5 reasons why your deer tastes “gamey” and how to fix it

Unfortunately, not all venison is created equal. Here’s why—and how to take care of the “gamey” flavor.

All right, before I get emails, tweets, and comments: yes, it is wild game and it is supposed to taste “gamey.” I grew up eating venison, and I have had some that is noticeably more “gamey,” sometimes so much so that is overpowers the flavor of the meat.

Here’s why that usually happens.

1. You didn’t process it yourself.

It seems like anytime someone has a butcher process their deer, they complain. This is not the case with all butchers, and you might have found a good one (lucky you). A butcher might not dedicate the time and care you would to processing your meat, leaving the fat and other parts that add to the “gamey” flavor. Learn to process your own game, age it, and when you cut it, take the fat, sinew and tendons off.

2. You waited too long to field dress or process it.

While it might not always be feasible, ideally, you want to field dress the deer the moment it hits the ground. The longer you leave it to lay, the more it will start to decay, even more so in warm weather. Now, don’t confuse what I just said and think aging the meat is bad. Aging is done in a controlled environment in cooler temperatures WITHOUT the guts in it.

3. You misplaced your shot or made a field dressing mistake.

Making a bad shot on a deer can adversely affect the meat, not to mention making it harder to recover the deer. If you gut shot the deer, you now have all that acid and stomach contents seasoning your deer. Good job; I know it happens, but try to avoid it. On the same note, cutting the stomach while field dressing is never a good idea.

Finally, with a poor shot, the deer runs more, building up lactic acid in the muscles.

4. You overcooked it.

I’m going to make this short so as not to rant. No game animal should be cooked beyond medium. Ever. I used to work at a steakhouse: use the finger method.

3 Touch Tests for Steak Doneness

Do you know how to tell if a steak is rare, medium or well done? Because meat gets firmer as it’s cooked, you can test meat by touch.

There are three basic touch tests — touching the palm of your hand, your fist and your face.

Yes, you could use a meat thermometer. They are great tools and we have one in our kitchen, but we prefer touch.

Why? We don’t want to puncture the meat and lose any of its juices. The touch test is subjective, but once you get the hang of it you’ll cook the perfect steak every time, and you’ll be sure to keep all of the juices in the steak until you’re ready to eat it.

Method 1: Palm of your Hand

Hold your hand out, palm up. Poke the base of your hand by the base of the thumb. What does it feel like? If you guessed raw meat, you’re right.

Now, make an OK sign with your hand by touching your forefinger and thumb together. Feel the same part of your hand. It’s a little firmer. This is how meat feels when it’s rare.

You’re now going to move to your other fingers, and as you do, you’ll notice the pad of your hand will get progressively firmer.

Touch your middle finger to the tip of your thumb. That’s how a medium rare steak feels.

Next, touch the tip of your ring finger to your thumb. This is what a medium-well will feel like.

Last but not least, touch your pinky to your thumb. That’s the equivalent of a well-done steak.

Finger Test Steak Doneness

Method 2: Make a Fist

You can also do a touch test by making a fist.

First, make a relaxed fist. The fleshy area of your hand between your thumb and forefinger is soft, which is how a rare steak feels.

If you slightly clench your fist, it’s a little firmer like medium doneness.

Clench your fist tightly and the area will feel like well-done.

Method 3: Face Test

Your third option is the face test. Personally, we like methods 1 and 2 the best, but some people really like touching their face.

When your face is relaxed (don’t smile), touch your finger to your cheek. A rare steak is soft like your check

Next, touch your chin. Notice that it’s fleshy with some resistance. This is similar to medium doneness.

If you like a steak that’s medium, or with a pink center, you’ll want it will be similar to when you touch the end of your nose.

Lastly, touch your forehead, it’s firmer, which is like well done.

If you’re not ready to do the touch test…

As you become familiar with the touch test, it may help to have a thermometer nearby. You can touch the steak first, and decide what you think it is. Then, check yourself with a meat thermometer. If you decide to go with an instant read thermometer, here are your temperatures for doneness:

Extra Rare – 115-120 degrees

Rare – 125-130 degrees

Medium Rare – 135-140 degrees

Medium 145-150 degrees

Medium-Well – 155-160 degrees

Well Done – 165 degrees

5. You shot an older deer.

There is nothing wrong with that, but it’s going to taste different. The meat will be tougher as it is older. This isn’t always the case, though; follow the advice above and you should be fine.

So, to have the best-tasting deer, basically, make a clean shot. Then gut it and process it yourself as soon as possible. Finally, for the love of God, don’t overcook it.