Okay, I don't mean to thread-jack this thread but here is a dynamite recipe that no hunter I know has had before.
I call it Mauritius Venison and its a fusion of White African, Native African, Arab, and Asian influences that have mixed in the ingredients used on the island of Mauritius. It's fool proof kabobs that come out tender and flavorful. You'll have to trust me that the outcome is amazing even if the ingredients may sound putrid.
First you need cubed meat. I personally hate overdone game roasts and pot roasts so what I do is I use the muscle groups from game that you would typically grind into mince.
How to butcher: Do not butcher in the accepted "western way" on game. Game fat of many species (especially anterled species) tastes putrid and greasy. Game is tough because of silver skin. All these things are compounded when you butcher in a western way by bisecting across the grain of different muscle groups to create steaks/cutlets. Instead, take the ham of any game animal and just disassemble it. Make piles of separate muscle groups and remove the silver skin and fat from each. You now have some 15 different muscle groups cut up into miniature roasts from an average hind quarter and they are skin, fat, and tendon free.
Cut these clean muscle groups into cubes, nice big cubes about 1.5" x 2". You'll now note that the tough-as-shoe-leather cuts are incredibly tender because there is no cross-grain or tendon resistance to the meat.
I like to cook for an army, so I recommend 3-5 pounds of cubed game as butchered above for this recipe.
In a big bowl you'll make your "quick marinade". This marinade is quite salty and should you leave it marinade longer than two hours, it will become unpleasant.
1.) Ginger root. Pealed and Minced. Perhaps 4 table spoons.
2.) Thyme. Fresh or dry. 1.5 table spoons.
3.) Garlic. Optional. 2 table spoons.
4.) Black pepper. Ground coarse. One table spoon.
5.) Green onion. Optional.
6.) One table spoon of "Sambal Oelek". If you don't have this, its a thick chili sauce mixed with garlic. It's hot.
7.) 3 table spoons of Oyster Sauce.
8.) 3 table spoons of Fish Sauce, such as Patisse. (Be advised, fish sauce smells like putrid rotting fish. Trust me, it changes drastically and is key to the dish, as is the oyster sauce...don't modify the recipe removing either of these two keystone ingredients!)
9.) 2 table spoons Soy Sauce
10.) Vegetable Oil, about 2 table spoons.
11.) Cilantro (Some call it Coriander Leaves) 2-4 table spoons. Also in addition, or in lieu of Coriander you can use flat-leaf parsley. We use both if we have both.
Mix all this together and let it sit refrigerated for 2 hours but no longer. Shorter is permissible if you're in a hurry.
Side dishes that are easy: Mix in wild oyster mushrooms, store bought button mushrooms, white onions, yellow onions, mini-peppers (Green-Yellow-Red), Bell Peppers, Zucchini, or any other "Kabob Vegetables" you want in the same marinade with the meat.
Put all of this on skewers. Do NOT put vegetables and meat on the same skewers like they show in all the pretty cookbooks...that doesn't work unless you like burned X and raw Y food. Meat on meat skewers, veg on veg skewers.
Grill all on a brai, BBQ grill, or in desperate winter months throw it on a cookie sheet (suspending the kabobs across the sheet so they are elevated) and broil them in your indoor oven. If broiling at 500F or if grilling at high heat such as 500F-650F you will rotate them every 1.5-2 minutes. The meat should be done in about 5-6 minutes and then rested. The veggies may need to be cooked for longer, up to 15 minutes on cooler sides of the grill so they roast and do not burn.
Serve with Sudza (if you're an African), or couscous, or quinoa, or rice, or whatever other grain/starch you like with your meat and vegetables. Some enjoy using indian Naan or greek Pitas with the meat and we've been known to make a yoghurt-mint Tzatsiki/Raita sauce for the kabobs and consumed them in a Greek Gyro or Indian style as well.
***Optional step: Some people have access to coconut water (not milk!) and choose to brush the coconut water on the meat while cooking. I used to do it, I don't anymore.
You want the kabobs medium-rare to rare, DO NOT overcook them or they'll be salty, musk laden balls of disgust.
The chemistry: The sugar contents of the marinade along with the glutinous proteins in the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce all take on a chemical transformation that creates crispy edges on the meat (e.g. like teriyaki) without any acrid bitterness. The fish sauce adds flavor and none of its raw gross smell remains. (you will think the fish sauce has gone bad if you smell it uncooked...its not bad)
I've prepared this meal for easily 50-100 people of every conceivable culture including very finnicky meat-and-potato types and everyone loves it. No one knows its game at all, just incredibly flavorful kabobs.
It also works great when describing Laphroig!
