Field To Table
There's something special about preparing food caught in the wild; a connection with nature that can't be bought in a grocery store. The time spent planning, scouting, tracking, and packing out your harvest makes how you prepare your meals all the more important, so we designed the Meatcrafter to make the field-to-table journey as seamless as possible.
Crafted from premium CPM-S45VN stainless steel, the 15500OR-2 Meatcrafter's blade is perfect for in-field tasks, with the toughness and flexibility needed to preserve the edge when contacting bone. Once in the kitchen, it's a fantastic processing tool for carving primals and, in the case of this recipe, turning a venison rib rack into perfectly portioned chops.
Justin Michau's Rosemary Venison
Ingredients
- Rack of venison
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- 1/3 cup butter
- Coarse salt
- Coarse pepper
- 1 bulb of fresh garlic
- Olive oil
- Instant-read thermometer
- Bonus - Pellet grill (for smoking butter)
Step 1
To begin, preheat your oven to 400°. Set your grill to low heat. If using a pellet grill, set it to "Low Smoke."
Step 2
Cut off the top of the garlic, about 1/4 inch or so. Drizzle the cut side with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in oven for about 45 minutes, or until garlic is beginning to brown and soften.
Step 3
Strip the rosemary leaves from the stems, then chop the rosemary and thyme coarsely. Add 1/3 cup butter, chopped rosemary and chopped thyme to a small cast iron pan. Move cast iron pan to grill (or pellet grill, to smoke) and cook for 15 minutes, allowing the butter to melt and absorb flavors.
Step 4
In the meantime, slice the venison between the bones, creating backstrap chops. Lightly drizzle the chops with olive oil, generously season with salt and pepper, then let them sit for 5 minutes. Before cooking, pat dry to remove excess moisture.
Step 5
Bring your grill or sear box to medium-high heat. When your grill is up to temp, place chops on the grate, flipping occasionally to cook both sides. Venison chops are super tender when cooked properly, so we want to aim for an internal temp of 115°-125° for rare to medium-rare chops, about 2-5 minutes per side.
Step 6
Once the chops reach your preferred internal temp (check with your thermometer), remove from heat and allow them to rest for 10 minutes to your desired doneness. Gently crush roasted garlic with a fork or fingers and spread over the chops. Spoon smoked butter sauce over your finished chops, serve with your favorite sides, and enjoy!
