Easy Venison Swiss Steak

This is the venison recipe every deer hunter eventually lands on. Lean, gamey venison steaks get slowly braised in cream of mushroom soup, sliced onions, and a few drops of Worcestershire until the connective tissue surrenders and the meat falls apart under a fork. The mushroom soup does double duty as braising liquid and gravy, and the onions melt into the sauce as they cook.

The technique is the whole game. Venison has almost no fat, which means it dries out fast at high heat or in short cooking. The fix is the opposite of what you’d do with beef. Cook it low and slow, with plenty of liquid, until the muscle fibers break down and the meat takes on a pot-roast tenderness. Adding water to the pan first and simmering before the soup goes in is a smart move. It pulls some of the gamey blood-iron taste out of the meat without sacrificing flavor. Worcestershire adds the subtle umami that lean game meat needs.

Kitchen Tips

• Pound the steaks lightly with a meat mallet before cooking. Mechanical tenderizing breaks the long muscle fibers that make venison chewy.
• Use a heavy lidded pan or Dutch oven for even, gentle heat. Thin pans scorch the soup and dry the meat.
• Don’t crowd the pan. Steaks need to lie flat in the liquid for even braising.
• Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice to catch the gravy.

Variations

• Add sliced fresh mushrooms or a splash of red wine to the braise for deeper, woodsy flavor.
• Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste with the soup for a richer, slightly tangier gravy.
• Cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours for set-and-forget tenderness.