How to Make a Tender Tasty Chicken-fried Venison Steak

Venison is lean, and tends to dry out and be tough when cooked by dry methods. One answer to this is to put a lid on and steam it. This Chicken-fried steak can make a cut of the haunch as tender as the tenderloin.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Venison steak
• Skillet with lid
• Flour
• Salt & Pepper
• Shortening

1. Put several tablespoons shortening in skillet and heat on medium-high. Dredge venison steak in flour with salt and pepper mixed in. This steak can be from the haunch (upper part of the hind leg) – it’s nice if it has been tenderized (crisscrossed with cuts by the processor) but not necessary with this method.
2. Brown both sides to make a crispy crust, then turn heat down to slightly above low and put the lid on.
3. Simmer slowly for about an hour or less (check for tenderness with a fork). Turn it once during this time. Check to see if it is staying moist in the skillet (you don’t want it to boil, but you do want enough liquid in there to keep it from sticking, and to create steam for cooking and tenderizing). If you lose some of the crust due to this steaming, don’t worry about it, you’ll be using these crusty bits to make the gravy afterward.
4. The crust will have softened during this cooking. If you want it to be crisper, just take the lid off and let the surface dry out a bit. We don’t bother with that; we like it the texture it is. You don’t want to dry the meat out though, or it will be tough even after this method of cooking.
5. Remove to platter and keep warm while you are making the gravy (see my Tan Creamy Gravy article for the type gravy I make to go with this, over mashed potatoes – real comfort food!).

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid overcooking on too high heat.
• Avoid drying the meat out.