venison stew reminds me of liver :(

[BarleySugar]

I've spent ages making some hocks of venison my brother gave me into stew and I don't like it . I pressure cooked them with stock cubes, onions and garlic, then picked off the edible meat. The cats had some bones and gristley bits (which they love), and I put the stock into the frdge so I could get the fat off.
What I usually do is then stew up carrots, parsnips and anything else I feel like adding, keeping the meat aside until I put the dumplings in so it doesn't break up too much. Usually it comes out fine, but this happened to me once before, I think the venison must have been quite strong. A good job OH and son No2 like it, but I've got to find something else for me, maybe my bean curry from the freezer.
To my mind it tastes too much like liver. My mum used to do fried liver sometimes when I was small. I only needed to last out 24 hours before she'd give up and bin it.

[hollychap]

a lot of game tastes similar to liver, woodpigeon (my favourite) nearly everyone who tries says the same

[Bren In Pots]

I've made venison stew a few times using this recipe:-

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Stewed venison | Life and style | The Guardian

so i was wondering if yours needs something more than the stock cubes.

[Alison]

I never find that I need stock cubes when I cook with game as it has plenty of it's own flavour. Tend to use lots of red wine though as it goes so well.

[Alison]

Oh and we're having liver tonight so I'm probably not the best person to ask . Will be lovely, coated in flour and sage and fried with some kale I picked earlier and PFA potatoes - really good and sooooooooo cheap.

[donnakebab]

Venison. Oh so plentiful (they have to be culled after all) but oh so expensive. Why is that?

[BarleySugar]

My brother goes shooting, and usually give me all the bits his wife cannot be bothered to use. Works well, and sometimes we get prime cuts too so all good. We had a lovely roast leg of venison for Christmas. It's just occasionally perhaps he gets older animals that are a bit strongly flavoured. He hangs them for 2 weeks before skinning and butchering. He's got better at selecting now, he'll not shoot unless he's reasonably certain of it's condition for eatingl. He says its not the killing, sometimes he's just happy to be prowling through the woods observing nature. Despite what some people say, I reckon it must be one of the best meats to eat, they live a totally natural life, and the end is quick and unexpected. One of the reasons why I feel guilty when we get some that I don't end up being able to eat it.
Maybe the reason why it's expensive is that the shooters need to be licensed, so it relies on hunters, rather than farmed? Maybe there are deer farms, I don't know.
I do know my brother attended a training course which obviously he had to pay for, but I don't know if it's compulsory.

[marchogaeth]

Sometimes venison can taste of liver because the animal has laid on its side for along time before being hung and the blood has coagulated. We had a joint once where half was like that and the other half was beautiful. These days the closest we come to deer meat is just that, dear.

[di]

I've just remembered I've still got a bit of muntjac in the freezer

I'm not going to try and sound posh, like I have it all the time....it's only ever been roadkill or donated by friends in exchange for eggs...but I prefer it flash fried and rare....mmmmmmm....want NOW!!!!

[Snadger]

Venison liver is the dogs b****cks! Probably why you never see it for sale. Best part of the deer!

[petal]

adore venison- my husband ran a muntjac over 2 years ago- smashed front of car bumper off- came home and got shouted at for not bringing deer with him.

[PAULW]

Venison. Oh so plentiful (they have to be culled after all) but oh so expensive. Why is that?

Because it is dear meat.

[Hilary B]

I suspect it really is a case of 'didn't need the stock cubes'.
We occasionally get road-kill venison, but I would NEVER add stock cubes to a venison stew (but then I hardly even use stock cubes at all).

[ladylottie]

Yes, BarleySugar, there are deer farms, quite a few all around the country. I love venison, used to have it a lot when I had a friend in Ireland who was involved in culling. The beauty of it is that there isn't much fat on it, ideal for someone on a low fat diet.
I wouldn''t add stock cubes to a venison stew either!
I suspect that the reason it's so expensive is because not many people buy it (they're too busy thinking about sweet little Bambi!)
Di, if I lived closer I'd be round your house for some of that Muntjac