Grilled Venison Steaks & Jalapeño Cowboy Butter

Personally? I think this Jalapeño Cowboy Butter would be excellent on just about anything! But it really, truly makes venison steaks sing. We use a simple marinade with our steaks to give the compound butter the spotlight it deserves. And the lean cuts of wild game complement the butter fat in a way that isn’t overwhelmingly rich; plus, you don’t feel like a glutton for enjoying every last bite. We served ours last night with a simple mixed green salad and roasted potatoes because they also work beautifully with the rich butter; in the summer, we’ll substitute corn on the cob. And although we poured wine—which worked perfectly—I want a do-over with a tart margarita on the rocks and a little Willie Nelson on the Sonos. Counting the days….

Oh, and leave yourself time to thaw the steaks and to marinate. Venison is again quite lean, and the process helps tenderize the meat. We throw ours into a large Ziplock baggie along with the marinade and let them do their thing overnight. By the time we’re ready to grill the following evening, they’re ready to roll.

Grilled Venison Steaks & Jalapeño Cowboy Butter (Serves 4)

Ingredients

4 venison steaks, fully thawed; 4-8 oz. each (of course, a full or half loin would work too)

Marinade:

1/4 c. olive oil

Zest & juice of 1 lime

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. course salt (we really like hickory-smoked salt with game)

Jalapeño Cowboy Butter:

1 full stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)

2 Tbs fresh parsley, minced

1/2-1 jalapeño pepper, seeded & minced (Peppers vary in terms of heat so you’ll need to decide. Start slow, you can always add more.)

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

4 dashes Worcestershire

Salt only if desired. Just taste first.

Directions:

The Marinade: Simply dump all ingredients into a large Ziplock bag along with thawed venison. Marinate in the fridge overnight. We do turn the baggie now and again throughout the following day to ensure both sides are evenly coated.

Jalapeño Cowboy Butter: Prepare this butter in advance so that it can sit in the fridge for at least a few hours, allowing the flavors to meld. To prepare, I simply pull the butter in the morning to allow it plenty of time to soften. Then, prepare and mix butter with all ingredients. Once well blended, I roll the butter within a piece of Clingwrap into a log shape, twist both ends closed, and store in the fridge for 2-3 hours minimum. Leftovers stored in an airtight container can last a week or so and are wildly versatile (think atop a baked potato, grilled fish, roasted veggies…..)

Preparing the Steaks: I hesitate to give much in the way of directions with the venison, beyond saying that marinating overnight is critical. But because wild game cuts can vary so dramatically by size, it is difficult to provide actual cooking directions. For example, last night, our steaks were from a rather small deer and as a result, were quite thin. So we grilled them for only a matter of minutes. Once we pulled them, we allowed them to rest with slices of the cowboy butter on top.

The following are good guidelines:

A hot grill at about 500° allows the steaks to develop a good sear.

Count on perhaps 3 min per side for thin steaks (< 1″ thick) and closer to 5 min. per side for thicker steaks (> 1″ thick)

Instant-read thermometers are quite useful for wild game. 125° internal temperature for medium-rare; 130° internal temperature for medium.

Allow for a 10 min. resting period after pulling from grill.