March 1, 2017

The Best Venison with Blueberry Sauce Recipe EVER!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyNutrishPeak #CollectiveBias . Venison, or deer meat, is one of the leanest and healthiest meats around. At 134 calories, 26 grams of protein and only 3 grams of fat in a 3 ounce serving it is our go-to red meat. We’re very lucky to have it in our freezer each year. Suffice it to say, I make it regularly and I like to keep my recipes fresh and original. While I was in Europe I had it with a blueberry sauce. Now, when I had first heard of having any kind of meat with blueberries I admit, I turned up my nose. Then I actually tasted it and little birds sang around me like a scene straight out of a fairy tale. I happened upon it again at an Italian restaurant in San Diego-uhhh-mazing! So I played around with a recipe to make the best venison blueberry sauce recipe around!

Venison Blueberry Sauce Recipe – Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need. I will make notes for modifications below:

A venison backstrap or neck roast, should be a few pounds
7 ounces of blueberries (rinsed, well)
Fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1 tablespoon of Blood Orange Olive Oil*
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Thyme Sprigs (a tablespoon, once chopped)
Fresh Sage Leaves (1/2 a tablespoon, once chopped)
1/4 of an onion sliced into big chunks
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Rose Salt (a few pinches)
Pepper as needed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Brown sugar (about 3 to 4 tablespoons)
1 cup dry red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon. It does not need to be expensive.)
Plastic freezer bag

Modifications: If you do not have blood orange olive oil, you can use two table spoons of regular olive oil. If you don’t have Rose Salt, you can use regular sea salt and if you can’t get your hands on fresh thyme and sage, dried will do. I use fresh blueberries, but frozen can work, too. *The red wine is optional. You can substitute white grape juice if you’d like a sweeter marinade or for a sauce that isn’t so sweet, you can add one tablespoon of vinegar to the grape juice.

Venison with Blueberry Sauce Recipe – Directions

As I’ve mentioned before, I soak my venison in salt water before I cook it. You don’t have to do this, but it removes some of the gamey flavor. Take the meat and rub the rose salt into the flesh, sprinkling with pepper according to how much you like. I’m not a big pepper person myself, so I go light. Put to the side.

Take the garlic, onion, thyme, sage, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and put into a sauce pan. Simmer on low, adding lemon juice through a strainer, mix then add the red wine. Turn to medium low and bring to a slight boil.

Add the blueberries and allow them to cook until somewhat softened. I use a potato masher, but you can use whatever tool works for you – smash those babies!

Once they’re a good consistency, remove and let cool. You do not want to use the marinade on the venison while it’s still hot. Tip: put it into a freezer-safe glass bowl and stick it in the freezer for ten minutes.

Once the marinade has cooled, set about 1/3 of it to the side in a container and stick it in the fridge. Then put the venison into the freezer bag and pour the remaining marinade over it. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Venison Blueberry Sauce Recipe – Let’s grill

I like the smoky flavor of the charcoal and wood so I opt to grill with the hubs when we can. You can also do this in the crock-pot on low for 8 hours if you don’t want to grill.

Get the grill heated to about 325°F (163°C) by putting the charcoal on just one side of the grill. You’ll put the meat on the side without the charcoal underneath it. Make sure there is a drip pan underneath with water in it. Place it on top of the grill and let it cook for 40 minutes.

Check it with the meat thermometer and it should be around 140°F (60°C). Flip it over and move it to the side of the grill with the charcoal underneath it. Cook for 20 more minutes.

Using your meat thermometer, check the meat’s temperature and it should be 160°F (71°C).

Remove and let sit for a few minutes. Slice, pour the remaining blueberry sauce over, serve and enjoy!

Now Meet Bella

The humans around here aren’t the only ones with a thing for venison. Meet Bella, our Great Pyrenees rescue. Isn’t she such a beauty? She loves venison, too.

When we lost Stormy, I swore we’d never get another dog. Of course, sometimes the universe has other plans. The hubs was out for a long walk and Bella followed him home. We’re talking hours of walking. She was a bit of a mess and I did not have the heart to call a shelter. There was no one looking for her and she had no chip, so Bella became part of our family. We took her to the vet and learned she had several medical issues and was extremely malnourished. Five medications and a special “weight-gain” plan later, we happened to see Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® PEAK Open Range Recipe™ with Beef, Venison & Lamb at Target.

The fact it contained venison piqued our curiosity (no pun intended). I mean we know how good it is for us, so we thought it would definitely be good for her.

Rachael Ray™ Nutrish® PEAK – the deets

I was really stoked to find out PEAK is cooked in the US with only the highest quality ingredients. In fact, Real U.S. farm-raised beef is always the #1 ingredient (Open Range Recipe which we buy) and PEAK is completely free of imported ingredients from China. With a big approval from the vet since it is good for dogs of all sizes (and she’s a large breed), we got Bella started and she’s doing great. It’s grain-free, protein rich (30% high-quality protein, in fact) and there is no poultry by-product meal, artificial flavors, colors or artificial preservatives. Besides the fact Bella loves it, my favorite part is that a portion of proceeds help animals in need through Rachael’s Rescue®. As of December of last year, $17.5 million dollars have gone to pet charities and other organizations that do good for animals. You all know my feelings on living the gift is in the giving! Now this may go without saying, but just make sure when you transition your fur-kid over to PEAK you go slowly over the course of about 7-10 days. You can grab this coupon to save $4.00 off any bag that’s four pounds or more. And bonus – you can print it twice. Double bonus – it’s valid all year!