How to cook venison
Our free range venison, expertly farmed in the fields around the Welsh Venison Centre, is a lean meat with a game taste and a texture similar to lean beef.
It has a small amount of natural fat which helps keep it moist and brings out its flavour during cooking.
Many of our customers opt to buy venison by the joint, as they do with beef, lamb and pork (the cuts behave in a similar way to lamb). But you also have the option of venison steaks which are tender, lean, boneless cuts and have a similar flavour to lean beef. They are quick and easy to cook (see tip, below). We also offer venison burgers which are great for barbecues.
TIP: How to cook venison steaks
Just treat a venison steak as you would a beef steak and rub with a little olive oil or butter before frying for around three minutes on each side.
Welsh Venison Centre recipe: Venison and Celt Golden Ale pies
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients
800g Welsh Venison Centre venison haunch steak, cut into cubes
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp sunflower oil
16 baby shallots, peeled (or small onions, quartered)
150g button mushrooms
6 juniper berries, crushed (optional)
2 rashers bacon, diced
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
300ml Celt ‘Golden Ale’
200ml beef stock
375g pack of ready rolled puff pastry
Beaten egg to glaze
Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C / gas mark 4. Toss the venison in the seasoned flour to coast. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and fry the shallots and mushrooms until beginning to soften. Transfer to a bowl.
Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the venison until lightly coloured. Remove to a bowl. Fry the bacon until golden and then return the venison and vegetables to the pan.
Add the ale, stock, juniper berries and harebs and bring to the boil, cover and place in the oven for 1hour 30 minutes until the venison is tender. Using a slotted spoon divide the meat between four pie dishes. Discard the herbs and boil the liquor until it has reduced to a thick consistency.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C / gas mark 6. Cut the pastry to fit the pie dishes. Brush the rims of the dishes with water and lay the pastry over the filling. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle with sea salt if you wish. Bake for 25 minutes until golden.
Healthy option
Serve as a casserole with the pastry topping and with seasonal vegetables.
Winter Warmer – Venison Casserole
Ingredients
1kg (2lb 4oz) diced venison (from your local farm shop)
3tbsp seasoned flour
2tbsp oil
25g (1oz) butter
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
2 carrots
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100ml (4fl oz) red wine
500ml (18fl oz) beef stock
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig rosemary
35g (1¼oz) cranberries
1tbsp redcurrant jelly
400g (14oz) chestnut mushrooms
Juniper berries 6-8
Method
Mix the meat in the flour. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, brown the meat in batches, remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, melt the butter then add the onion, celery and carrots, and cook until softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and juniper berries and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
Now add the wine to the pan, let it bubble for a minute, then add the stock along with 100ml (4fl oz) water. Return the meat to the pan, add the thyme, rosemary and cranberries, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for a further 3 hours or until tender. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and add the mushrooms to the pan for the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time. Check the seasoning before serving.
