Barbecuing with venison - tips and techniques

With the news that the government’s food strategy will encourage more consumption of wild venison, the roe buck season in full swing, and the fallow buck and red stag seasons not far away, there’s never been a better time to slap a bit of Bambi on the barbie. I spoke to barbecue chef extraordinaire, Dan Cooper of Weber, to get his top tips.

“Venison is one of my favourite meats to cook with,” said Dan, “but you do have to be careful. Like most wild game, venison isn’t particularly fatty, so you need to employ the right techniques to get the best from it. Each cut lends itself to a different style of cooking, whether that’s hot-and-fast roasting, searing on the grill, smoking or slow cooking.”

Barbecuing big cuts of venison

When breaking down a deer, people will often leave the haunch and shoulders as whole joints. These can make delicious dinner party dishes, or feed a whole family, so it makes sense. For these large cuts, indirect cooking is the best way to go.

Image courtesy of The Exmoor Game Company

“With a haunch, you’re best bet is to roast it hot and fast,” says Dan. He advises using an indirect heat source (see our BBQ hints and tips article here), and cooking with the barbecue lid down at a temperature of around 180-200 degrees C. “Because it hasn’t got a lot of fat, I’ll often introduce a fatty element, such as streaky bacon or pancetta, laid over the meat part-way through the cooking process. Another option is to use some sort of basting sauce, which can also add a lovely additional layer of flavour. Placing a pan of water underneath the grill can also help to keep things juicy, and you can introduce some aromatics like rosemary or bay though the steam.”

Shoulder, on the other hand, is far better cooked low-and-slow. “Cooked with the bone in, all the additional gelatine and connective tissue helps to keep it moist,” advises Dan. He also recommends smoking venison shoulder, or even combining the falling-off-the-bone meat with some onions, mushrooms and stock to form the basis of a delicious pie, though that might be better in the cooler months of the year! 

Barbecuing smaller cuts of venison

The ‘posh bits’ of a venison carcass are the backstraps or loins. “Depending on how you’ve butchered your beast,” says Dan, “you can either have these as chops on the bone or as fillet steaks, or cook the loins whole. Either way, the technique is the same. They’re amazing cooked over charcoal. Cooked like that, they’re one of my top five dishes. You need a searing hot grill and I recommend cooking them to no more than medium-rare: properly pink.”

You’re aiming for an internal temperature of around 48C, but the key, according to Dan, is to give the meat plenty of time to rest. “Even up to half the length of the cooking time. By the time it has rested, you’re looking for the internal temperature to be around the 53/54C mark.

For these cuts, Dan suggests pairing them with a really tangy sauce: “Salsa verde, a spicy homemade ketchup or a mustard-based sauce can be really good,” he advises, “or even a nice homemade jelly glaze using a fruit like damson or sloe.”

Using venison off-cuts, trim and secondary cuts

When you’re butchering your deer, don’t chuck out the off-cuts and tougher cuts like the belly and neck. “Put through a mincer, these make fabulous burgers, though you’ll want to add a bit of pork belly to the mix to keep things juicy,” says Dan, adding that for they’re a great way to introduce people to venison for the first time. Read more: 5 uses for game mince

Barbecuing a whole deer

If you really want to put on a show, and you happen to have a few muntjac or small roe deer around, you could go the ‘whole hog’ and cook it whole. “The Smokefire EXP6 Stealth pellet grills are brilliant for cooking whole beasts.

They’ll accommodate an animal up to around 20kg, though I’ll often remove the fore and rear shanks to reduce the length,” says Dan. He advises ‘butterflying’ the animal along the spine, and cooking it for between five and seven hours at around 155-160C. “The lower the temp, the longer the cooking time,” adds Dan. 

For more barbecue inspiration, check out our recipe section, or visit Weber.