Ireland is often overlooked as both a hunting destination and for it’s cooking and culinary tradition, but it has both! On a recent trip to the west coast of Ireland, Keith was able to harvest a sika hind (doe), and we enjoyed a delicious tenderloin, cooked on the grill.. The cattle and sheep graze on these same, sometimes harsh, landscapes and have adapted to be thrifty eaters, producing tasty, yet lean meat. Therefore, many of the Irish recipes for stews and whatnot also work well with lean venison meat.

Back home, this recipe uses white-tail deer and any deer or elk steak could be substituted to make this traditional Irish Steak and Mushroom Pie.  The key to success is to tenderize the venison in a brine before cooking.  The older the deer, the longer the brining time and perhaps the smaller the meat pieces should be.  This is a delicious way to prepare venison steak!

Venison Steak and Mushroom (Irish) Pie

Ingredients:

• For brine: 2 Tbsp. kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 qt. cold water, a few cloves of garlic, a few peppercorns,
• 3-4 Tbsp. butter (can substitute olive oil or lard)
• 1 ½ lbs. venison steak
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 8 oz. sliced white mushrooms
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 ½ cup low sodium beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon or spicy brown mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste (start with a dash of each)
• Pie dough or puff pastry to cover the top (store bought or homemade)

Preparation:

• Mix all the brine ingredients in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel bowl. Remove fat, silver skin, and sinew from the venison and cut into ½” cubes, about the size of dice and place in the brine. Cover and set in the refrigerator for at least an hour up to 4 hours. Change the brine liquid after 2 hours, by straining out the bloody water, keeping meat, garlic and peppercorns, and refresh with 1 qt. cold water, just 1 Tbsp. of salt and pinch of brown sugar.  If using meat from an older buck leave it in the brine up to 8 hours and change water at least twice.  The brining will help tenderize the meat and remove gaminess from an older buck.
• Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.  Add the venison in a single layer and sear/brown the meat, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the browned meat to a plate.
• Preheat oven to 300°F (use convection setting if available).
• Melt the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of butter in the same pan over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, and thyme. Cook and stir for 4 to 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has almost evaporated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle flour on the top and stir to blend thoroughly, cook for one minute. Stir in broth, tomato paste, and mustard. Bring to a boil, being sure to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Add meat cubes back to the pan along with any juices on the plate. Stir about a minute until sauce thickens a bit.  Carefully taste the sauce (it will be hot!) and add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
• Cover the pan and place in the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes until the meat is tender.  This step could also be done left on the stove, covered, over medium low heat.  The meat may need an extra 20 -30 minutes to become more tender, being careful not to cook off or burn the other ingredients, so low and gentle heat. Test a piece, it may not be fall apart tender, but tender enough.
• Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased deep dish pie plate and let cool about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place pie crust or puff pastry crust over the meat filling. Decoratively crimp the edges. Cut several slits in the top for venting with a sharp knife tip.
• Bake about 25 minutes until the crust is golden colored.  Let cool about 5 minutes before cutting to serve.
• Makes 4-6 servings.