Did you know you can make an egg-free chicken fried venison? Follow along and see how it's done.
Most of the time, the phrase "chicken fried" wins you over, but as soon as you said chicken fried venison we were all in with both feet, a fork and a knife.
But if there a way to make an egg-free chicken fried venison? Wait, you say, isn't the egg wash a major player in this type of recipe? Any time we fry food, using an egg wash to hold the ingredients to the meat usually goes without saying, but hear us out.
After careful consideration (and remembering that my mom and grandma are in heaven watching me), I began to realize that not all chicken fried venison recipes are created equal. Certainly the only correct method involves your favorite smoldering cast iron skillet, your favorite spices, and some oil or "grease" to fry it all in, but you're still going to need an ingredient to hold it all together. Well, we've got you covered.
Get the meat mallet and the cutlets ready boys and girls because it's frying time! Nothing says comfort food like some crispy wild game with a side of mashed potatoes and brown gravy, along with your favorite cold beverage to wash it all down.
I just realized that I shouldn't be writing this on an empty stomach...
One thing that you're not going to want to do is to cut yourself short on a recipe like this. Make sure to use whole milk and high quality spices. Anything that could be considered low fat or overtly healthy ends up taking away from the flavor of the recipe.
Egg-Free Chicken Fried Venison
Any good country fried steak recipe calls for about 20 minutes of preparation and about 30 minutes of cooking time.
So can we eliminate the egg and still have a great meal?
The answer is yes, and it's great! First you'll have to start off with some of your hard-earned venison and any cut will do, even your revered loin or backstraps! Generally we use the more common steaks and that's great, but unless your deer processor already made you some cube steaks, you'll still need the meat mallet to get them flat. The flatter the better.
Once this is done, it's time to think about cooking it all. Design a resting place ready to drain the steaks when they are done frying, such as a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
And the big secret to replacing the eggs isn't so big after all: just use some quality buttermilk instead. Here's what it looks like in recipe ingredient lingo:
- 2 lbs venison steak
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups buttermilk
- Salt and pepper
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (used strictly to personal taste)
- Vegetable oil, shortening, or canola oil for frying
Using the assembly line method, you can place your milk and egg mixture in one bowl, and your flour and salt with a mixture of (for instance) black pepper, paprika, and cayenne in another.
It is then a simple matter of dredging the meat in the dry mix, letting it swim in the egg and milk mix, and then returning it to the dry mix for a final coat.
In a large skillet add the oil to a depth of about one inch, heating the oil to 350. Lightly season the steaks with salt and pepper and then into the flour mixture. Dip the cutlets in buttermilk and then dredge in the flour mixed with the paprika and cayenne again. This process is best when you work in a dry/wet/dry pattern. Stick to working with small batches and begin to cook your cutlets in the oil, turning once at about two minutes until golden brown.
Transfer to the baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain the oil. Cooked steaks can be kept warm in the oven if desired, but the paper towels must be removed first.
Now for the second part, and you're going to want to pay attention. Making gravy is like playing chess. Sure, you might win a game here and there, but are you really that good at it?
All kidding aside, it's just a matter of reducing the heat and pouring off all of the pan drippings except about 4-5 tablespoons. Here's what you will need:
- The leftover pan drippings
- 4 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- Salt and pepper
Add the flour and stir over the heat while it browns, then add the milk slowly for the desired consistency. It is always easier to thin the gravy by adding milk again than it is to thicken it by adding flour.
You left some crunchy pieces in the skillet, right? Because that's the best part! Salt and pepper it to taste.
Put the marinade away this time folks, because your deer meat has never been happier! As said, this is a recipe that is as heavy on great eating as it is on calories, but it's a rite of passage for those that love a great meal.
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