>My
sister-in-law, Shirley Roth of Alamogordo, NM, sent me these photos of cooking
an Oryx (antelope) steaks from
White Sands, NM. She cooked it the same way you would cook venison steaks
(it is my husband's favorite way of cooking wild game steaks).
Country-Fried Venison Steak
Recipe Type:
Wild Game,
Milk Gravy
Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose
flour
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless deer, antelope, elk, or moose back strap steak (cut into four
individual portions), about 1/2-inch thick
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
Milk Gravy (recipe follows)
* You can substitute bacon grease
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 150 degrees F. Remove any fat on
the steaks.
In a shallow pan or plate, sift together flour,
salt, and pepper; dredge the steaks and coat both sides.
In a large frying pan (I use my
cast-iron frying pan), over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil and heat
until a drop of water sizzles. Add coated steak pieces, in batches, and sear the steaks 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden
brown, moving them with tongs a little so they don't stick to the bottom (add additional
vegetable oil if needed). Use a
meat thermometer to test for doneness.
NOTE: Do not overcook as wild game meat has a
tendency to become less tender very quickly if overcooked or cooked at too high
a temperature.
For
best grilling results, cook steaks according to a
Cooking or Meat Thermometer.
Remove steaks from frying
pan 5 degrees before your steak reaches the desired doneness. Let
steaks rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. During this time the meat continues to
cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the
oven) and the juices redistribute.
When steaks are cooked, remove from pan and keep cooked steaks warm in preheated oven. Pour off all but 2
tablespoons of the cooking oil. Put the frying pan back over the heat and make
the Milk Gravy.
Milk Gravy:
2 tablespoons pan drippings
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, heavy
cream or evaporated milk, room temperature
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
In the same frying pan with 2 tablespoons pan
drippings, over medium heat, sprinkle flour over the oil and blend with a wooden
spoon or whisk until smooth. Whisking or stirring constantly, slowly pour in
milk, cream or evaporated milk; continue stirring, scraping loose browned bits
from the bottom and sides of skillet, until the gravy begins to boil and
thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring
occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes or until gravy is thickened to the desired
consistency and the flour has lost its raw, pasty taste. Remove from pan and
serve hot with the venison steaks.
Makes 4 servings.
