Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with some canned deer meat lately, and let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a journey. I’m not exactly a master chef or anything, but I like to think I can throw together a decent meal. And with hunting season just around the corner, I figured, why not get creative with some venison?
First off, I had to actually get my hands on some canned deer meat. I hunted last year, and it’s just the way I chose to preserve the meat. Turns out, it’s not as easy to use as I thought it would be. You can’t just pop open a can and expect a gourmet meal, you know? There’s a bit more to it than that.
My first attempt was… well, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. I tried to make a simple stew, figuring it would be a no-brainer. I dumped the deer meat in a pot with some veggies and broth, and let it simmer for a while. The result? A kind of bland, watery mess. The meat was okay, but it didn’t really have much flavor. It was a bit of a letdown, to be honest.
But I wasn’t about to give up that easily. I did some digging around, found a few recipes online. Some of it was useful but most were pretty complicated, and I didn’t have half the ingredients they called for. So I decided to just wing it and see what I could come up with on my own.
Next, I tried a casserole. I figured the oven would do a better job of cooking everything evenly, and maybe the cheese and other stuff would help mask the, uh, “gaminess” of the deer meat. I layered the meat with some potatoes, onions, and a can of cream of mushroom soup, then topped it all off with a generous amount of shredded cheddar.
- Deer Meat
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Cheddar
It baked for about an hour, and when I pulled it out, it actually looked pretty good. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad! The cheese definitely helped, and the potatoes and onions added some much-needed flavor. It was still a bit on the gamey side, but it was definitely an improvement over the stew.
My Experiment
Then I did my own experiment. I browned the deer meat in a pan with some garlic and onions before adding it to the pot. I also threw in some extra spices, like paprika and cumin, to give it a bit more kick. I even added a splash of Worcestershire sauce, just for the heck of it. I sauteed some veggies separately, like carrots and celery. I threw everything together in a slow cooker and let it simmer for a few hours, just to see if it would make a difference. And guess what? It did! The meat was way more tender, and the flavors had really melded together. It was actually pretty delicious. Who would’ve thought, right?
So, yeah, it took a bit of trial and error, but I finally figured out how to make some halfway decent meals with canned deer meat. It’s not exactly gourmet, but it’s definitely edible. And hey, it’s a great way to use up that venison if you’ve got some in your pantry. Just don’t expect it to taste like a steak, and you’ll be fine. You can do it too. I bet you can come up with even better ideas than me. You just need to keep trying!
