This dish has been a household favorite of ours for years. It’s comfort food that sticks to your ribs and on a cold winter day can really warm you up and feed your soul. If you’re trying to introduce new family and friends to venison, it’s a great way to ease them in, or to just #CelebratetheHunt with buddies at camp. You can also customize this recipe if you have picky eaters. It’s all about the process of tenderizing your steaks, seasoning them with great, but subtle flavor, pan frying them, and finally covering your meat with gravy. What’s not to like about that?
Cubed Venison
A key part to this recipe is “cubing” your steaks. If you do not have a cuber tool, this can also be done with a knife by making shallow cuts ¼ inch wide cuts in one direction, and then again in the opposite direction, creating little ¼ inch cubes. This helps tenderize the meat and makes for a great bite!
Chef’s tip: When everything is on the stove, take your time. Keep a close eye on the heat and adjust as needed. You want some color to your onions, mushrooms, and your steaks, but be careful not to burn them.
Searing the cubed venison
When you’re searing the venison, keep in mind that this step is intended to seal in flavor, not to fully cook the meat. They’ll fully cook in the oven later, so just focus on browning both sides.
Gravy and vegetables mixed with venison
This dish has been a staple in our family for a long time. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do!
Follow me @wildgamecook for more Legendary Recipes.
Ingredients
– 1lb. to 1.5 lb.’s of venison steaks (cubed)
– 8 oz. package of sliced or chopped mushrooms (white button or baby portabellas)
– 1 Medium yellow onion (chopped)
– 1 12 oz. can of brown gravy (I like to use Heinz mushroom gravy)
– 1 tbsp. of Garlic minced
– Favorite seasoning/rub (I prefer RELOAD “Fully Loaded”)
– Salt and pepper
– ⅓ cup flour
– ¼ cup cornstarch
– 2-3 tbsp. of butter
– 2-3 tbsp. of canola oil
– 2 tbsp. of chopped chives or chopped Parsley (optional)
Directions
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. “Cube” your meat by creating shallow ¼ inch cuts in one direction, and then again in the opposite direction, creating little ¼ inch cubes.
3. Season venison steaks using your favorite seasoning or rub.
4. Preheat a 12” cast iron (or any oven safe) skillet to med-high heat.
5. Place flour, cornstarch, and touch of salt and pepper into large Ziploc bag and shake to mix it all up.
6. Put steaks individually into the bag and give it a shake to ensure good coverage. Remove each steak from bag and place onto a plate. Repeat this process until all your meat is prepped.
7. Allow the steaks to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes to help the flour stick.
Cooking:
1. Place butter and onion in the pre-heated skillet. Reduce heat to medium and sauté until transparent, stirring often.
2. Add mushrooms and season the mixture lightly with salt & pepper and stir. Allow onions and mushrooms to sweat and caramelize, adding more butter as needed.
3. Stir in minced garlic. After a minute, move everything to the far edges of the pan or remove it and save it for later.
4. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add 2-3 tbsp of canola oil to the middle of the skillet. Sear steaks on each side for 3-4 min (repeat until all steaks have been seared)
5. Top with can of gravy, making sure a majority of each steak is covered and place uncovered skillet in oven for 10mins.
6. Remove skillet from oven and add chopped chives or parsley (optional). Serve it up with some mashed potatoes and green beans, and you’re good to go!
