These hearty chops are ample and satisfying, and just one is a plentiful serving per person. Here, venison’s traditional forest pairing with juniper is combined with other flavorful aromatics—cloves, allspice, and star anise—to create a subtle and fragrant combination. Venison is a lean, nutritious meat and, because it has less fat than beef, it’s best served medium rare.
Not a hunter?
Don’t worry if you don’t have access to wild venison. While in most jurisdictions, the sale of wild meat is prohibited, farmed venison meat is available at specialty butcher shops and will work equally well in this dish.
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This recipe originally appeared on alive.com as “Roasted Venison Rack with Cloves, Juniper, Allspice, and Star Anise.”
Roasted Venison Rack with Cloves, Juniper, Allspice, and Star Anise
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Ingredients
- 12 juniper berries
- 8 whole allspice berries
- 5 whole cloves
- 3 whole star anise
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs venison rack
- 16 whole green onions outer layer removed
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Using spice grinder or mortar and pestle, crush juniper berries, allspice, cloves, and star anise. You can also use a coffee grinder or small food processor to blitz for a second or two.
- To sealable glass container large enough to accommodate venison rack, add blended spices, garlic, black pepper, salt, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Lay venison rack into container and rub on to coat all sides. Seal container and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
- Half an hour before cooking, remove container from refrigerator to bring to room temperature. When ready to cook, remove from marinade and pat dry, being sure to remove any large pieces of garlic.
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- To large cast iron pan, add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and heat on stovetop over medium-high. When oil begins to shimmer, add venison and sear on each side over about 4 minutes total. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 17 to 20 minutes. Place venison on platter and tent with a bowl. Do not wash out cast iron pan: set it aside. Allow venison to rest for 10 minutes. For medium rare, aim for a temperature of 130 to 135 F before/after resting.
- Meanwhile, on platter or board, lay parsley out.
- Just before resting period has elapsed, warm up cast iron pan on medium heat and add green onions. Toss to wilt and add any juices that have accumulated on resting platter. Add red wine vinegar and stir rapidly. Slice venison into chops. Roll edge of each chop in parsley to coat and place on individual plates. Divide green onions among plates.
