by Rex Trulove

Created on: August 22, 2009   Last Updated: December 27, 2011

Simply very few main course meats can compare to fried venison. Many beef and pork recipes were originally venison recipes, but were adapted to the other meats. Why not use the original meat and skip the wannabes?

A key is to have venison that has been properly prepared, initially. This avoids the gamy taste one can sometimes encounter with deer meat. If it tastes gamy, it wasn't properly taken care of originally.

In addition, the fresher it is, the better it is. Any venison steak will work, but back strap is superior and tenderer. Other steaks need to have fat and gristle cut off prior to using. Venison has very little fat, so the gristle is the main concern. The steaks should also be about an inch (2 1/2 centimeters) thick.

For the meal, you'll need:

1/2 to 1 pound venison steak per person
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder to taste
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms, preferably wild

1. Heat the oil in a fry pan over medium heat. While it is heating, dredge the steak in the flour, coating it well.

2. Place the steaks in the fry pan, season with the spices and cook, turning frequently, until they reach the level of doneness you desire. Be sure to watch the steak closely. Medium steaks will only require about 5 minutes per side. The steaks will be medium-well when juices coming from the meat are colorless, and this doesn't take a great deal more time.

3. When the steaks are done, remove them from the fry pan and add the mushrooms, increasing the heat slightly. Cook the mushrooms until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then remove them and put them over the steaks.

The excess flour can be added to the fry pan after the meat and mushrooms are cooked, adding oil and water as needed, to make wonderful gravy that is an excellent topping for mashed potatoes, rice, or cooked pasta. The gravy doesn't take much more than 5 minutes to make, and it can be spooned over the steaks as well.

This main dish goes very well served hot with a cold green salad and sliced tomatoes. The entire meal takes little time or effort to prepare, but will have people asking for more. Homemade bread or cornbread is a special touch that can set the whole main course meat off.

A light dish of fresh fruit makes a perfect dessert for this main dish meat, and it can be prepared ahead of time, and then chilled until after the meal.

Venison is the best meat for this recipe, but you can also substitute beef, elk, goat, or buffalo. Each will have a distinctly different flavor, though goat tastes much like venison.

There are few better main course meats, and the flavor is good enough that it even tastes great cold or heated back up. People will think that you spent far more time making it than you really did, and you will be lucky if you have any leftovers.

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