Venison - The Shoulder

This is, perhaps, the most distinguished venison dish. Make rather deep incisions, following the grain of the meat, from the top, and insert pieces of pork about one-third of an inch square, and two inches long; sprinkle over pepper, salt, and a little flour. Roast or bake the venison before a hot fire or in a hot oven, about two hours for an eight pound roast; baste often. Serve a currant jelly sauce, in the sauce-boat.

Boast Haunch Venison

If the outside be hard, wash off with lukewarm water; then rub all over with fresh butter or lard, cover it on the top and sides with a thick paste of flour and water, nearly half an inch thick, lay upon this a large sheet of thin, white wrapping paper, well buttered, and above this, thick foolscap paper; keep all in place with greased pack-thread; then put in to roast, with a little water in the dripping-pan. Pour a few ladlefuls of butter and water over the meat, now and then, to prevent the paper from scorching. If the haunch is large, it will take at least five hours to roast. About half an hour before you take it up, remove the papers and paste, and test with a skewer to see if it is done. If this passes easily to the bone through the thickest part, set it down to a more moderate fire, and baste every few minutes with melted butter; dredge with flour to make a froth, and dish. It should be a fine brown by this time. Twist a frill of fringed paper around the knuckle.

For gravy, put into a sauce-pan a pound or so of scraps of raw venison left from trimming the haunch, a quart of water, a pinch of cloves, a few blades of mace, half a nutmeg, cayenne and salt to taste; stew slowly to one-half the original quantity; skim, strain and return to the sauce-boat when you have rinsed it with hot water; add three tablespoonfuls of currant jelly, two tablespoonfuls of butter, and thicken with browned flour. Send to the table on a platter. Serve with currant jelly. Venison steak and pie are cooked the same as beef.

Leg Of Venison

Wash a leg of venison and make an incision, and draw with salt pork. Put it in a crock and pour on it one pint of vinegar. Let it remain in this four days. It must be kept in a cool place. Turn it over every day. Take it out of the crock, put it in a dripping-pan, season with salt, pour on half of the vinegar the meat was soaked in, add six bay leaves, and one onion, cut fine, lemon peel sliced, six whole peppers, three cloves. Bake till done; baste often with melted butter; add half a pint of sour cream, and bake three hours.