Like bone-in venison loin roast? Then you’ll love this recipe.
Some people eat all the best cuts first. They go as far as frying up tenderloins during the butchering of a deer. While I’ve done that, I’ve moved to a different approach. Now, I save the best for August and September when I have fresh ingredients from the garden.
It’s also a good reminder why so much time, effort, and money is spent in the woods each fall. Each year, I try and make the effort to butcher out a bone-in loin from at least one deer. This offers a special presentation and the added flavor of the bones during cooking. This recipe calls for a flavorful broth to cook some grits, and the extra rib bone not left on the cut is perfect for that.
The makings of wild culinary magic.
On that note, when butchering a deer at camp, quartering in the field, or after dry aging a whole animal, save some bones for stock. Consider sawing up 3-inch sections of femur and smoking them while making BBQ. If you don’t have wild game stock, chicken or beef stock will do. And if you don’t have that, toss a whole onion (cut in half with the peel intact) into water. Maybe toss in a smoky dried chipotle. The key here? Complexity of flavor.
Furthermore, saffron is one of my favorite underutilized seasonings for boiling grains and rice. While living in Spain, I ate meal after meal of rice seasoned with saffron and chicken stock. For those unaware, saffron is a tiny hair-like object pulled (by hand) off a flower. One flower doesn’t produce much, so the price is high. Toss a few strands of the good stuff into some water, and make some rice or grits, and you’ll see why it’s so good. Saffron is lightly floral and a natural pairing for wild game. Anything that brings the essence of the outdoors onto your plate is a good start for any wild game dish.
A fantastic meal soon to come.
As always, I advocate for vegetables with your meat. At least, for the sake of digestion, but also for pure deliciousness. Grits are a southern thing and nothing will pair with the earthy meat and grits as well as a bright, tangy fried green tomato.
Not only that, but a plate of brown food just looks prettier with a bright-green tomato slice. We grow tomatoes every year. So, I simply stole one early for the recipe. If you can’t find one at your farmer’s market or grocer, a tomatillo should work just fine. I like to season the tomato with salt and pepper or a BBQ/Cajun seasoning for a real zing.
Flowers and meat — they just go together.
The finishing sauce is a garlic and basil aioli made with mayo, roasted garlic, and fresh basil for dipping tomatoes and meat into, as well as brushing onto the meat for a final char.
What a beautiful slab of meat.
INGREDIENTS
5-6 bones of bone-in venison loin
3 cups stock
1 cup grits
¼ stick butter
1 dried chipotle (optional)
4-8 hairs of saffron (if you buy nicer saffron you need less)
1 tbsp. salt
3 bunches of fresh basil
½ cup mayo
½ head of garlic (smoked or roasted in foil)
1 green tomato
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. BBQ or Cajun seasoning
1 cup oil for pan frying
Oh, just look at all the tasty bites. Perfection on a stick.
DETAILED STEPS
Turn on oven to 450 degrees with a cast iron (or other metal roasting pan) to preheat.
Make three cups of stock using left-over bone pieces. Or just pop a store-bought container/mix in bouillon.
Prep your venison loin by removing any silver skin.
Add scraps to your stock for flavor but remember to remove these before adding any grits.
Liberally salt the meat on all sides. Drizzle with olive oil.
Clear your stock of any bones, meat bits, or vegetables. Add the saffron and a ½ teaspoon (pinch) of salt. Whisk in your cup of grits slowly, and simmer them, stirring the whole time until they’ve absorbed the stock (about 5 minutes). Add butter, and cover for now.
Once the oven is at 450 degrees, put in the loin (bone side down). This will help evenly cook the loin. If you don’t do this step, there will be a cold spot by the bone. Ask me how I know.
After five minutes, turn the loin. Flip every couple of minutes to get even cooking on all sides and pull it out when it hits 125 degrees (approximately 10-11 minutes).
Brush the meat with your aioli, and finish cooking to 135-140 degrees.
Heat up one cup of frying oil in a frying pan. While that is warming to 325-350 degrees, slice up your green tomato in ¼-inch thick slices.
Season with your rub, and dredge in some plain white flour.
Once the oil is ready, toss in to fry each side evenly.
To see if the oil is hot enough, just touch the edge of one tomato to the oil. If it bubbles, it’s ready. If your oil smokes, it’s too hot.
Once the tomato is fried, set it to the side to cool.
Plate the food by putting down some grits.
Slice up the loin into chops.
Cut the tomatoes into ¼ pieces (that look like pizza slices).
Stack on those grits.
Finish with some mayo on the side.
Forget grocery meats. This is where the party’s at.
Be fancy and add a fresh herb or edible flower garnish, because (flips hair), you’re worth it.
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