Venison Steaks with Caper Sauce

After having several dishes with capers, I just knew this was a new ingredient I wanted to try using with venison steaks.  My family eats venison as our primary meat source as much as we can.  While it is a red meat, it is very very lean and my kids definitely prefer the taste and texture of lean meats.  My kids will actually pick venison over many other usual kid favorites.  But because we eat so much of it, I can get in a rut with my recipes.  (I will do another post more about the importance of how your venison is handled from the woods to the table and how each step affects the end taste, but even my extended family and guests who have tried my venison are surprised at how much it tastes like beef compared to their previous experiences with venison.)  This particular recipe is one that I think would do well with those big packages of assorted pork chops or cheap cuts of beef steak as well.

I start with defrosting my packages of venison butterfly chops or steaks (2 package of roughly 2 pounds each) in the microwave for 3 minutes.  Then I flip the packages over and microwave for another 2 minutes.  I let them rest for a couple of minutes, then remove from the packages and rinse well.  When rinsing, check for any blood clots or hairs that may have been missed during processing.  I set these aside on a plate and season well with garlic salt and pepper.

In a large deep frying pan, I melt a couple of tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.  Then I add the venison in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.  I let the steaks cook for about 4 minutes and then flip and cook the other side about 4 minutes - the inside will be medium at this point but the outside and the butter in the pan will just be starting to caramelize.

Meanwhile, I melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a small skillet.  I add a heaping tablespoon of capers and let them simmer for a couple of minutes.  Then I add half a can of diced tomatoes with the juice and continue simmering uncovered for a couple of minutes.  I whisk together a package of dry brown gravy mix and a cup of water and add to the tomatoes and capers.  I continue simmering this until the gravy boils for 2 minutes.

I add the caper sauce to the steaks, cover and simmer on low heat.  While the venison simmers, I cook a pot of rice according to directions.  By the time the rice is done, your venison will be tender and have absorbed the flavor of the caper sauce.  Serve your venison and caper sauce over the rice with a nice salad or favorite veggie for a side.  This takes a total of about 30 minutes and feeds a hungry family of 4.