Coal-Fired Venison with Salsa Verde Salad
Nothing says spring like the smell of meat cooking on a hot charcoal grill. The sizzle and pop of the fat hitting the red coals, the smoke billowing out, and the awaiting oohs and aahs of your guests as you lift the lid to showcase your masterpiece.
If you’re anything like me, your venison is starting to run low. We do a pretty good job in our house of keeping stock and portioning out our hauls throughout the year, but it’s starting to become less and less, and hey, that’s ok!
That’s a good thing because we are putting the previous season's bounty to good use, and that’s precisely what we want, to utilize all the meat we have just in time for hunting season to begin again in a few months. What has helped us the most is keeping a printed itemized list and taping it to the door of our freezer. This helps us know what we have and what we don’t have.
I usually keep a few backstraps tucked away until hunting season for special occasions and holidays. Well, I can finally feel the warmth of that southern sun on my face, so this calls for some spring celebration. Our garden is also producing incredible amounts of lettuce, so I am incorporating a fresh grilled salad to go with a homemade salsa verde dressing.
The smokiness of the grilled lettuce and the acid from the salsa verde pair well with the marinated venison. Top it all off with some tangy blue cheese crumbles and toasted pine nuts, and you’ve got a perfect light and hearty spring meal. This has a bright sunny day written all over it. So invite your family, friends or neighbors over (cause your neighbors will be smelling this from a mile away) and share some stories, laughs and a cocktail or two over this simple and easy meal for many. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 to 2 pounds of venison steaks, preferably backstrap or tenderloin
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar will work too)
- 3 thinly chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 endive or romaine hearts
- 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese
- 1 teaspoon of salt, plus more for seasoning to taste
- 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place venison in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag.
- In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, capers, garlic, scallions, salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 a cup of the dressing over the venison, turning to coat both sides. Add the parsley and the mint to the remaining marinade and cover until ready to use.
- Marinade venison for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, toasting the pine nuts, turning often, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Heat your charcoal in a chimney starter, or get your grill as hot as possible; I’m talking blazing orange and red coals here.
- Remove venison from the marinade (Make sure you take it out and set it on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour to let it come up to room temperature) and place on the grill for 3-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare (the best temperature to cook wild game meat in my opinion). Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the steaks rest, slice your endive or romaine lengthwise in half. Lightly olive oil them and place cut side down on the grill. You’ll need to be very attentive during this process, as the lettuce will quickly dry out and catch fire if you’re not careful. It only takes about 30 seconds to a minute to grill.
- Remove the lettuce and place the cut side up on a platter. Top the lettuce with the pine nuts, blue cheese and half of the dressing.
- Thinly slice the venison crosswise and place it on the platter, topping it with salt. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the steak and serve immediately. Enjoy!