# What does deer meat taste like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138 "2005-09-17T18:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/21 "2005-09-19T21:05:44Z")
If I’m out to humorously antagonize a dining partner who might be squeamish about eating game, I’m always sure to inform them that my venison tastes simply _adorable_… ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/22 "2005-09-19T21:11:39Z")
I don’t know about deer, but I ate _Rain_deer, and I found it to be far, far gamier then anything I have ever eaten. It was delish! ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/23 "2005-09-19T21:15:13Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Yes, it’s good. But keep in mind that, when you request “venison sausage” from the processor, it is usually “summer sausage,” which means they mix pork fat in with the venison. So do you know if what you had was _pure_ venison sausage, or was it “summer sausage”? My experience around here is exactly opposite. If you request ‘sausage’ you get a venison pork mixture that you’d fry for breakfast. But if you request summer sausage you get a pure venison sausage stuffed into a skin that is like something you’d get from Swiss Colony (but way-mo better) that’s apporpriate as a snack with crackers, cheese and beer. There are far fewer processing places around here that offer the summer sausage because of the additional equipment; smokers, etc. that just a standard butcher shop might not have. I have driven 2 hours to get a deer tyrned into summer sausage. Reminds me, I’ve got to get the tree stand out of the basement, there’s a couple of this year’s bucks (read tender) been awfully familiar here at the farm. -rainy ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/24 "2005-09-19T21:21:24Z")
My grandmother had an odd phrase to describe deer meat. She said, “It goes to sleep in you mouth.” By that she meant that it leaves a greasy feeling in your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/25 "2005-09-19T22:04:46Z")
I’ve had venison a few times although not recently (both college roomies were bow-hunters). If “gamier” doesn’t help, I’d say it tastes much like beef only sweeter. I don’t really care for it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/26 "2005-09-19T22:33:52Z")
I’ve had venison sausage with beans and rice. It’s delicious. It doesn’t taste like beef or pork sausage, but I can’t really describe the taste beyond “different.” Grossed my mom right out when I told her though. She has a weird aversion to deer meat. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/27 "2005-09-19T23:26:13Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > I don’t know about deer, but I ate _Rain_deer, and I found it to be far, far gamier then anything I have ever eaten. It was delish! _Rein_deer is actually domestic caribou. Just sayin’. I’ve eaten and enjoyed venison, buffalo, and musk ox. None tastes quite like beef to me. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/28 "2005-09-20T00:24:16Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > I don’t know about deer, but I ate _Rain_deer, and I found it to be far, far gamier then anything I have ever eaten. It was delish! So, that’s why Santa was late last year… ☹😃 ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/29 "2005-09-20T00:40:52Z")
> [@rainy](#): > > My experience around here is exactly opposite. If you request ‘sausage’ you get a venison pork mixture that you’d fry for breakfast. But if you request summer sausage you get a pure venison sausage stuffed into a skin that is like something you’d get from Swiss Colony (but way-mo better) that’s apporpriate as a snack with crackers, cheese and beer. Oh, yeah, I love that stuff. We get the summer sausage (all venison) from the butcher, and it’s like **rainy** described; kinda like what you get from Swiss Colony (or Hickory Farms - yuck), but **waaaaaaay** better. Much, much better. We eat it cold, as a snack, with crackers and cheese and beer, while watching TV. We can also get regular sausage (again, I’m pretty sure it’s all venison), in both regular and hot. We cook that on the grill with onions and peppers, and I serve it with garlic mashed potatoes and a salad. Nothing like it. One word: Yum-my. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/30 "2005-09-20T01:11:15Z")
