Venison Braciole (rolled and braised to perfection)

This is a nice recipe to prepare for a celebration dinner or just to change things up!
Venison Braciole
Ingredients:
  • 1.5 lbs. venison back strap, chops or boneless steaks
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs,
  • 1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup chopped spinach or kale or arugula (optional)
  • dash of salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 cups good tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes
Directions:
  1. With a meat mallet, pound the pieces of venison flat until a bit less than 1/4″ thick (6mm).
  2. If time allows, brine the meat in 2 Tbsp. kosher salt to 1 qt. cold water, a few garlic cloves, and a few juniper berries for 30 minutes up to a few hours (place in refrigerator if brining for more than half an hour).
  3. Pat the meat dry and lay on a flat surface.
  4. Mix the cheese, bread crumbs, herbs, parsley, spinach, and a dash of salt and pepper together in a bow.
  5. Spread this cheese mixture evenly over the flattened meat, leaving a little room around the edges.
  6. Starting on a short side, roll the meat up and secure it like a roast with butcher twine to keep it neatly rolled.

    these were rolled from direction shown in previous photo and rotated in this picture to show butcher twine

  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  8. On the stove, heat the olive oil in a braising pan, such as a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
  9. Brown the rolled meat on all sides.
  10. Add the chopped onion and sauté a bit.
  11. Mix in the tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes, scraping up any bits of browned meat off the pan with a wooden spoon (could do this with a bit of wine before adding the tomatoes).  Spoon some sauce on top of the meat.
  12. Cover the pan and place in the heated oven.  Cook for about an hour until the meat is tender.
  13. Remove the venison pieces and carefully remove the butcher string.  You may need to insert a few toothpicks to keep the roll intact.  Slice into 4 oz serving pieces.  Serve with the sauce and veggies of your choice.  You can add some cooked macaroni to the sauce and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Serves about 4 people.

    label created from Alaskan Sitka deer meat. White tailed information not available.

 

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