Venison & Game Meat: Cooking Lean Cuts Without Drying Them Out
How to cook venison, wild boar and rabbit — the lean-meat rules, marinades that work, and where to buy game meat online in Australia.
Game meat — venison, wild boar, rabbit — is lean, dark and full-flavoured. The mistakes people make are all the same mistake: cooking it like beef.
The lean-meat rules
Game animals run for a living, so they carry almost no intramuscular fat. That means:
- Fast cuts, cook rare to medium-rare, and rest. Backstrap, loin, rump — hot and quick, pull at 52–55°C, rest 5–10 minutes. Past medium it turns dry and livery.
- Tough cuts, low and slow with added fat and moisture. Shoulder, shank, neck — braise 2.5–3 hours with stock, wine and something fatty (bacon, olive oil, butter).
- Add fat everywhere. Bard a roast with bacon or caul fat, finish a steak with a knob of butter, blend a little pork fat into game mince and sausages.
- Marinate the fast cuts. Oil, acid (red wine, juniper, balsamic), aromatics — 4–24 hours. It seasons, tenderises slightly, and replaces the missing fat.
The animals
Venison (deer). Australia's farmed venison is mild, clean and only faintly gamey — a good gateway. Backstrap for quick cooking, osso buco and shanks for braises, mince for game ragu and sausage rolls.
Wild boar. Darker and stronger than pork, low in fat, needs slow cooking or grinding. Excellent in a ragu or a rillette.
Rabbit. Delicate, lean, almost all white meat. Best jointed and braised (rabbit with mustard and cream is the classic) or the loins flash-fried. Easy to overcook.
Venison vs beef — nutrition
Per 100g, venison has roughly a third of the fat of a lean beef steak, similar or higher protein, and more iron. The flavour is more mineral and slightly sweet. If you like a good grass-fed sirloin, you'll like venison backstrap.
Where to buy game meat in Australia
Supermarkets don't carry it. We stock farmed venison, wild boar and rabbit on the game range, plus a mixed game box if you want to try a few, and bulk game for restaurants. Delivered across Sydney and Australia-wide.
Frequently asked questions
How do you cook venison so it isn't dry?
For fast cuts like backstrap and loin: hot and quick, pull at 52–55°C for medium-rare, rest 5–10 minutes. For shoulder and shank: braise 2.5–3 hours with stock, wine and added fat. Never cook fast venison cuts past medium.
What's the difference between venison and beef?
Venison has roughly a third of the fat of a lean beef steak, similar or higher protein, and more iron. The flavour is more mineral and slightly sweet, and only faintly gamey in Australian farmed venison.
Does game meat taste gamey?
Australian farmed venison is mild and clean with only a faint gamey note. Wild boar is stronger and darker than pork. Rabbit is delicate and mild. Marinades with red wine or juniper lean into the flavour; soy or citrus soften it.
Where can I buy game meat in Australia?
Game meat isn't sold in supermarkets. Mr Meat & Co stocks farmed venison, wild boar and rabbit, a mixed game box, and bulk game for restaurants — delivered across Sydney and Australia-wide.
Why add fat to game meat?
Game animals carry almost no intramuscular fat, so dishes can taste dry and lean. Bard roasts with bacon, finish steaks with butter, and blend pork fat into game mince and sausages to restore richness and moisture.