hank Shaw
A thick venison steak, grilled to a turn and flavored only with fire and salt, is quite possibly the finest way there is to eat this kingly meat. But here’s the rub—perfection takes practice, a little skill and the understanding that not all venison steaks are created equal. Here are a few tips and guidelines for grilling the perfect venison steak.
Pick Your Cut
Obviously, the best deer steaks are the backstrap and tenderloin. These are the equivalent of ribeye and filet mignon in beef. Like most venison meat, these cuts are lean. Unlike a lot of other venison cuts, however, they are tender and mostly free of sinew. Your best bet is to cook these whole, then slice into medallions afterwards. The exception is the backstrap on large animals like elk and moose, which are excellent when cut into individual steaks.
Almost all other steaks will come from the hind legs of the animal. In my opinion, these are lesser cuts because they’re made from several muscle groups, which means there will be some serious sinew and connective tissue in the steak. This is manageable if you separate the muscles into smaller steaks, or if the steak has been cut nice and thick. Ask your butcher to cut your steaks at least 1 inch thick, though 1 1/2 inches is better. If your steaks are sliced too thin, you’ll have to do some special things to it to make it tender. More on that in a bit.
One more tip on leg steaks: The connective tissue that surrounds each part of the steak tends to contract faster than the meat when you grill it, which will make the steak curl or bow. To prevent this, slip a thin, sharp blade beneath the outer layer of connective tissue to cut it in a few places. This will keep your steak flat.
Continue reading here: http://www.petersenshunting.com/featured/how-to-properly-grill-venison-steak/
A thick venison steak, grilled to a turn and flavored only with fire and salt, is quite possibly the finest way there is to eat this kingly meat. But here’s the rub—perfection takes practice, a little skill and the understanding that not all venison steaks are created equal. Here are a few tips and guidelines for grilling the perfect venison steak.
Pick Your Cut
Obviously, the best deer steaks are the backstrap and tenderloin. These are the equivalent of ribeye and filet mignon in beef. Like most venison meat, these cuts are lean. Unlike a lot of other venison cuts, however, they are tender and mostly free of sinew. Your best bet is to cook these whole, then slice into medallions afterwards. The exception is the backstrap on large animals like elk and moose, which are excellent when cut into individual steaks.
Almost all other steaks will come from the hind legs of the animal. In my opinion, these are lesser cuts because they’re made from several muscle groups, which means there will be some serious sinew and connective tissue in the steak. This is manageable if you separate the muscles into smaller steaks, or if the steak has been cut nice and thick. Ask your butcher to cut your steaks at least 1 inch thick, though 1 1/2 inches is better. If your steaks are sliced too thin, you’ll have to do some special things to it to make it tender. More on that in a bit.
One more tip on leg steaks: The connective tissue that surrounds each part of the steak tends to contract faster than the meat when you grill it, which will make the steak curl or bow. To prevent this, slip a thin, sharp blade beneath the outer layer of connective tissue to cut it in a few places. This will keep your steak flat.
Continue reading here: http://www.petersenshunting.com/featured/how-to-properly-grill-venison-steak/