TikTok recipes for Florida's deer hunting season, What is venison whiskey?

Florida’s deer hunting season has already kicked off in some areas of the state, but the bulk of deer season is yet to come.

There are still months of deer jerky, venison burgers, grilled backstrap and tenderloin and any other venison dish you could dream up. There’s even a venison whiskey you can buy.

Whether you’re not even sure what venison is or you’re just looking for some new recipes for your freezer full of deer meat, here’s a breakdown on how to cook deer meat and what you can make with it.

What is cooked deer meat?

Cooked deer meat is called venison. The name comes from the Latin verb for “hunt,” venari. Venison can sometimes mean boar, hare, goat and antelope meat, but is most commonly just used to refer to deer meat.

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What does deer taste similar to?

Deer meat tastes very beef-like and isn’t very gamey at all. Like beef or pork, there are different cuts of venison and plenty of ways to cook each cut.

Deer ribs are not as fatty or tender as pork ribs but they make for a great stock, according to a TastingTable interview with Alabama Chef David Bancroft. Venison neck, which is often overlooked, works well for birria and curry. You can make tartare or pan-sear medallions for fajitas or sandwiches with venison top round, or the rump.

And of course, the favorite cuts of venison for most hunters would be the backstrap, or loin, and the tenderloin. Both are really lean cuts of meat, but the tenderloin is – as its name suggests – especially tender.

"The tenderloin is the best possible introductory piece of venison for people who say they hate game meats,” Bancroft told TastingTable. “You just marinate it, skewer it, and fast-cook it.”

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What is Deerslayer Venison Whiskey?

Deerslayer Venison Whiskey, described by the distillery that makes it as “weird,” is exactly what it sounds like: a whiskey distilled with smoked venison.

“It's a three year old wheat whiskey that was distilled with smoked venison seasoned with autumnal ingredients from New Hampshire, including porcini mushrooms, cranberries, juniper berries, and green peppercorns,” according to Distiller.com, where the one person who reviewed the deer meat-soaked liquor gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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Want deer meat for dinner? These TikTok recipes might help you out

"My wife hated venison until she tried this," TikTok account @tiktokdadjokes posted along with a recipe for cast iron pan-seared venison with a blueberry, Dijon mustard compote.

In the next recipe, TikToker @makeitmaddyk takes a page out of Chef David Bancroft's book and slow-cooks neck meat to make juicy birria tacos.

Dan-O's Seasoning is on TikTok and posted a recipe last deer season for a perfectly-seared deer tenderloin, made with Dan-O's Seasoning, of course.

This recipe, posted in 2021 by TikTok account @lp_outdoors makes a take on Krystal sliders, made with ground venison.

The last recipe incorporates bacon. TikToker Katie Van Slyke (@katievanslykebackup) posted that she likes to eat the tenderloin, or "the filet mignon of the deer," wrapped in bacon. Wrapping dear meat medallions, backstrap and venison tenderloin in bacon is fairly common. But Chef Bancroft warns against wrapping backstrap in bacon for a variety of reasons.

From how juicy and pink Van Slyke's tenderloin looks, this cut of venison doesn't seem to run into the same problems.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: How to cook deer meat: Here are 5 TikTok recipes for venison