Oh deer! (you know we were going to do that, right?) There are many animals you would think of when it comes to eating them. You have your sheep, your cow, your kitchen. Maybe if you are in the Gulf, camel is your thing… Or a beaver maybe, if you are in the south of Argentina.
But something you may have not thought about is deer. It is weird to consider little Bambi as a food you could also eat. The true fact of the matter is that it can be done and it is fairly safe under certain circumstances.
So, up next we are going to take a look into the deer gastronomy and, more importantly, what does deer taste like? If it is safe to eat just like it is and what are those parts of the deer’s meat that would be more enjoyable, among other questions related?
Is eating deer meat good for you?
Just like anything that is not as normal to eat, particularly when you are asking what does deer taste like, asking about if is eating deer meat good for you is totally justified. After all, we are all responsible of whatever we called food.
Deer meat may sound fancy or very wild to be honest. But in some situations, it is the best food you can access, especially in mountainous terrain areas. The best part about the deer meat is that it is healthier than beef and pork meat.
Some of the contents of 100 grams of deer include around 187 calories, with 74 coming from fat; 13 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat and 98mg or cholesterol. To put it into perspective, the same amount of beef would be a bit lower on cholesterol, but not by much.
This special meat also has a low content of sodium, it is high in proteins, vitamin B6, riboflavin, phosphorus, calcium, niacin, vitamin b12, zinc, thiamin and iron. It is still a kind of meat that, when eaten excessively, could trigger health issues, so beware.
Which parts of a deer are best?
To answer what does deer taste like, we need to take a look on the basics. And one of those basic questions that may pop out when researching about the taste of deer is the parts you would like to choose. What are those? Which parts of a deer are best?
Just like beef or pork, deer meat (or venison, the way is called) have some similar cuts, and you can even request then with or without bones. You can get products from its neck, ribs, round, rump, shoulder, brisket, among others.
If you are going to prepare mincemeat, stew, jerky or just ground for a burger, the best choice could be neck and shoulder. To do such dishes and kinds of prepared meat, the best ways are stewing and roasting since these parts are quite tough.
Ribs are used to, you guessed it, spareribs! Nothing too surprising there. But if you want another source for ground or stew meat, look no further than the brisket. And if you are all about steaks, the flank is the choice on large deer. If you only have tinier ones, the flank can be used for stew meat, jerky or ground.
Finally, the loin can be used in thin slices for sandwich steaks, or in roasts or chops, while the tenderloin is best for steaks since it is tender (hence the name). For roasts you could also use the sirloin tip and the round for steaks.
What does venison taste like?
It is not secret that, in the regions they are numerous, deer can be quite popular as a nice dish to eat. But when it comes to taste, what does deer taste like? Is it bad? Is it good? How good it can be?
Well, the last question was already answered some lines above. It is highly praised as a good kind of meat to eat, with many nutrients, vitamins and proteins to boot.
In the topic of taste and what does venison taste like, it may be a bit tricky since not everybody loves or everybody hates the flavor that comes from deer meat. In any case, it is a bit different on what we are accustomed to with red meat.
Some people say that the venison or deer meat tastes like it is gamey, rich or somehow earthy. This is not that unusual given the animal’s patterns. Since it is an herbivore, it may have some slight touches of whatever it eaten during its lifetime.
The way the deer meat could taste a bit gamey is mostly because of the environment the deer lived on. You would not notice the same taste from a deer that has lived in a controlled place, like in a farm. This should not be a problem at all when seasoning.
Conclusion
To wrap things up about this topic, you should now know what does deer taste like. It is mostly dictated on how the deer lived its life. A deer that has lived in a controlled environment would not taste the same as a deer that has lived jumping and running in the wild.
And what is that taste you may ask. To put it simply, it tastes similar to lamb and beef, without being that juicy or succulent; it is way firmer and smoother. If you think about it, this is a very active kind of animal that would be developing its muscles a lot, compared to cows.
There are so many cuts from the parts of a deer’s body that are quite similar of those found on pork or beef. And there are also many uses for those cuts. Either way, you could get them from some markets around the world; just like you would for normal beef, or a chicken. It is also a bit more healthier than those kinds of meat.
