Venison is the flesh of a deer, it is dark red in colour. Farm-bred venison is more tender than wild deer meat.
If the venison meets certain quality points it may be marketed in New Zealand as Cervena venison.
Denver leg is the whole hind leg that has been deboned and had all the fat and silverskin removed. It is separated into four main cuts, which are divided into seven or eight smaller cuts. The name Denver leg describes the collection of all the four cuts. They may be roasted, grilled or pan fried.
Rump (Sirloin Butt)
Rumps
Cushions
Topside (Top round)
Short/Side Fillet
Cushion
Knuckle
Knuckle eye
Cap
Silverside (Bottom Round)
Eye Round
Cap/Cushion
Shortloin is a cut from the saddle (back) of the deer. It is a premium meat cut because it is very tender and lean. It is boneless. It may be roasted, grilled or pan fried. Short loins are very tender, favourable and are often roasted whole or as medallions. It is regarded as one of finest cut from the deer, as the muscle does almost no work – making it a very tender piece of meat. The short loin is located right behind the ribs (saddle – loin)
The tenderloin is also called the fillet. It comes from under the ribs, in the shortloin part of the saddle. It is very tender and delicately flavoured, the most tender of venison cuts. It can be roasted or seared whole, then sliced into medallions or small steaks.
The rib rack is cut from the saddle. It is tender and lean with good flavour. It contains the bones, which adds flavour when cooking and gives it an elegant presentation. It may be roasted, whole or as portions, or sliced into bone-in chops.
It is important to cook venison at the correct temperature and to the correct extent. Venison is low in fat so does not have the same protection against overcooking that fattier meats, like marbled beef, do. Over-cooking venison results in dry meat. For a dry cooking method, such as grilling, venison should not be cooked more than medium. For a wet cooking method, such as braising, venison should be cooked at low temperatures to avoid drying out the meat.
These are cut from the leg and are often more affordable than
the loin – but still very tender. It is imperative that these aren’t
over cooked. Medallions can be seared, grilled, or cut into cubes
or strips for kebabs or a stir-fry.
This is a cross-cut disk of leg meat & bone cut from the shank.
Osso Bucco from the hind shank is often more favoured, as it has
a better meat-to-bone ratio. Shank meat has excellent flavour,
and it becomes tough if cooked too quickly – therefore it must
be slow-braised.
These are small, flavourful, thin-cut steaks from the flank. The
muscle has a fine grain running lengthwise, which gives it a
chewier texture. These steaks are best cooked quickly with dry
heat – seared or grilled. Need to slice against the grain when
serving.
This meat comes from the head and is full of flavour, but it needs
to be slowly braised to become tender. Cheek meat is the ideal
cut of meat for those tasty winter stews.