Filling the Freezer: 4 of Our Favorite Ways To Prepare Venison

Packed with 26 grams of protein per three-ounce serving, venison is a naturally lean, low-fat, and protein-rich meat. So why wouldn't you want to make a tasty meal (or several) out of it?

Considering that whitetail season provides many of us with meat in our freezers, it's time to expand our horizons in the kitchen. Here are four favorite ways we prepare venison at HuntWise.

1. Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin With Garlic Sauce

You'll enjoy this recipe once you learn the difference between the backstrap and the tenderloin!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ready In: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 thick slices of bacon
• 2 venison tenderloin roasts (each roast being 3/4 of a pound)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 eight-ounce package of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onion, or more for taste
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, or more for taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Place the bacon onto a baking pan and then directly into the preheated oven. Let the bacon sit in the oven until it is partially cooked, a little chewy, and still able to bend. This usually takes anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes, depending on your oven.
3. Prepare the venison tenderloins. Brush with olive oil, then sprinkle with onion powder, salt, and pepper. Wrap the partially cooked bacon around the tenderloins and place them in a roasting pan.
4. Roast the tenderloins until the bacon is crisp and the tenderloins are ready: about 1 hour – again, depending on your oven.
5. In the final 20 minutes of roasting, prepare the garlic sauce. Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until soft (about 8 to 10 minutes). Add green onions. Stir in heavy cream. Stir often until combined and slightly thick.

Lastly, pour the sauce over the tenderloins, and voilà, let's eat!

2. Fried Venison Tenderloin Bites

Save some of the tenderloin for this recipe, too!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ready In: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1-1/2 cups Italian seasoning bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound venison tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 lemon, quartered
• Salt and pepper to taste, and any other seasonings of your choice

Directions

1. Preheat oven on the "broil" setting. Set the oven rack about 6 inches from the bottom of the oven where the heat source is located. Then, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Cut venison into 1-inch cubes.
3. Heat olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat for about five minutes.
4. Place bread crumbs into a mixing bowl and add olive oil/garlic mixture. Stir in parsley and Parmesan cheese until ingredients are evenly mixed.
5. Press cubed venison into the mixture to coat it and place it on a baking sheet. You don't want any pieces touching, so make sure you have enough room.
6. Broil cubes until golden and the venison is your desired degree of doneness – about six minutes – turning cubes occasionally as they cook.

Plate up the venison and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

3. Venison Stew

Come in from the cold of a late-season hunt and prepare this stew recipe with your harvested deer.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes – 2 hours 30 minutes

Ready In: 1 hour 50 minutes – 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any oil of your choice)
• 2 pounds of venison meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 chopped onions
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 cups water
• 7 small peeled and quartered potatoes
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch wide pieces
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet, then sear all sides of the meat until deep brown.
2. Add chopped onions, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt, and water. Cover and simmer the mixture for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.
3. Add potatoes and carrots. Cook until they are tender or to your desired doneness.
4. Combine flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir into stew.

Serve and enjoy this tasty dish!

4. Venison Stroganoff

What is "stroganoff," anyway? Check out the history of beef stroganoff, then enjoy our recipe for the venison version of the dish.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ready In: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound venison, cut into cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• 1 finely chopped onion
• Two 10.75-oz. cans of cream of mushroom soup
• One 16-oz. package of egg noodles
• One 8-oz. container of sour cream

Directions

1. Season the cubed venison with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Sauté the onion in a large skillet. Once the onion is soft, add the seasoned venison and brown it on all sides.
3. Add cream of mushroom soup and simmer on low.
4. Boil water in a large pot and cook noodles until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. While the noodles are boiling, stir sour cream into the meat mixture. Drain noodles, then pour meat mixture on top.

You now have homemade venison stroganoff!

Enjoy More Venison Dishes with HuntWise

We hope you find these venison recipes as satisfying as we do here at HuntWise. It's always a great feeling to have a good meal you worked hard for.

If you try any of these recipes and find them tasty, share them in a log on the HuntWise app. We love to see our fellow hunters have success afield, bring it back home, and serve it up in a delicious way.

Don't have the app yet? Hunting with HuntWise is the best way to make sure you have plenty of venison in your freezer for these tasty dishes or your long-time favorites!

Download the app and explore every feature – free – for a week.