Deer roast is one dish I love, and this is a recipe that you must have
on hand. Although I am no longer an avid hunter I still love deer roast.
1 - 5 lb. deer roast
3 lbs. onions chopped
1 whole bunch of celery chopped (see note at the end)
1 lg. bell pepper chopped
6 cloves of garlic chopped
1 bunch of green onions
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt, black & cayenne pepper
1 tbs. or so of brown gravy mix.
Marinade:
1 cup of milk
1 tbs. Worcestershire
1 Tbs. Creole seasoning of your choice
1 Tbs. Garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
Meat preparation:
This is important, you may not know how well the deer was bled. Deer
blood has a heavy "wild" flavor and you should try to get as much of
that out of the meat before you cook it. Take the roast and put it in
the sink with ice (to keep it cold), or in a large bowl in the ice box
covered with water for at least a few hours. Add a teaspoon of salt.
This will get most of the excess blood out of the roast.
Take the roast and put it in a large zipper-lock bag and add the
marinade above. Put in the ice box and marinade at least 12 hours. Move
the bag around a few times.
When ready, dump the marinade (it will contain more blood). Stuff the
roast with garlic and pepper if you wish and continue below.
Season and sear the roast (not
just browned) dark brown on all sides in a black iron pot with a little
cooking oil.
The roast is removed and the onions go in and are browned good, this
makes part of the gravy (if you like onion gravy).
After the onions are done throw in the celery, bell pepper and the
minced garlic and cook that down for a while. Add about a cup of water
and the brown gravy mix and bring to a hard boil. Put the roast back in,
add a little more water and, lower the fire to get a slow bubble, stir
it around, put the lid on it and it's on the way. Turn it over every 15
minutes or so and add a little water if needed so it doesn't dry out.
Cook until the meat begins to fall apart. When you see that happen add
the green onions and parsley and seasoning. Cook an additional 30
minutes and you're done.
Depending of the size of the deer, and how it was killed, the meat may
or may not be naturally tough. You should always allow extra time for
cooking for this reason.
Note: Celery is the one thing that
will neutralize the wild flavor in most wild game. I was shown this by
an old fellow from Pierre Part, La. He cooked some "coon" for us one day
(years ago) and I just couldn't believe how good it was. The additional
celery was the Secret!
Enjoy the wild!