Roast Venison with Spiced Wine Sauce
Sliced roast venison with a spiced red wine sauce and a sprinkling of salt
City/Region: England
Time Period: 1723
Gout has plagued people for thousands of years, but mostly the rich people. It often follows an indulgent diet full of red meat and alcohol, so for a long time only the rich had regular access to a gout-inducing food.
This recipe from 1723 is delicious, as well it ought to be as it flies in the face of the rules you should follow to prevent gout with venison (red meat) served with a wine sauce (alcohol). Venison is best when it’s not cooked past medium, and this recipe is tender and flavorful with the rosemary coming through. The sauce could really go on anything, and you could swap out the red wine for something different. Port would be delicious, though I would reduce the amount of sugar a bit.
I don’t expect most people will have a larding needle on hand, and I think you could probably skip the larding and still end up with a flavorful, tender dish.
“To roast a Haunch of Venison.
First lard it with Bacon, and stick it thin with Rosemary; then roast it with a brisk Fire; but let it not lye too near it; bate it with fresh Butter; then boil a Pint of Claret with a little beaten Ginger, Cinnamon and Sugar, with a half a dozen whole Cloves, and some grated bread; and when they have boil’d enough, put in a little Salt, Vinegar and fresh Butter; dish your Venison, strew Salt about the Dish, and serve it with this Sauce. ”
Ingredients:
Venison
- 2 lbs (1 kg) venison, I used tenderloin
- 1/8 lb (55 g) bacon fat, cut into strips about 3/4” (2 cm) long
- 12 or so small sprigs of fresh rosemary, each sprig still connected to a bit of the stalk so you can poke it into the meat
- 1/4 cup (60 g) melted butter
Sauce
- 2 cups (475 ml) red wine
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
- 6 whole cloves
- 1/4 cup (35 g) bread crumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 g) cold butter, cubed
Instructions:
- For the venison: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Trim any silver skin from the venison. This is the thin, shiny membrane on the meat. Pat the venison dry.
- Lard the venison by inserting the strips of bacon fat into it, distributing it evenly. There are different methods for this, but I got a special needle that helps me inject the fat into the meat.
- Poke the sprigs of rosemary stalk first into the meat every couple of inches.
- Place the venison on a wire rack over a baking sheet or roasting pan and roast for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature is about 125°F (52°C). It will be fairly rare, but if you cook venison much past medium, it gets really tough and gamey.
- Remove the venison from the oven, then remove the rosemary from the venison. Baste the meat with the melted butter. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
- For the sauce: In a saucepan, stir together the red wine, ginger, cinnamon, sugar, and whole cloves. Set it over medium heat and bring it to a simmer.
- Once it simmers, thoroughly whisk in the bread crumbs and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes. It should start to thicken, and it will get thicker the longer it simmers.
- When it’s to a consistency that you like, stir in the salt and vinegar. Take it off the heat, then stir in the cold butter until it’s fully melted. Pour the sauce through a strainer so that it’s nice and smooth.
- Slice the venison against the grain, drizzle the sauce over the meat and/or serve some on the side, give it all a generous sprinkling of salt, and serve it forth.
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