Venison Salisbury Steak
The first time I ever had Salisbury Steak was as a TV dinner. Needless to say, this recipe is far better than that Hungry Man I had in a freezing cold Ontario once upon a time.
First and foremost, this is comfort food, not fine dining, so don't overthink it.
The Steak
I like to use 10-15% fat for Salisbury Steak. Any more than that and you'll be pouring out fat before making the sauce. The other two essential ingredients for the steak are breadcrumbs and egg.
I prefer panko over standard breadcrumbs for almost everything these days, but if that's what you have on hand, go for it—absolutely nothing wrong with it. The egg holds the patty together; otherwise they fall apart quite easily.
I've played around with all of the seasonings over the years, but this is my favorite combination so far. If I accidentally improve upon it at some stage, I'll be sure to update this post.
The Sauce
The sauce is perhaps my favorite part of this recipe as I get to go wild. By that I mean using more wild ingredients.
I think one of the strongest additions is wild porcini mushrooms. Trust me, when you're out scouting, look for some mushrooms. You won't regret it.
I add 2 juniper berries just because I like to think I'm adding more wild to my sauce. Be careful if you're collecting these—not all are edible and some are toxic. Best to buy them from the store.
Cooking
Cooking this dish couldn't be easier. Brown the patties—btw, you should be using a cast iron or a carbon steel pan—but be careful because it's very easy to burn the breadcrumbs. Ask me how I know. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Start your sauce with the wild mushrooms and the water they were rehydrated in. I like to get the pan hot for this so they caramelize nicely. Then toss in the button mushrooms, same high heat.
Lower the heat and add the onions and butter, sautéing gently. Add the flour and make a roux.
At this stage you're probably thinking, "What the heck, I made a lumpy mess." Don't worry—it will look worse before it looks better.
Start adding the stock slowly. Now it looks worse, but keep going. Slowly add stock, keep stirring.
Eventually it will smooth out and begin to look like a sauce.
Add the berries, return the patties to the pan, and simmer until the sauce thickens, 10-15 minutes.
There you have it, a TV dinner homemade comfort meal.
Venison Butchering Diagram
Download my complete venison cut diagram showing every primal cut and the best cooking methods for each—from tenderloin steaks to ground shoulder.
VENISON SALISBURY STEAK
Ingredients
- For the Steak
- For the Sauce
Method
- If using porcini mushrooms, pour over half a cup of warm water and set aside to rehydrate.
- Add venison and all other steak ingredients to a bowl and lightly mix until just combined.
- Heat a pan over high heat with the oil.
- Divide the steak mixture into 4-5 equal balls, then shape each into an oval patty.
- Place patties on the hot pan and brown on one side, then flip and brown the other side. Set aside on a plate.
- Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms along with their soaking water to the pan and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the button mushrooms and fry for a further 5 minutes until softened and browned.
- Lower the heat and add the butter and diced shallots, sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add the flour and stir well to create a roux, cooking for 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
- Add the crushed juniper berries to the sauce.
- Return the patties to the pan and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the patties are cooked through.
This hearty venison Salisbury steak combines ground venison with rich mushroom gravy infused with juniper berries for a classic wild game flavor. The addition of dried porcini mushrooms deepens the earthy notes, while the shallot and butter roux creates a silky sauce.