Deer meat

TICA

TICA

Senior Member
Location
East Coast
My neighbor gave me 4 chops from a deer he bagged (hunting season here). He said to heat the pan really hot and just fry them up. Not wanting to sound like a complete dummy, I left it at that. So a question for you good people who have ever cooked deer chops - how do I know when they are done? The meat is a lot darker than pork chops so not sure if I cook them through, or leave them pink in the middle like a steak.

Any help appreciated!!!
 

I cook Moose all the time and I cook it through, not pink at all..
The thing is NOT to overcook it or it is extremely tough..

I would suggest cooking the meat in some kind of sauce or liquid in order to keep it moist and it can be done not pink.....
 
Brooke uses a meat mallet or the edge of a sauce to pound flour into the meat before frying It is always tender. I don't know how she tells when it's gone.
 

TICA..both excellent suggestions from Steve and Rkunsaw. Deer meat is very lean, so it's tricky if you are cooking it as a steak. Since it doesn't have the fat like beef or pork it tends to be dry . I don't usually cook mine as steak, but brown it and slow cook it in a crock with something like a mushroom sauce. I also cube it into tiny pieces and make chili, or larger pieces and make stew.

Also, I always soak mine in buttermilk overnight, which tenderizes it some and takes out any gamey flavor. Be sure to rinse well and pat dry before going to the cooking stage.

If it is the tenderloin portion (backstrap) pan frying it should be no problem as this is a very tender cut.

Do make sure they are cooked all the way through, with no pink.
 
It sounds like roo meat, cooking that right is an art I never mastered. If it's overcooked it's leather, undercooked it makes ya gag from the gamey smell. I'll leave it to the adventurous and stick to meat with fat in it, I believe in keeping life simple in the kitchen.
 

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