Raw

I had an odd "craving" today. More like an urge or inclination, than a "craving."

Today didn't start out as my best eating day. I started out good with some turkey stock, made from my Thanksgiving leftovers. Yummy, but not very satisfying. Then I ran out of the house without a lunch. I managed to "forage" for a cheese stick in the break room at work. Neither "meal" was very gourmet, to say the least. Then, on top of things, I ended up pulling an impromptu shift at the restaurant, which made getting home to dinner even later. Pile on to that, I forgot to take my venison out of the freezer this morning. What's a girl to do?

A thought crossed my mind. "Raw." I looked around my kitchen to see what else I had on hand. Some leftover gourds (mom's Thanksgiving decorations, actually.) The thought kept nagging on my mind. "Eat it raw, eat it raw." Could I? Should I?

My sister's boyfriend killed the deer. It was a younger deer, healthy. He and my dad skinned it, and I helped my dad do the meat cutting. It was a clean process. Why not?

I would have liked to have an entirely raw meal, but the squash was a bit too hard to dig into, so I steamed it long enough to soften. The venison I have is what we call the "backstrap." It's that line of muscle that runs along both sides of the spine. So basically it's two long strips of meat. I did a quick thaw in the microwave, and cut it into chunks.

For about 5 minutes I had an internal arguement with myself. Cook it, no don't cook it. Cook it, no don't cook it. The thought of cooking it just didn't sound appealing, as if a perfect meal would be ruined. I couldn't ruin this precious bit of venison, the only deer meat I'll have for a year to come.

After doing a quick google search to see what risks there are of eating raw, wild venison, I decided to go ahead with the thought. The meat was cool and tender. I seasoned it only with a sprinkle of salt, though really it was unneccessary. Now I'm thinking it would be tasty dipped in Dale's marinade. It felt so natural to be eating meat this way, as if I was having a favorite food that I'd not had in years. I only ate a small amount compared to my usual appetite, but I'm satisfied none-the-less.

I'm not sure I will eat venison raw very often. There are risks of parasites after all. I guess that goes for pretty much all under-cooked meat, which is how I prefer my steak. I do have a freezer full of grass-fed beef... that would probably be a bit safer. That I may eat raw when possible.

But be sure, I'm not recommending that anyone go out and eat raw meat. Typical meat bought at the grocery store can be loaded with bacteria. It's pretty much a given that you should never eat undercooked chicken or pork. I think unless you know absolutely 100% where your meat came from, you shouldn't take the risk. In this case, and in the case of my beef, I do. Also be sure, I will be paying close attention to my health for any symptoms of illness or infection. Maybe I've just watched too many episodes of House.

Really though, it was absolutely delicious. I couldn't ask for a better meal tonight, and I didn't even really have to cook!

Here, have a look: