Venison Steak Frites with Bourbon, Wild Morel, and Mustard Sauce

This is where sous vide cooking shines! Venison and other wild game meat is notoriously lean, which in turn makes it extremely easy to overcook. Even when cooked well using a traditional cooking method, you will still be left with a ring of dry, overcooked meat on the edges. As a result, I cook sous vide venison steaks at a lower temperature than I would for any commercially raised meat. In this case, for a 1½” thick steak, cook for 60 minutes at 125°F (52°C). Any quality venison steak cut will work in this recipe. Trim all the fat and connective tissue from the steaks before cooking. Whenever possible I will try to pair wild game with other wild foraged ingredients. This bourbon, wild morel, and mustard sauce knocks it out of the park.

Author

Connor Gabbot

Prep Time: 00:15

Recipe Time: 01:00

Temperature : 125F / 51.7C

Ingredients

• **For the Steaks**
• 1 lb venison steaks, at least 1 inch thick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp neutral oil
• **For the Sauce**
• ½ cup fresh morel mushrooms
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 Tbsp crushed green peppercorns
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 fl oz bourbon
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp beef stock base, such as Better Than Bouillon
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• French fries, for serving

Directions

1. Attach an Anova Precision Cooker to a vessel of water and set the temperature to 125°F (52°C).
2. Trim the venison steaks of all fat and connective tissue and season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Place the steaks, garlic, rosemary, and butter into a vacuum-seal bag. Seal the bag, drop into the water bath, and cook for 1 hour.

Finishing Steps

1. Heat the oil in a heavy cast iron pan over high heat until just smoking.
2. Remove the steaks from the bag, pat dry, and brown on all sides. Don’t leave them in the pan for more than 90 seconds.
3. Rest the steaks somewhere warm and add the morels, shallots, green peppercorns, garlic, and black pepper to the pan. Sauté over medium until the shallots are translucent, about 90 seconds. Add the bourbon, bring to a simmer, and scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream, mustard, beef base, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Slice the steaks thinly against the grain and serve with the morel sauce and french fries.