Don't grind up all that deer meat. Venison schnitzel is easy and versatile | Hunting

In a world of fast-food burgers, ho-hum chain restaurants and pre-packaged preservative-laden frozen meals, venison is Heaven’s bounty.

Venison is lean, heart-healthy, high in amino acids and vitamins, low in saturated fats, and one of my favorite ways to prepare it is frying it into schnitzel.

Schnitzel is a staple of German and Austrian diets and is essentially a breaded cutlet of meat, typically veal (wiener-schnitzel), pork (schweine-schnitzel), chicken (hänchen-schnitzel) or turkey (puten-schnitzel). Whatever the protein, it’s hammered flat, fried and spritzed with lemon. In the southern U.S., think country-fried steak or a large chicken patty. The names are different, but the  universal appeal remains.

Venison is a wonderful medium for schnitzel. In my opinion, too many hunters grind all their deer meat into hamburger, which does have its usefulness, or some disgusting jalapeño-cheddar linked sausage they like to inflict upon others during social gatherings. Whatever you want to call it, venison schnitzel is easy to make using a few simple steps.

One, the cut of venison can be backstrap or ham steak but must be thin, a half to quarter inch in thickness. You can pound this out with a mallet, or if you employ a processor, have them wrap cubed steaks. Shout-out to Becky Page with Whitetail Station in North Lakeland, who churns out the perfect cubed steak for these meals. Either way, I prefer to marinate overnight in buttermilk with salt, pepper and garlic. This further tenderizes the meat and helps bind the breading to the steak.

Next, construct an assembly line to bread the venison. This is a three-step process. Dredge the steaks in seasoned flour, soak in a couple of beaten eggs and then push into breadcrumbs. Repeat to totally coat the venison. Set each piece aside and allow the breading to bind with the meat. Refrigerating for 15 to 30 minutes speeds this process.

Finally, heat an inch of vegetable or canola oil to 350 degrees in a cast iron pan or other such instrument. Add the steaks and cook until golden brown, flipping each steak after a minute or two. Remember, venison is very lean and is easily overcooked. Remove the steaks to a wire rack or paper towel-lined pan to blot the extra grease, then hit each one with a healthy squeeze of fresh lemon. Voilà schnitzel.

But, being American and all, there's no need to really stop with lemons. If you accomplish this basic skill of frying these venison cutlets, other opportunities to indulge arise. Ladle with sausage gravy for Country Fried Steak. Jagerschnitzel calls for a mushroom gravy. Place a slice of mozzarella on top with a red sauce for Venison Parmesan. Toss in a wing sauce and cover with blue cheese crumbles for a Buffalo Venison sandwich.

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Then there's my latest masterpiece, Venison Chesapeake. This sinful schnitzel is topped with Blue Crab Imperial, an Old Bay cream sauce and cheddar cheese and simply disregards any notion that venison is heart-healthy.

So, in the future, rather than grinding all of your venison into sausage or burger, save some for schnitzel. It's easy, delicious, and, with a little creativity, can open some fun wild-game meals at home.

Ian Nance writes a biweekly hunting column for The Ledger.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Don't grind up all that venison. Turn it into schnitzel | Hunting