Grilled Marinated Venison Steak Recipe

With the Christmas season nearer than ever, many of us already started planning menus for cozy family and friends dinners ahead.

While you can, of course, experiment a bit with the dishes by opting for something healthier or cuisine-based, but including classics is something that never goes wrong. One of the best recipes that we would suggest to keep tastebuds and stomach satisfied is the good ol’ venison steak.

In addition to a good chunk of meat and fresh spices, this recipe uses either wood or charcoal or a gas smoker to get that perfect smoky taste and coveted grill marks. So, make sure your grill is ready, and all set for grilling.

With the basics out of the way, let’s get started with the actual recipe!

Grilled Marinated Venison Steak Recipe

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and smashed
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

For the Venison Steaks:

• 4 6oz. venison tenderloin medallions, 1 and 1/2 lbs, at least 1 inch thick. You can also use medallions from the backstrap/loin
• 1 batch of the marinade we mentioned above, or any acidic marinade of choice (about 1/2 cup marinade)
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preparation Method

Here, we will divide the recipe preparation into two parts: first the marinade, and then the venison steak preparation method.

For the Marinade:

1. Add all the marinade ingredients to a jar that has a lid. You can also use a bowl for this purpose.
2. Shake the ingredients vigorously together or whisk it.
3. Use as desired.

For the Venison Steaks:

1. Take a zip-top bag or a bowl with a lid, and add your venison steaks to it. While we would highly recommend opting for steaks that are at least an inch thick, you can also go for a thinner cut or a flank steak – but do remember to alter the cooking time accordingly.
2. Pour the marinade over the stakes, taking care to ensure every part is properly coated with it. You have to leave the steaks to marinate for about three hours, but it would be preferable to leave them overnight if you want that burst of flavor and really tender meat. Additionally, if you don’t like the natural taste of venison, just extend the marinade time. The acid content of the marinade will then develop the flavor accordingly to make the meat more pleasing to you.
3. Just before you’re ready to cook, remove the steaks from the marinade and allow them to come to room temperature. They should take about 20 to 30 minutes before you cook, and make sure you follow this rule to ensure even cooking.
4. Next up, you’ll have to pat the steaks dry to wipe off any excess marinade. However, do not rinse them off.
5. Take a fork and make small punchers in your steaks to tenderize them further and make them absorb the marinade more.
6. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat at about 450°F/232°C to 500°F/260°C. But if you’re cooking in a pan, make sure you preheat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it gets very, very hot.
7. When done, place your steaks on the grill or in the pan. Start to cook them for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. This, however, will vary depending on the thickness of your chosen type of steak. You also must keep an eye on the internal temperature of the steaks – if you want a medium-rare steak, pull the meat chunks out at 125°F/51°C to 130°F/54°C. Again, we have to emphasize how it’s important to not overcook the venison.
8. Once your stakes are well cooked, remove them from the heat source at once. Let the steaks rest for about ten more minutes before serving or slicing.
9. You also have the option to add more salt and pepper if needed.
10. Enjoy your delicious steaks!

Helpful Tips to Nail the Grilled Marinated Venison Steak

• Venison has to be cooked and seasoned properly – it isn’t like beef; if you get this part wrong, your meat will turn out unsatisfactory both in terms of texture and flavor. Also, don’t forget to let the meat rest for some time before serving as well.
• While we’ve given you a marinade recipe, you also have the option to choose any acidic marinade that includes bright flavors like citrus and vinegar. The idea behind using an acidic marinade is to tone down the natural flavor of venison and also tenderize the meat to break down some of the tissue.

Tips to Test the Doneness of Your Grilled Marinated Venison Steak

There is no harm in looking for help to check whether your steaks are done exactly the way you like it. And even better is all you need is your fingers!

Here's what you need to do:

• Touch your forefinger to your thumb and poke the base of your thumb with the forefinger of your other hand. This is how rare meat feels.
• Touch your middle finger to your thumb, and then touch the base of the thumb with the forefinger of your other hand. This is how medium meat feels.
• Touch your ring finger to your thumb. This is how you absolutely don’t want your venison steak to feel when touched.

About the author: This week’s guest article was written by author Bella Short, a NY-based food writer, blogger, and photographer. She loves cooking, creating recipes, and making healthy food that tastes delicious. She’s a big fan of a keto diet and she sees it as a life-long style of eating.