How to Soak Ground Venison in Milk

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Things You'll Need

  • Milk or buttermilk

  • Bowl with lid or plastic wrap

  • Refrigerator

Venison is a very lean meat and as it is low in fat content, it tends to dry out rather quickly. Venison gathered from the wild often leads to complaints of a "gamey" taste, an issue easily avoided when the venison is cooked and handled properly. Some say the gamey taste in wild venison results from improper handling in the field or the deer's diet. But no matter the cause, soaking venison in milk or buttermilk reduces the gamey flavor.

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Step 1

Place the ground venison in a bowl. The size of the bowl is determined by the amount of meat that you will soak. Make sure the bowl is large enough to hold the milk as well.

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Step 2

Pour milk or buttermilk over the ground venison until it is completely covered. The amount of ground venison and the size of the bowl determine the amount of milk used.

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Step 3

Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.

Step 4

Drain the milk from the bowl and rinse the meat in cold water. Rinsing the meat ensures all milk and blood are removed from the meat, further removing the "gamey" taste.

Tip

To prevent the venison from drying out during cooking, preheat the oven or grill and when pan frying, make sure the pan is hot before adding the meat.

The lack of fat in venison often produces dry meat when overcooked. Venison should be cooked to no more than medium-rare for the best flavor.

Warning

Never add salt to raw venison. The salt draws the natural juices out of the meat, making it dryer.

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