Chef Dan Nelson cooks wild game dishes for Gourmet Gone Wild - a program designed to introduce youth to the benefits and techniques of cooking with wild game, while sharing info about the role hunters and anglers play in conservation.
February 12, 2015
By Chef Dan Nelson, Gourmet Gone Wild
Print Recipe
Venison Rib meat, despite being the most flavorful cut of venison, is often underutilized; most toss it into the grinding pile for burger and sausage. Rib meat of all types has a unique and palatable combination of fat and sinew, that when roasted properly, yields a sweet and earthy meal. I often find that bone-in venison ribs are too cumbersome for the amount of meat available and have the tendency to dry out quickly.
This recipe uses the intra-rib strip of meat cut free from the bones during processing. These roulettes make a phenomenal appetizer - I use slightly larger bamboo sticks when skewering the meat and then cut in half for service. To truly appreciate the great flavor of venison rib meat, serve the barbeque sauce on the side.
Venison Rib Roulettes Recipe
Ingredients:
12 venison intra-rib meat strips 12 thick-cut smoked bacon strips 2 large yellow onions - julienne 2 tablespoons fresh chopped garlic 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed 1 teaspoon celery seed 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 cup apple juice 1 cup venison stock ½ cup apple cider vinegar Kosher salt and blended pepper 4" wood picks Instructions:
Lay venison rib strips flat on cutting board, sprinkle with salt and blended pepper, and top each with 1 slice of bacon. Pinwheel roll each rib strip and bacon - skewer twice or more to ensure the roulette does not unroll. Warm a heavy braising dish over medium-high heat, sear rib roulettes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside roulettes. In the same dish, over medium-high heat, sauté the julienne onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix tomato paste, venison stock, apple cider vinegar and seasonings in the braising pan with the onions. Cover the braising dish and cook at 250 degrees for 2 to 3 hours until very tender. Serve hot with your favorite barbeque sauce and fresh fries. More of Nelson's recipes can be found in his recent Boone and Crockett Club cookbook "Wild Gourmet: Naturally Healthy Game, Fish and Fowl Recipes for Everyday Chefs," available for purchase at https://mucc.org/product/boon-crocketts-wild-gourmet-cookbook .
