Sometimes meals mean more. They aren’t cooked in any unique way, and there isn’t any special seasoning used on them. They mean more because of what it took to get there.
The first deer I ever helped hunt, process, cook, and eat was one of these meals.
In college, my buddies and I were looking for an excuse to blow off some steam. We drove to some woods in northern Michigan where my family has been hunting since the 1940s. It’s where I learned to hunt and fish as a boy.
That Saturday, we spent the morning bowhunting.
My cousin was fortunate enough to get a good shot on a doe that morning, so we helped him track it, dressed it in the field, and hauled it back to camp.
We processed the animal ourselves, which was something very new to me. I had previously always dropped my deer off at a processor who offers different cuts and will even grind beef or pork fat into the meat to make it taste less gamey.
It’s convenient, simple, and you’re usually totally removed from the entire process. But not this time.
It’s a lot of work to process a deer, especially when you’re new to it. It’s not for the faint of heart. You will know everything about the insides of a deer by the time you’re done. It gives you a new appreciation for butchers.
After we finished processing, we wrapped the backstraps in bacon and threw them on the grill. The bacon and venison melded together. This animal had been alive just a few hours ago, and now we were preparing a feast with it.
We had gone into the woods on a mission, succeeded, and now were enjoying the fruits of our labor. The meal we ate that night was meaningful.
Hunting has a weird way of doing that. It turns a “simple” meal into a memorable experience. It reminds us that the food we eat every day doesn’t just come from Meijer, or Aldi, or Trader Joe’s. It comes from a real, live animal.
It comes from farmers, butchers, and processors who work tirelessly to feed us every day.
Hunting is a good reminder of where our food comes from and why we should honor that.
If you were fortunate enough to get a deer this past season and somehow haven’t eaten all of it yet, it’s time to do it justice. The recipe below is one of my favorites for ground venison.
Sriracha-Glazed Venison Bowl
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the Bowl:
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 lb ground venison
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 cups broccoli florets (or mixed veggies of your choice)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp of diced onions
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- ½ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp of red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- Easy Sriracha Mayo:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp sriracha/hot sauce (adjust for heat preference)
- Juice of ½ lime
Instructions:
- Cook the Rice using the package instructions or a rice cooker.
- Prepare the Venison and Veggies:
- Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add ground venison, breaking it apart with a spoon. Cook until browned and cooked through.
- Add minced garlic, onion and ginger to the skillet, stirring for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Toss in veggies. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until the veggies are tender-crisp.
- Season the Mixture:
- Drizzle soy sauce or coconut aminos over the venison and veggies (start with ½ cup and add more if needed). Sprinkle in a bit of red pepper flakes and sea salt to taste. Stir well to coat and cook for another 1-2 minutes to meld flavors.
- Make the Sriracha Mayo:
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sriracha, and lime juice until smooth. Taste and adjust sriracha or lime juice as desired.
- Assemble the Bowls:
- Divide cooked rice into four bowls. Top with the venison and veggie mixture.
- Drizzle each bowl with a generous spoonful of sriracha mayo.
Tom Zandstra is a passionate outdoorsman and CEO of The Fair Chase. Follow him on X @TheFairChase1.
