Wild Venison with Grilled Fennel & Pumpkin Mash

LET’S GO

PREPARATION

Deer is the most common wild game and weighs up to 45-55 lbs each. Wild venison leg is especially lean and tender and has a very aromatic taste on the Otto Grill. We chose wild venison leg that is packaged in 400 g portions and has all bones removed – perfect for quick preparation on the grill.

1. Clean the Meat

   Before you prepare the wild venison leg, remove all unwanted tendons and connective tissue from the meat. The best way to do this is with a long, pointed knife. Then, let the venison meat come to room temperature and in the meantime, prepare the side dishes.

   
   
   



2. Port Wine Sauce

   Begin by preparing Juniper Port Wine Sauce. To do this, first gently squeeze the allspice grains and juniper berries in a mortar. Finely chop the onions and quickly chop the fresh rosemary. Then, melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the allspice, juniper, onions and rosemary on medium to high heat for 3-4 minutes. Next, deglaze with port and simmer to 1/3 the volume. Then add the stock and beetroot juice and let it reduce without the lid. Once the sauce is boiled down to about 250 ml, pour it through a fine sieve into another saucepan and squeeze the spices well. Finally, season the sauce with salt and pepper and keep it warm on the stove at a low temperature.

3. Prepare Butternut Pumpkin

   While the Port Wine Sauce is simmering on the stove, it’s time to prepare the vegetable side dishes. Wash the butternut pumpkin well and cut it in half. Then, remove the pumpkin seeds from the inside – this is best with a large spoon – and cut about 1 cm thick slices from the pumpkin. Tip: you can keep the pumpkin seeds and roast them for delicious and crunchy topping.

4. Prepare Fennel

   To prepare the grilled fennel bulbs, wash them well and remove the stems. Next, cut the fennel into 8 mm thick slices. The fennel greens should be chopped finely and saved for the final dish garnish.

GRILLING

1. Heat your Otto Grill

   Heat up the Otto Grill for about 10 minutes at maximum temperature. Remember to take out the grill grate before heating so that your leg of venison does not already cook from the hot grate.

2. Grilling the Pumpkin

   Start by heating the pumpkin slices with olive oil. This prevents the vegetables from sticking to the grill and from drying out while grilling. Then, put the slices on the cold grate. Once your top heat grill is hot enough, you can start grilling. Place the Meat-o-Meter to level 5 and broil the butternut squash for about 5 minutes on both sides over medium heat until lightly browned. Then, take the grilled pumpkin from the Otto Grill out and put it into a bowl.
   At this point, remove the skin from the grilled pumpkin slices – it should be easy to take off. Then, roughly mash the pumpkin with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to finish off your simple pumpkin puree from the grill. If you kept the pumpkin seeds, you can toast them alongside the pumpkin and top the mash with them.

   
   
   



3. Grilled Deer Leg

   Now you will prepare the deer. First, activate the Powerboost of your Otto Grill and wait until the lights turn red. In the meantime, put the meat on the cold grill grate. Once the grill has heated up, set the Meat-o-Meter to level 2 and grill the leg of venison for 1-2 minutes on both sides at 1500°F. Easy grillin! Now you have your leg of venison and it can rest as it reaches your desired level of doneness.

4. Grilled Fennel

   Before you grill the fennel, cover it on both sides with some olive oil and add the salt and cane sugar. Then, place the aromatic tuber on the grill. The grilled venison leg you just finished grilling can be placed on a small board and left to the side as you wrap up these last steps. Now, place the oiled fennel slices on the cold grill and place the Meat-o-Meter to the lowest level, level 5. At moderate to low heat, grill the vegetables for 3-5 minutes on both sides until lightly browned.

   
   
   



5. Grilling Wild Venison Leg

   Now it’s time to prepare your autumn wild game recipe. Cut the grilled deer leg into thin slices, and arrange them together with the pumpkin mash and grilled fennel on a wooden board. Pour the port wine sauce over the meat and spread the chopped fennel greens as a colorful accent over the pumpkin mash from the grill. Finally, add a little salt and pepper over the grilled fennel and meat and let the feast begin. Otto Wilde thanks the Wilden Heinrich for these succulent venison legs!