buttermilk for game meat

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smoked alaskan

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Wondering if anyone has used buttermilk soak to moderate "gaminess" of deer meat? I"ve been told it' works well if you have gamey meat to soak it in buttermilk for 24 hrs.  Did a little research online that supports this but would appreciate first hand experience/advice.  Anticipating taking my first deer soon and trying to learn all I can. Thanks !
 
I have used sweet milk. Butternilk should work as well.

Throw a gun shot venison roast in a large ziploc, fill with milk, evacuate any air and leave it on the kitchen counter for a couple a days. Milk sours. When ready, rinse and use the roast, not only removes the gamey taste but does a good job of tenderizing.

You can also use a brine or salt water solution. I nearly always brine ducks

I finally quit trying to take the gamey out, why not just buy from the butcher if ya don't want gamey.

Bon Chance on your venison.
 
Buttermilk will work fine, as will regular milk, just keep changing the milk as it fills up with blood. And keep it cold while you do this. In Missouri I have taken a lot of deer, as have my father and brother, and as such I've had the pleasure of helping make it many times. One of my mothers favorite way to feed a family of 5 was to crock pot a deer roast with a small beef roast (along with the normal carrots, potatoes, onions, etc), this helped tame the flavor without having to soak it first.

Last year I made some venison stew out of a deer that was extremely gamy. I cured that by soaking it in milk, changing the milk every so often till there was no more blood in it, and make some great stew out of it. Took it to the families get together at Christmas and none made it home.
 
Best way to prevent "gamey" taste in wild game is proper field dressing and butchering. Keep the meat as clean as possible, no fat or hair, and vacuum seal or freezer wrap properly and you will have great tasting game. The gaminess most people attribute to wild game is due to not following proper cleaning and butchering.
 
Best way to prevent "gamey" taste in wild game is proper field dressing and butchering. Keep the meat as clean as possible, no fat or hair, and vacuum seal or freezer wrap properly and you will have great tasting game. The gaminess most people attribute to wild game is due to not following proper cleaning and butchering.
I agree. But I find any gaminess in meat to be a good flavor. I don't want my venison to taste like beef.
 
Thanks for the input everyone.  And i also agree, wild game should be distinct just not "stink"
thumbsup.gif
 
I have found that with duck or goose, use coffee, brew a pot, let sit till it cools off, then soak the duck or goose meat in the coffee for around 2-4 hours, I don't drink coffee, and can tell you this will leave no gaminess or coffee flavor in the meat.

We have used buttermilk for deer, but have never tried the coffee on it.
 
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