Recipe: Venison and Mustard Sauce

by
posted on May 24, 2023
Plated Venison And Mustard Sauce

On a recent safari to South Africa, my Professional Hunter (PH), Mike Birch, at Hunt the Sun, cooked his favorite meal over hot coals and fire. The secret potion of the recipe is a mustard and butter sauce that the meat rests in after grilling, finishing it to temperature while absorbing incredible flavors. The sauce was created in a pot on the edge of the coals. When the meat reached a rare status, it was sliced and added to the aromatic whole-grain mustard. The secret is not to overcook the meat, as some cooking occurs in the mustard sauce to finish the recipe. Pieces of loin or tenderloin are cooked whole to help prevent overcooking, and portions are cut and put into the sauce. Gemsbok was the protein, and it was cooked perfectly.

Rare pink venison doused in mustard sauce

Use your favorite mustard. My PH recommended a whole-grain variety to duplicate his recipe. This recipe works great with any venison from North America, and the meat can be prepared on a smoker, barbecue or over a fire.

Close up of finished and plated venison

Try different mustards to produce varied flavors. A touch of horseradish can be added for the adventuresome.

Ingredients

Mustard Sauce

  • 1 small jar of whole-grain mustard (1 cup)
  • ½ pound of butter
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

Venison

  • 2 to 3 pounds of venison loin or tenderloin
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Black pepper

Directions

  1. Place the ingredients for the mustard sauce in a medium pot and heat over medium-low heat, or at the edge of the fire or grill. Do not overcook, but melt the butter and mix flavors.
  2. Rub the venison with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Grill the venison backstrap or tenderloin on all sides to sear the edges. The meat should be cooked blue rare or rare. A thermometer helps ensure the meat is not overcooked. Blue rare is 115-degreees Fahrenheit, and rare is 125- to 130-degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. When the meat is finished on the grill, remove it and slice into small portions. Place the meat in the mustard sauce and rest for 10 minutes. The meat will seal in the sauce but not cook much more. The meat will be ready to serve and be rare to medium-rare on the plate.

Latest

Pease And Venison Lede 2
Pease And Venison Lede 2

Recipe: Creamed Venison and Peas

Brad Fenson creams together peas and venison in this wild-game take on a British classic.

Airport Conversation Leads to Wildlife-Related Charges

CDFW officers catch a pair of poachers after overhearing them on a plane.

NRA Files Lawsuit Challenging Colorado’s Excise Tax on Firearm and Ammunition Sales

On March 31, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), together with the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, Colorado State Shooting Association, Magnum Shooting Center and an NRA member, filed a lawsuit challenging Colorado’s 6.5-percent excise tax on the retail sale of firearms, firearm precursor parts and ammunition.

The Magnum Research 10mm Magnum BFR Revolver

This 6-shot, single-action revolver may well be the first factory-made handgun chambered in this caliber in over three decades.

Hunting Heritage Trust Grant Applications Being Accepted

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearm industry, has opened the application period for the 2025 Hunting Heritage Trust Grants. They offer a total of $100,000 in financial support for programs that work to expand participation in hunting and the shooting sports.

Hardware Review: Marlin Model 1895 Dark

If you think lever-action rifles should only have walnut stocks and a blued-metal finish, then the new Marlin Dark series with its polymer buttstock and aluminum AR-esque handguard probably won’t be your thing. That’s a shame, because this recent offering in Marlin’s line of modernized, capable lever-action rifles has a lot going for it in terms of performance, functionality and fun.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.