Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post about making deer meat appetizers, based on your instructions. I tried to keep it casual and focus on the practical steps I took.
Deer Meat Appetizers: My First Try (and How It Went!)
Alright, so I had some deer meat in the freezer – a gift from my brother-in-law after his last hunting trip. I was tired of just making chili with it, so I decided to try some appetizers for a get-together with friends. I had this idea stuck in my head and just had to try it.
First thing I did was pull the deer meat out of the freezer. It was a pretty big chunk, probably around two pounds. I let it thaw in the fridge for a day or so. You gotta do this slowly or it gets all weird.
Next step? Slicing. This was tricky. I wanted thin slices, but the meat was still a little firm, not quite fully thawed. I used my sharpest knife and just took my time, trying to get even slices about 1/8 inch thick. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, nobody’s perfect, right?
Then came the marinade. I didn’t really follow a recipe, just threw some stuff together that sounded good. I whisked together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, a little Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Poured it over the deer slices in a ziplock bag, squished it around to make sure everything was coated, and threw it in the fridge for about 4 hours.
While the meat was marinating, I prepped the other stuff. I wanted some kind of bread or cracker base. Ended up grabbing a baguette from the store. Sliced it into thin rounds and toasted them in the oven until they were golden brown and crispy. Kept a close eye on them though, they burn easy.
I also diced up some red onion and got some goat cheese ready. I figured the tangy goat cheese would go well with the deer meat.
Once the deer meat was done marinating, I heated up a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. I didn’t want to overcook the meat, so I just seared it quickly on both sides, maybe a minute or two per side. The goal was to get some color on it without making it tough. I pulled it out and let it rest for a minute before slicing it into smaller pieces.
Finally, time to assemble! I spread a little goat cheese on each toasted baguette slice, topped it with a piece of seared deer meat, and sprinkled some diced red onion on top. Arranged them all on a platter and BAM! Deer meat appetizers.
Honestly? They were pretty good! The deer meat was flavorful and tender, the goat cheese added a nice tang, and the red onion gave it a little bite. Everyone seemed to enjoy them, and they were gone pretty quick. I would totally make these again, maybe experiment with different toppings next time, but I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. I even impressed myself a little bit. Making appetizers is really fun, and you can always make it your own by just trying it!
