Venison Medallions with No-Fail Sauce

These tender, juicy little bites of meat are full of flavor and adults and kids alike will love them.  Better yet, its fast and easy to prepare.  This picture is done with a venison tenderloin but I use this recipe with all cuts of venison steaks and even odd sized chunks of meat you may have intended to make into jerky or roasts - your cooking method will just be slightly different and I'll tell you how I do both.


What You Will Need:
About 2 pounds of venison
1/2-3/4 stick of margarine or butter
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Soy sauce
garlic salt and pepper

Tenderloin or Backstrap:


With the tenderloin or backstrap that are more delicate to cook and already very tender, I cook them whole and then sliced thinly when they are done and give them an extra toss in the sauce.

In a large skillet that has a lid, over medium, high heat, melt 1/2 to 3/4 of a stick of margarine (I like to use Blue Bonnet because it cooks more like real butter and doesn't get watery).  Add your meat to the pan and season lightly with the garlic salt and pepper.  Sear all sides of the meat for about 2 minutes or until it gets a little of the brown caramelization on the outside.  Turn heat down to medium-low drizzle 2 tablespoons each of soy and Worcestershire sauce over the meat.  Cover with the lid and let cook about 5 minutes until cooked to about medium.  I'm not great about telling how done thick meat is without slicing it so I like to make a slice at the thickest point.  The inside should still be pretty pink but not bloody raw.  Turn off your burner, flip the meat, cover and let sit about 3 minutes.  This will let it finish cooking without overcooking and some of the juices in the pan will be reabsorbed.  Slice thinly and give a toss in the remaining sauce before serving.


Steaks, Roast or Large Chunks of Meat:

If using steak, roast or other large chunks of meat, it will be more like little strips than medallions - just be sure whatever the cut to slice thinly across the grain so it will be more tender.  With steaks and roast chunks, I cut the meat into thin slices while still slightly frozen.  

In a large skillet that has a lid, over medium, high heat, melt 1/2 to 3/4 of a stick of margarine (I like to use Blue Bonnet because it cooks more like real butter and doesn't get watery).  Add your meat to the pan and season lightly with the garlic salt and pepper, drizzle 2 tablespoons each of soy and Worcestershire sauce over the meat.  Cover with the lid and let cook about 5 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, until cooked to about medium.  Turn off your burner, stir the meat again to coat with the sauce and let sit about 3 minutes.  The meat will finish cooking without being overcooked and will absorb some of the juice in the pan.

Regardless of which cut of meat you use, this is great served over rice, with roasted potatoes, with cheesy noodles or on top of a big salad (one of my husband's favorites in the summer and early fall when its hot out!).  This is also a great marinade if you have some gamey steaks - just melt the butter in the microwave and place the thawed meat, melted butter, and other ingredients into a glass dish or ziploc bag in the fridge for 24 hours.  When you cook it, just put the whole thing in the skillet and cook as you would above.  You can use a little water added to the skillet if there isn't much marinade left in the pan.