Game preparation: Whether venison shoulder, leg or saddle

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 kg leg(s) of venison
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables
• 1 onion(s), roughly chopped
• 10 juniper berries
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• 1 tsp marjoram, dried
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 bay leaves
• salt and pepper
• e.g. oil (nut oil) or olive oil for frying
• 250 ml red wine
• 200 g morello cherries (or raisins)
• n. B. water
• ½ bottle of Bock beer
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp mustard

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 2 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 days 4 hours

Secret recipe for preparing game meat (here a fresh venison leg)

I’d like to preface this by saying that when it comes to game recipes, I focus on the type of game stock. It doesn’t matter whether you’re preparing a leg of venison, saddle of venison, or other game cuts. A well-made game stock is half the battle. In this case, I skinned and washed a fresh 2.2 kg leg of venison, and marinated it in a suitable pot for about 2-3 days. For the marinade, clean the vegetables, cut them into small pieces, and place them in a meat pot with salt. Add the onion, garlic cloves, juniper berries, dried thyme, dried marjoram, and the bock beer. Add water as needed—the meat should then be completely submerged in the marinade. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days—the meat is guaranteed to be beautifully tender. Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Pat the meat dry. Brown it well in a hot pot or roasting pan with salt, pepper, and the remaining spices. Then remove the meat and set aside. Drain the marinade through a sieve and add it to the hot pot along with the vegetables (be careful to catch the spices and berries!). Now add nut or olive oil. Boil or fry everything until reduced, adding little by little cherry juice, red wine, and water (or drained marinade) at a time, always loosening the meat’s juices from the bottom. Important: Do not add too much. Then finish frying with mustard and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, then loosen with wine. This takes about 20-30 minutes. Then add the meat again, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, almost covered with cherry juice and water. The meat should be nice and tender after a maximum of 2.5 hours and should be removed from the pot. Now strain the stock. You can return the almost finished reddish-brown sauce to the pot. Add the cherries or raisins and thicken with sauce thickener or sour cream, if desired. Return the meat. Apple red cabbage and dumplings go well with it.