Recipe: Basic (Awesome-tasting) Venison Steaks

I'll start off the recipes with this basic steak recipe. This is a great way to introduce yourself or a friend to venison. This is a can't-go-wrong way of cooking steaks, it's as easy as it gets, and will make the eyes of everyone at your table roll to the back of their heads.

Ingredients:
1 section of backstrap or 1 hindquarter roast
Allegro Hickory Smoke Marinade (or substitute your favorite marinade)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Prepare the meat. Cut into 1 1/2" steaks. Tenderize. Cover in marinade for 2 hours. Remove from marinade, salt and pepper to your liking. Cook on hot charcoal or gas grill, George Foreman grill, or hot cast iron skillet until medium rare. Remove from heat. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on each steak. Let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Serve with: Salad, baked potato, fresh aparagus, a good beer or red wine (merlot or shiraz), good friends.

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Hints:
Never cut a steak to see if it's done. This lets all the juices run out and you'll end up with dry meat. Learn to gauge doneness by the finger method (how tender it feels tells how done it it) or using a meat thermometer. Thermometers are cheap and will help you make perfect steaks time after time.
The olive oil drizzled at the end will help make up for the lack of fat inherent in venison. Don't drown the steak, just a drizzle will do.

Leftovers:
Keep any leftovers (if there are any!) in a baggie in the refrigerator. Saturday morning, cut the leftovers up into small cubes, toss them in a pan with a little bit of oil to heat them back up. Put them in an omelet with sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, and cheese.