I’ve never thought of myself as a trend setter. Nor have I ever been one of those people who stands in line to be the first to own the newest gadget. More of a traditionalist, I’d say. I keep my phone until is seizes up and takes its last breath. I don’t need Alexa or Siri interfering in my personal affairs. But I came across a contraption recently that has changed the way I look at wild game cookery. I think I’d stand in line for one of these.
My college-aged nephew introduced me to SOUS VIDE cooking. During a recent visit to his place, I had noticed something peculiar on the counter in his kitchen. He told me that, about 3 hours earlier, he had plopped a frozen, vacuum-sealed venison football roast into a regular pot of water with a sous-vide contraption clamped to the side of the pot. He showed me how he set the temperature and time by pressing some buttons.
This is a football roast that I prepared. It was not frozen when it went into the water so I set the time for 2 hours rather than 3.
(I believe incantations surely must have been chanted.) When the three hours were up, I watched, mesmerized, as he removed the meat from its hot water bath, freed it from the plastic bag, seared that puppy up for color in a smoking hot skillet and served me some of the best venison roast I have ever had (and I’ve had a lot!)
The meat was juicy, flavorful and as tender as backstrap or tenderloin. It was wonderfully medium rare from edge to edge. I reeled!
“This Changes everything!”, I stammered.
Deerslayer agreed as he sampled the roast. The ability to season raw meat, place it in a vacuum-sealed or zip-lock bag, drop it in a pot of hottish water (not boiling) and walk away blew my mind. No stove, no crock pot. This cooking method is perfect for the 107 degree summer days in south Texas. It brings the meat just to the perfect temperature for your desired doneness (obviously medium rare) and then keeps it there until you are ready for it… without overcooking it or heating up the kitchen! The only conventional stove usage is at the very end for a beautiful sear. Done.
I’m so excited about this new method of preparing venison that I want to share my experiences. I plan to experiment with other varieties of wild game as well. However, I will not be providing a review of my Anova because, as I discovered, there’s plenty of information on the internet for you to check out on your own and videos available. I’ll let you know when I find some great sous vide tips and where I find them. I hope you will follow me as I delve into these new uncharted waters. I’ll keep you posted!
