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To Stew Venison
480. Let the meat hang till fit to be dressed: then take out the bone, beat the meat with a rolling-pin, mix with some slices of mutton fat that has lain a few hours in a little port wine, sprinkle a little pepper and allspice over it in a fine powder, roll it up tight, and tie it; set it in a stewpan that will just hold it, with some mutton or beef gravy, not strong, half a pint of port wine, and some pepper and allspice; simmer it close-covered, as slowly as you can for three or four hours; when quite tender take off the tape, set the meat in a dish, strain the gravy over it, and serve with currant-jelly sauce. This is the best way to dress these joints, unless very fat, and then they should be roasted. The bone should be stewed with them.
A boned, rolled shoulder or haunch of venison, stuffed with fat and braised slowly in port and light gravy. The whole thing hinges on keeping the liquid below a simmer for the full three to four hours; venison has almost no intramuscular fat and turns to string the moment it boils.
- The hanging"Till fit to be dressed" means dry-aged in a cold larder, a step that once softened tough wild carcasses. Venison sold today, farmed or wild, has usually been hung already by the supplier; take it straight from the fridge.
- The cutThe recipe does not name the joint; the reference to "these joints," to be roasted only if "very fat," points to the leaner cuts rather than a prime haunch. A boned shoulder, roughly 3-4 lb, is a practical modern choice; it has the connective tissue that rewards a long braise.
- Mutton fatThe slices of fat are there because venison has none of its own. Mutton fat is hard to buy; beef suet, or thin sheets of pork back fat or unsmoked streaky bacon, do the same job of basting the meat from the inside.
- Tape, not stringCook's tape was a flat cotton binding tape, used because it does not cut into the meat as it shrinks. Butcher's twine works, tied at 1-inch intervals; kitchen tape sold for trussing is still available.
- Half a pint of portAn imperial half-pint is 10 fl oz, about 1 1/4 US cups. The quantity of gravy is left open: use enough to come halfway up the rolled joint, no more, or the sauce will be thin.
- Not strong gravyThe instruction is deliberate. A concentrated stock reduced over four hours with port would end up harsh and salty. Use a light unsalted stock and season at the end.
- TemperatureOn the stove, keep it at a bare tremble, no visible rolling. In the oven a covered pan at 300F holds the right pace with less watching. Test at three hours; farmed venison is often tender sooner than wild.
- The boneStewing the bone alongside is what gives the strained gravy body, since there is no flour in this sauce. Do not skip it, and remove it before straining.
- Currant-jelly sauceRedcurrant jelly warmed with a spoonful of the strained gravy and a splash of port. The sweet-sharp note is standard for venison and cuts the richness of the fat.
- YieldA 3-4 lb boned shoulder serves six to eight, sliced across the roll.