Recipe: Venison with Blueberry Bourbon Sauce

Combine Bourbon and blueberries in this five-star treatment for your venison backstrap.

Meat
2-3 pounds of venison backstrap trimmed and ready for the grill

Blueberry Bourbon Sauce Ingredients
2 cups of fresh blueberries
½ cup bourbon whiskey (Good old Canadian rye whiskey can be a substitute)
½ lemon juiced
⅔ cup of white sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
½ cup water

1. The loin can be cooked whole or sliced into 1- to 1 ½-inch steaks. Sprinkle with Montreal steak spice of similar seasoning. Do not use anything to overpower the natural flavors of the venison.

2. Meat is to be prepared in a sizzling hot cast iron fry pan. Approximately 3 tbsp. of lard or olive oil is required to grease the pan. Sear back strap or steaks until rich brown, which normally takes about 2 minutes per side. I prefer to cook the meat as one piece, as it will hold the juices better and make it more flavorful. It is important not to overcook the venison if you want tender meat. Medium rare is ideal and anything done past medium will make meat tough.

3. Combine berries, whiskey, lemon and sugar in a small saucepan and heat to a gentle boil. Simmer the contents for 10 minutes until well blended, allowing the flavor and juice of the berries to cook into a sauce.  Stir carefully to keep berries from being crushed in the sauce.

4. To thicken the sauce, add corn starch and water and whip together with a fork. Add starch mixture to simmering berries. Maintain on heat until the mixture is well blended and consistent in texture. Use a spoon to see if the sauce is thick enough to stick to the metal surface and you’ll know it’s ready to serve.

5. When your meal is ready to serve slice the back strap into thin medallions or place steaks on serving plates and top each piece with several heaping tablespoons of the blueberry sauce.