how to cook venison steaks

It's easy to cook a venison steak so that it's juicy, you just need to follow a few rules. A good marinade, a hot grill or pan and not overcooking is key.

sliced venison steak on a black plate with a napkin

I remember the first time I had venison steak. Jared and I had just started dating and I invited him on a camping trip with my friends and I.

To be honest, the venison steak was probably the highlight of the trip seeing that I got the campground directions wrong, a raccoon ran off with our bananas when we arrived after midnight due to my directional challenges, and it poured rain our second day there. I'm sometimes not sure why J stuck around…

Anyway, after the rain cleared Jared took a venison steak he defrosted out of the cooler and cooked it up over the open fire. Up until that point, I had only had deer jerky a time of two, and I was really excited to try venison.

We're still not sure exactly what he did to that steak, but it was absolutely PHENOMENAL. I think our entire group salivated over the perfectly medium rare cut of meat and it was gone in a flash.

When J and I moved in together some time later and he harvested another buck, I was excited to make some steak! I'll never forget unwrapping defrosted venison directly out of butcher paper and putting it right on the grill pan in our apartment. I overcooked and probably underseasoned the meat…needless to say it was probably a pizza night, for sure.

The meat I cooked was dry, tough, and way too gamey. So, why was the deer steak he cooked on that trip so much better than what I made?

Fast forward about 6 years and I'm sitting here releasing my very first cookbook that's all about cooking venison. I've come a long way over the past few years and I'm excited to share what I've learned.

Venison isn't like beef. You can't overcook and under-season it and expect it to still be OK. That really alters the flavor, as well as the texture.

Cooking really good venison steaks isn't really hard, you just need to keep a few things in mind:

marinate the meat
don't overcook it
rest before serving

Those 3 steps seem really simple, but they make a world of difference.

Marinate your venison steak

It's important to choose an acidic marinade with plenty of bright flavors from vinegar or citrus. My all-purpose marinade has plenty of red wine vinegar, lemon, and salt.

These 3 ingredients not only work with the "gamey" flavor and tone it down, but they also tenderize the meat and help break down some of the tissue so that it's buttery soft after you cook it.

With venison steaks, I marinate for at least 3 hours, but up to overnight. I know that seems long, but it works great for me!

Don't overcook it

Venison steak should be cooked to medium-rare or even rare plus if you like a rare steak. I pull my steaks from the grill or pan as soon as they reach 125-130F – I prefer 125F. They still cook a bit after you remove them and I always use a digital read thermometer to make sure I'm really precise.

You honestly can't overlook this step. I'm all about making things easy on you and laid back recipes, but if you overcook your meat…you're going to be sorry. This is a HARD and fast rule in my book.

Rest before serving

Also…don't cut into your meat right after it comes off the heat. As much as it does look amazing, allow it to rest so the juices have a chance to creep back into the meat for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Get together your side dishes, set the table, etc. Just give that meat time to rest!

venison steak on a black plate with thyme leaves

Make sure you put my Juicy Venison Burgers on your next grill night menu!

Description

It's easy to cook a venison steak so that it's juicy, you just need to follow a few rules. A good marinade, a hot grill or pan and not overcooking is key.

about 1 and 1/2 lbs of venison steaks, at least 1 inch thick – here I'm using 4, 6oz. venison tenderloin medallions, you could also use medallions from the backstrap/loin (sometimes called chops)
1 batch All-Purpose Venison Marinade or acidic marinade of choice (you'll need about 1/2 cup marinade)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Add your venison steaks to a zip-top bag or a bowl with a lid. Again, this recipe works best with a steaks that are at least an inch thick, but you can use this method for a flank steak or a thinner cut, just alter the cooking time.
Pour your marinade all over the steaks and make sure everything is coated. Marinate for at least 3 hours, but up to overnight for really tender/flavorful steaks. If you aren't fond of the natural taste of venison, opt for a longer marinade time, the acid will develop the flavor so that it's more pleasing to you.
When you're ready to cook, remove the steaks from the marinade and let them come to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before you cook (this is safe to do, it ensures even cooking).
Pat the steaks dry, wiping off some of the marinade, but DO NOT rinse them off. If you used my marinade recipe, there's no need to add more oil for the grill. I like to pierce my steaks with a fork all over to further tenderize them (see the photo in the post), but this is optional.
If you're using a grill to cook, preheat it to medium-high, about 450-500F. If you're cooking in a pan, preheat a well seasoned cast iron pan over medium-high heat until it's very very hot.
Place the steaks on the grill or in the pan and cook for about 5-7 minutes per side (this will depend on steak thickness), but keep an eye on the internal temperature. You want to pull the steaks at 125-130F for a medium-rare steak, it's very important not to overcook venison.
Once the steaks are cooked, remove them from the heat source at once and let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving or slicing.
Season with a bit more salt and pepper if desired. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 4+ hour marinade
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Category: Main Dish
Method: Grill/Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 6oz. serving w/ marinade
Calories: 288
Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 1247 mg
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 51 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: venison, steak, deer, wild game, grill

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