My dad was given an entire deer already cleaned and butchered. We'll probably end up giving most of it away to family members, but would like to try some. So what are some good recipes and cooking tips for deer meat. Don't get too gourmet on me, keep it simple!

 

venison burger,steak and jerky come to mind

 

Triton_2002

I've butcherd three elk and countless numbers of deer and found the less you do to the meat the better it tastes. Not having an electric meat saw I fillet everything. Trim all the fat off. It's good healty meat with no chemicals. Here's the way I cook it..
Steaks-- Fried quickly in butter, no more than a few minutes a side. Add a little pepper, no salt until it's on your plate..
Roasts-- Done in a crock pot with cream of mushroom soup & chopped onion.
Loins/backstraps-- I smoke them whole over mesquite wood. They also are exellent cut 3/4+" thick and done like steaks. You don't want to be too generous giving those away.
Ground meat-- Mix in chopped onions and a little BBQ sauce. Fry as beef hamburger in butter..........Enjoy.......
Bones-- Boil them for a treat for the dog.............. ...........

I sometimes make the steaks on the grill but they have a tendency to be dry because they are so lean.

I had elk loin steaks for supper a couple days ago and liver for lunch today. All fried in butter of course. The dog has enough elk bones cooked on the grill to keep him happy for a while. There's a couple venison loins in the freezer for when I fire up the smoker and a tube of homemade sausage for snacks on our camping trips this Winter...So I have had some experience with this fine delicacy...............

 

The easiest method of preperation I know of is to thoroughly wrap frozen meat in plastic wrap, place in foam shipping container with lots of ice, and send to me. Really, though, I usually grill with a lemon rub, but when you make burgers you usually have to throw in an egg so it stays together.