PREPARING VENISON PROPERLY ENSURES THE BEST QUISINE

JEFFERSON CITY -- After sending antlers to the taxidermist, some hunters despair of turning the remainder of trophy deer into first-rate table fare. But if you keep the following tips in mind, any whitetail can enrich your menu.

Back to the grind.

Old deer tend to be tough. Sometimes the easiest way to avoid rubbery meat is to grind it up into burger or sausage. Grinding twice-once with a medium screen and once with a fine screen-is most effective.

The kindest cut of all.

You can get some of the benefits of grinding with judicious cutting. When sliced across the grain into thin steaks, the loin and back strap of big deer can still produce dishes that require binding arbitration to divvy up. Even roasts from old deer can be cooked to reasonable tenderness if they are sliced across the grain in half-inch slabs before cooking.

Slow and easy does it.

Any cut of meat will be more tender if cooked slowly. The difference in tenderness of a roast cooked at 275 rather than 350 degrees is well worth the extra hour.

Take the fat with the lean.

Venison contains slightly more cholesterol than beef, pork or chicken, but it has far less fat. This makes venison a heart-smart dietary choice. It also means that cooked venison can be dry. But don't despair, the cure is easy.

Before Americans became cholesterol-conscious, they "larded" dry meats by putting fat on or in a cut of meat before cooking. Basting with bacon grease or putting chunks of salt pork inside a roast still works great if you don't have to watch your fat consumption, and you can use dry cooking methods like roasting or frying.

Wet plus wild makes diners smile.

For those who want to limit dietary fat, the key to juicy venison is moist cooking. Putting a roast in a crock pot filled with water and vegetables is an option for large cuts. Steaks, chops and cutlets can be cooked on top of the stove in a covered frypan, again with plenty of liquid.

The ultimate moist cooking recipe is stew. Parts of a deer carcass that normally would be too tough for any other use can be cut into one-inch chunks and used as the main ingredient for a hearty soup. The natural enzymes found in fresh vegetables, perhaps aided by a few teaspoons of monosodium glutamate (MSG) work wonders during several hours of simmering. Marinades do double duty. Soaking meat in various liquid concoctions before cooking can tenderize veteran venison while also reducing its gamy flavor.

Try this recipe from Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish & Game:

-- 3 to 7 pounds of chuck, round or rump roast

-- Cooking sherry or white vinegar

-- 6 bay leaves

-- 12 whole cloves

-- 1 tablespoon whole black pepper

-- 1 big onion, sliced

Place the venison in a bowl, cover with equal parts of dry wine or vinegar and water. Add the other ingredients. Refrigerate for one to three days, turning the meat several times. Remove the meat and sear on all sides in hot fat. Place on a wire rack in a covered roasting pan or baking bag and add a cup of marinade. Cook in a slow oven until tender, about three hours. Make gravy with the drippings.

Single copies of Cy Littlebee's Guide to Cooking Fish & Game are available to Missouri residents for $3.50 plus $2.22 shipping and tax from The Nature Shop, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.

Old Time Hunter's Venison Sausage Patties

2 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

3/4 tsp. mace

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

4 lbs. boneless venison, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes

4 lbs. boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut 1 1/2-inch cubes

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Sprinkle combined seasonings over meat cubes in a large bowl. Toss until well coated. Grind with a fine disc and shape into patties or stuff into sheep casings. Freeze in meal-size portions.

(Recipe from the complete Venison Cookbook by Harold W. Webster, Jr. Available for $19.95. Call 1-800-343-1583.)