In my opinion, venison carries a lot of its gamey flavor in the fat. So if you roast it where the fat can drip off of it, it’s pretty good. But if you grill it on a flat griddle where it simmers in its own drippings, it’s kind of nauseating. One of the best meals I ever had was a cut of roast venison in a cream champignon sauce. It was in Germany and I will never find the restaurant again, but the dish was called “Jägerschnitzel”. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/31 "2005-09-20T01:15:21Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I can tell you from experience that deer chilli tastes like beef chilli. Sloppy joes made out of deer meat taste like sloppy joes made with beef. I couldn’t taste the difference between deer and cow with all that other stuff mixed in. Deer steak tastes a lot like cow steak, but is a bit gamier so you are at least aware that it’s something different. No, it really doesn’t. When, I was younger, quite frequently people in my area (place where hunting happens) would try that switch. I’d be invited over to eat, and think “wow, this chili does not taste good.” or “how on earth can you mess up spaghetti sauce?” Of course, as I was raised to be polite, when they asked how I liked the food, I’d answer “It’s wonderful, thank you.” Upon which they’d pounce and say “see! you can’t tell! It’s really deer, not beef!” At which point, they’d be overly pleased at their “cleverness,” and I’d be caught and merely have to smile wanly. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/32 "2005-09-20T02:39:02Z")
Opinions are better solicited in IMHO. Moved from GQ. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/33 "2005-09-20T02:44:10Z")
> [@YaWanna](#): > > _Rein_deer is actually domestic caribou. Just sayin’. I did not know that. Thank you for telling me. > [@ltfire](#): > > So, that’s why Santa was late last year… > ☹😃 😃 But really, I could not tell you the origin of the deer, or what altitude it was found at. I got it back in the 80s from a cafeteria in an Ikea. ---
**Author:** ![meara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@meara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meara)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/34 "2005-09-20T04:06:12Z")
Sorry to be the downer in the party, but I’ve had both venison and wild boar at a fairly upscale local restaurant, and I hated both. People told me they would taste gamey, which wasn’t helpful since I didn’t know what that meant. Turns out that in this case, gamey = wet, moldy, decaying grass. The worst part was that I was working in NJ at the time and it was deer explosion season. Shortly after my venison meal, I realized that the sickly foul smell I often encountered on my drive was actually the smell of rotting deer carcasses on the side of the road. \ ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/35 "2005-09-20T11:30:09Z")
I totally enjoy venison. I’ve had it as steaks, roasts, chili, stew that I can remember off hand. I used to trade the Shake n Bake chicken my mother sent to school with me for venison sandwiches, way back in the 60’s. My mother found out and was not pleased… it didn’t stop me though. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/36 "2005-09-20T11:31:37Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > No, it really doesn’t. > > When, I was younger, quite frequently people in my area (place where hunting happens) would try that switch. I’d be invited over to eat, and think “wow, this chili does not taste good.” or “how on earth can you mess up spaghetti sauce?” Of course, as I was raised to be polite, when they asked how I liked the food, I’d answer “It’s wonderful, thank you.” Yeah, I was going to say something about that… venison is for venison dishes. It isn’t a beef substitute. It tastes gnarly and unpleasant if you use it for a beef substitute. It tastes great when it is prepared in ways that game should be prepared. > [@](#): > > Upon which they’d pounce and say “see! you can’t tell! It’s really deer, not beef!” At which point, they’d be overly pleased at their “cleverness,” and I’d be caught and merely have to smile wanly. There’s a special place in hell for secret ingredient-swappers. I simply hate it when people do this. Maybe you need to fool a toddler if you need to get nutrients in him, but it’s the height of rudeness to do this to an adult. (At least with foods that might cause objection or medical reactions). ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/37 "2005-09-20T11:41:01Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It tastes a lot like elk. At what elevation? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/38 "2005-09-20T12:28:27Z")
Mmmm, venison!! I like to take the backstrap, slice it thinly, season with all -purpose seasoned salt, and pan-fry. No added fat, just cooked on low heat in it’s own juices. (I soak the slices in cold water for a few hours before seasoning and cooking. Seems to tone down excessive gamey flavor.) DH grinds up a good portion of the deer meat he brings in–add sausage seasoning and you have the most wonderful, low(er)-fat sausage! (I don’t add any fat or pork to mine.) Bambi Breakfast Patties–deee-licious!! ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/39 "2005-09-20T12:47:02Z")
Venison tastes a lot like Kangaroo… Wait, that doesn’t help, does it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138/40 "2005-09-20T18:45:28Z")
> [@Sierra Indigo](#): > > Venison tastes a lot like Kangaroo… > > Wait, that doesn’t help, does it? 😃 Actually, since this is available in many supermarkets, it’s not a bad description… Pretty close anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-deer-meat-taste-like/322138.md?page=3)