If you don’t know how to cook something that’s a little less common, Andrew Zimmern probably does. The chef, writer, and TV personality became a household name hosting the show “Bizarre Foods,” where he traveled the world sampling some of the most unusual dishes on the planet. He has since moved on to “Wild Game Kitchen,” although cooking game meat is something many still aren’t too confident about. This February, Zimmern is hosting three different events at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, but we caught up with him beforehand to inquire about how one should use marinades when cooking game meat.
“I think marinating delicately flavored game meats, especially hoofed animals, to be a huge culinary mistake,” Zimmern explains. “Don’t do it.” The celebrity chef further notes that this is especially true with leaner cuts, such as venison steaks. “Because the meat is lean,” he adds, “I will tend to do rubs more than liquid marinades.” When cooking flavorful venison steaks, rather than spending time marinating, his suggestion is to “rub salt/pepper and herbs on a piece of game meat and create a beautiful dish with a sauce.” Additionally, Zimmern advises that home chefs “rub chops and steaks for 6-8 hours.”
Avoid marinades when working with lean cuts
There are a few reasons most wild game cuts aren’t a good match for marinades. Because these animals are frolicing in nature and not fattening up in feedlots, wild game tends to be much leaner than your standard meats. Different cuts of venison could have as little as half the fat the equivalent cut of beef does. As Zimmern notes, this makes the flavor less rich and more subtle. Thus, strong marinades run the risk of overpowering the gamey flavor. Marinades can also make lean cuts mushy. “Fatty cuts take well to liquid marinades because they don’t over absorb the liquid,” the chef says. Considering that marinades don’t penetrate much past the surface anyway, the tradeoffs just aren’t worth it.
However, there are a few places you can marinate game meats if you so desire. “Wine and rosemary/thyme for working cuts of the animal is about as complex as I get,” Zimmern admits. Much like beef, these would be cuts from the deer’s legs that have plenty of fat and sinew, making them tough and more ideal for a marinade. Additionally, the chef notes that he will “marinate cubed venison for stew overnight in red wine for a braised dish.” Sounds like a master at work.
Catch Andrew Zimmern at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival between February 20-23, 2025, in Miami, Florida.
