I absolutely love a good Philly Cheesesteak. Tender steak,
chopped as it cooks on the flat top griddle, then topped with cheese and onion,
they are just about my favorite sandwich. Since we eat a lot of venison, I have
tried over the years to get that tender, but just a little chewy, texture out
of some of the tougher cuts from older deer.
I found the answer by accident. I was running some venison
through the coarse plate of my
Weston Realtree Grinder for some sausage. The
plan was to grind once, season, then grind again through a finer plate. After
seasoning, I decided to test fry a small batch to test for flavor. As I sampled
the cooked meat, I realized the texture was perfect for a good cheesesteak. We
have been making them like that ever since.
Since not many of us have a nice flat top grill in the
kitchen, a large cast iron skillet substitutes in a pinch. Keep the heat at
medium-high and use a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil to prevent the meat
from sticking to the pan. Sauté the venison in batches so that the surface of
the meat gets nicely browned, but don’t overcook, a few minutes in a hot pan is
plenty.
Serve the cheesesteaks with sautéed onions, sliced cherry
peppers, and melted American cheese. Do yourself a favor and go to a bakery for
good rolls. The perfect cheesesteak bread needs to have a little chew.
- Ingredients -
2 pounds venison, coarsely ground
salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, sliced and sautéed
6 good hoagie rolls
Cut the venison into chunks just small enough to fit the
meat grinder, then place the venison in the freezer to chill for 30-45 minutes. Run
the chilled meat through the coarse plate of your Weston grinder.
Pre-heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in
a tablespoon of vegetable oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom of the
skillet. Sauté the venison in small batches, evenly browning the meat on all
sides. Season to taste with salt, pepper and
Cavender’s seasoning. Wipe the
skillet and re-oil as necessary until all of the meat is cooked.
Fill the hoagie roll with venison, top with onions and
peppers, then lay on a couple slices of American cheese. The heat from the meat
and onions should be enough to melt the cheese.
