Oh Deer, It's Delicious!

Up until recently, I didn't have much experience cooking with venison. That all changed about a month ago. Paulette, my good friend Matt's mom, is a hunter and she very generously gave me and Jay a whole bunch of venison from a recent hunting trip. There she is with her deer in the photo on the left. How cool is that!? 

So lately I've had a lot of fun in the kitchen experimenting with this unfamiliar but really delicious red meat. I've made chili (twice—it's really good!), lentil soup, kabobs, and steaks. But recently we invited some friends over to enjoy the venison on an indoor grill, Korean style. It was really delicious and a 

whole lot of fun! The method is somewhat similar to fondue bourguignonne, for which you fry small pieces of lean beef in a fondue pot of hot oil. However, for this type of interactive dining, everyone sits around the indoor grill with the raw marinated pieces of meat (venison loin  in this case but you can also use beef), as well as some marinated vegetables, and we simply grill each piece to our own desired doneness. Then we eat the cooked meat and vegetables as we cook more. How awesome is that? If you don't already have an indoor grill, I really recommend getting one—if you're like me, you'll have a lot of fun with it! Here are the marinades I made:

Red Wine and Rosemary Marinade for Venison

Before serving, drain the marinade from the meat and place the meat in a glass container set on a platter of ice at the table. That way, the meat stays at a safe temperature throughout your dinner party. 

1. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup red wine, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, a splash of  worcestershire sauce, 1 shallot (minced), 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and a pinch of ground allspice. 

2. Place the meat in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the meat. Turn the bag to coat. Seal bag, set in a bowl, and chill for at least 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally. 

Sherry-Paprika Vegetable Marinade

You can marinate all kinds of vegetables in this marinade. We used Brussels sprouts, red onion, sweet yellow onion, small sweet peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant.

1. In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons sherry wine, 2 tablespoons vermouth, 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

2. Place the cut-up vegetables in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over the vegetables. Turn the bag to coat. Seal bag, set in a bowl, and chill for 1 to 2 hours, turning the bag occasionally.