Venison in Red Wine + Port Mushroom Sauce

Start by removing any silver skin or muscle tissue from the backstrap and season the venison with salt and pepper liberally on all sides.

Then slice shallots and mushrooms thinly and set those aside.

Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon of the grape seed oil until smoking hot.

Add the venison backstrap and sear on all sides until well browned, about 5 minutes in total for rare, about 8 minutes for medium rare. I never eat it more than rare because the more you cook it the more you ruin the flavor and turn it into a gray leathery mess. That’s also how you get that gray gamey flavor in meat that turns people off.

Remove the backstrap to a rack or cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This is super important to do with all meat because it allows the juices to retreat back into the center. If you cut the meat too soon, all of the moisture will end up on your cutting board and not in the cell walls of the protein.

Add more oil to the pan, heat, and add the mushrooms and shallots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to help release the juices and cook until soft.

They will have some nice brown crusty bits too which is where the flavor is at.

Sprinkle with the flour and stir to dry out the pan.

Add the red wine…

…and port, and simmer, stirring to break up the flour. Let reduce by about half until thickened and the alcohol burned off.

Slice the venison into thin slices…

…and spoon over the sauce.

It is full of sweet and salt and tang and the sauce will go well with so many simply prepared lean meats. Give it a try this week!

There’s nothing like a simple quick and satisfying meal with friends in these shorter colder days.

Now… I want you to take my survey:

How do you like your meat cooked? Especially if you eat wild game?

I’ll go first: I always eat it rare. Always. You get that gamy taste the more you cook it and risk giving it the texture of shoe leather, since it is pure lean protein with virtually no fat.

I posted this picture on my Facebook page and it caused quite the debate so let us know in the comments where you fall on the spectrum!

Print Recipe

"Venison in Red Wine & Port Mushroom Sauce"

Ingredients

• 1 venison backstrap
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
• 2 shallots thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup port wine

Instructions

• Season the venison with salt and pepper liberally on all sides.
• Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoons of grape seed oil until smoking hot.
• Add the venison backstrap and sear on all sides until well browned, about 5 minutes in total for rare, about 8 minutes for medium rare.
• Remove the backstrap to a rack or cutting board and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil to the pan, heat and add the mushrooms and shallots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to help release the juices cook until soft.
• Sprinkle with the flour and stir to dry out the pan.
• Add the red wine and port and simmer, stirring to break up the flour. Let reduce by about half until thickened and the alcohol burned off.
• Slice the venison into thin slices and spoon over the sauce.