Rack of Venison

Food and Wine: Charlie Palmer's Balsamic-Glazed Rack of Venison

Palmer recommends tender Cervena venison, a high-quality farmed meat from New Zealand. You can substitute other venison cuts, including tenderloin and leg steaks, for the elegant racks. He serves a sweet-sour red cabbage slaw alongside.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/balsamic-glazed-rack-of-venison

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
4. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
5. Coarsely ground pepper
6. Kosher salt
7. 1 tablespoon canola oil
8. Two 1 1/ 4-pound venison racks, 4 chops each, frenched

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, olive oil, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of pepper and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a nonreactive ovenproof skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Set the venison racks bone side up in the skillet. Sear them over high heat, turning once, until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Put the skillet in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, brushing the racks 3 times with the glaze, until the meat is rare and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meat reads 125°. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the remaining glaze to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Cut the venison into chops and serve with the sauce.


Notes
One Serving Calories 340 kcal, Protein 46 gm, Carbohydrate 3 gm, Cholesterol 169 mg, Total Fat 14.9 gm, Saturated Fat 3 gm.

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Recipe 2


Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Blot the venison dry and generously salt all over. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Cook the venison racks, turning them with tongs, until deeply browned around their circumference, 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast to the desired doneness, 15 to 18 minutes for medium-rare, or when an instant-read thermometer registers 125°F

After 12 minutes, carefully transfer the skillet to the stove top and add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and 4 tablespoons of the butter, tilting the pan to let the ingredients mingle.

Baste the meat with the butter for 30 seconds.

Turn the racks over, baste again, and return to the oven to finish roasting.

When done, baste the meat once more and transfer the venison to a cutting board.Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

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Bacon-Wrapped Rack of Venison

There's one rule for venison: It should be served rare and hot. The dish can also be made with a boneless loin; the roasting time will be slightly shorter. Regardless of what cut you use, the meat needs to marinate in garlic and olive oil overnight, so plan accordingly.

A lush Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon will complement the heartiness of the venison.
* SERVINGS: 4
* MAKE-AHEAD

Ingredients

1. One 1 1/2-pound rack of venison
2. 4 garlic cloves, smashed
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
6. 6 thin slices of smoky bacon (3 ounces)
7. 1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
8. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

1. Set the venison in a glass or ceramic baking dish and rub with the smashed garlic. Pour the olive oil over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Transfer the venison to a plate; discard the garlic and reserve the oil. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil until shimmering. Season the venison with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate to cool. Wipe out the skillet.
3. Press 1/2 cup of the cilantro onto the meaty top of the venison. Wrap the bacon around the meat, between the rib bones, overlapping slightly. Using cotton string, tie up the rack at 1/2-inch intervals to secure the bacon. Let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°. Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil in the skillet until shimmering. Set the venison in the skillet, bacon side down, and cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Turn the rack bacon side up and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers 115° to 120°. Transfer the venison to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Pour off the fat from the skillet. Add the chicken stock and boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cilantro.
6. Carve the venison into 4 thick chops and transfer to plates. Spoon the pan sauce over the chops, mound the Kale with Garlic and Oven-Roasted Parsnips alongside and serve.


Make Ahead
The venison can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated for 6 hours; bring to room temperature before cooking.