Grilled Venison Steaks

If you grew up in Minnesota, then ice fishing was a pastime of yours.  You have eaten lutefisk, are at home on a lake, and you more than likely own a piece of clothing that is camouflage, blaze orange, or a mix of both.  You can make a snow igloo in your backyard, you mind your manners, and think nothing of whipping up a batch of creamy, wild rice soup.  In addition, few freezers up in the frozen tundra are without venison in some form or another and without a doubt, steaks are my favorite way to eat it.  Even here, in central IL, the land with an abundance of corn and soybeans but very little in the way of trees, I have my ways of acquiring good deer meat.  I generally like to drizzle venison with a bit of olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, the roast or grill.  That was my plan when I pulled a package of steaks out of the freezer to defrost for the next day.  I was just going to wing it and call it good.

But then I remembered the title of a blog post by a friend of mine over at the food blog Un-Processing My World.  She calls it The Best Venison Marinade.  Well how do you argue with that?!

I didn’t hesitate or pause.  I felt like doing something different from my norm so I just threw it all together, sealed it up, and stuck it in my fridge overnight.  The next day, I had nothing to do but pull out the steaks and throw them on the grill.  Easy peasy.

The result?  Excellent flavor.  Tangy and herb-y and just the thing too wake up my winter tastebuds and get them ready for spring!  Not that I need any encouraging to prepare for warmer weather…
One Year Ago: Blueberry Maple Muffins, Sweet Potato Fries W/Pepper Lime Mayo, & Parmesan Tilapia
Two Years Ago: Cherry Frozen Yogurt W/Mini Chocolate Chips
Three Years Ago: Homemade Ketchup, Egg Ribbon Soup, & Good For You Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Grilled Venison Steaks
Recipe adapted from Un-Processing My World
The original recipe has an additional 1 c of red wine in the marinade, but I omitted it because I didn’t have any!  Try it both ways!  This would be great with chicken too, but in that case, only marinade for a few hours.

4 venison steaks
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c of grape seed or olive oil
1 T dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy duty, ziptop bag.  Press out as much air as you can, place the bag on a plate or in a large bowl, and refrigerate overnight.  This can also be made the morning of!  Turn the bag occasionally if you are around to do it, just to keep the meat marinading evenly.  When ready to cook, take the meat out a half hour or so while you preheat the grill.  This takes ensures that the venison isn’t quite so cold and ultimately cooks it much more evenly.  Grill for 3-4 minutes over medium high heat and turn once.  Grilling time will depend on the thickness of your steaks but you want a bit of pink left in the center of venison.  Don’t over do it!  Remove and let rest before enjoying!