My in laws gave us more venison tenderloin the other day, and we decided to borrow from the basic idea of Mimi’s Grilled Venison Tenderloin (marination) while changing up the flavour profile and using a different cooking method. We built an earthier flavour into our marinade (compliments of porcini infused olive oil) and half braised/half pan-fried it instead of grilling. In the end, we had a totally different dish that was somehow just as tender as the original.
We served our venison over Sneaky Mashed Potatoes (Version 2) along side Shaved Brussels Sprouts. This would have also gone really well with the original Sneaky Mashed Potatoes, Rösti, Harvest Cauliflower Rice, Gorgonzola Mashed Turnip, and any number of roasted vegetables!
Time: 30 Minutes (Plus 2-8 hours of marination)
Ingredients:
- Venison Tenderloin Steaks
- Porcini Mushroom infused Olive Oil (Can use regular olive oil in a pinch too)
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Onion. We used a sweet onion, but red onion would be really good too.
Method:
- Dice your onion finely.
- Place your venison tenderloin steaks in a zip top bag with our diced onion, and drizzle in your oil. Pour in some Worcestershire Sauce and Red Wine Vinegar as well, squeeze the air out of your bag, and seal it. You want your marinade cover your venison, but the venison shouldn’t be swimming in it. Stash in the fridge to marinate.
- About a half hour before you’re ready to cook, remove the venison from the fridge to warm up to room temperature.
- Heat a pan over low heat, and when it’s hot, add your venison and all of your marinade and onions to the pan.
- Cook for about 18-22 minutes over low heat, flipping every 5 minutes or so to ensure even cooking.
- When your venison reaches a minimum internal temp (per FDA) of 145 degrees F, you’re good to go. We prefer 155 degrees F just to be completely sure of safety…and it won’t dry out since you’ve marinated sufficiently, and you’re essentially braising your venison in its own marinade.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
