Game

Double-Cut Wild Caught Venison Chops with Plum and Guajillo Chile BBQ Sauce

July 31, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I am a big fan of ranch food. I especially like the idea of California Rancho food. Somehow it seems as though this form of home cooking is being lost. Maybe I am wrong and those who reside in CA, by all means, tell me different. I like the sweet, sour and heat of this sauce which goes great with tender young venison but would be equally at home with grilled chicken. —thirschfeld

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Ingredients
  • 4 double-cut Frenched venison chops
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup yellow onion, minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1/2 pound small red plums, grand rosa would be nice, pits removed
  • 6 guajillo chiles, (these are dried) stems removed and seed, then cut into thin strips
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons honey, a light variety prefered
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Directions
  1. Season the chops with salt and place them on a wrack and put them in the fridge.
  2. Place a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat add the chiles and toast them lightly. Remove them from the pan and then add the olive oil and onions to the pan. Sweat the onions until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and plums and then season with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. Once the plums begin to give up their juices add the chiles, water, brown sugar, honey, cider vinegar and tomato sauce.
  3. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer until the chiles are softened. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool.
  4. Place the sauce into the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Place a strainer over a bowl and pass the sauce through the strainer to remove any chile skins, plum skins and seeds. Rinse the sauce pan and place the sauce back into the pan.
  5. Heat your grill for direct heat grilling. Season the chops with fresh ground pepper. Grill the chops to rare and remove them to let them rest for 10 minutes. While they are resting warm the BBQ sauce and taste it. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Put the chops back on the grill and finish the chops by cooking them no further than medium or the venison will be dry. Plate and serve immediately.
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17 Reviews

Jack August 13, 2020
Your recipe is excellent. With that said, venison is never "caught." It's killed with rifle or bow or commercially pen raised and slaughtered. Never "caught", that's for fish.
thirschfeld August 13, 2020
I hope you made it. It is an excellent recipe. Have a great day.
boulangere March 28, 2011
Well, I'm a bison person as you know, and I'm also from CA. I could see this on any fine/rustic menu anywhere at all, sir. Your photo is GORGEOUS! Seriously this is magazine cover stuff! Also seriously, I'd love to give this a go with bison. I love your range of flavors and presentation. A+
boulangere March 28, 2011
If I can't find guajillo chiles, what would you suggest?
thirschfeld March 28, 2011
Thanks. This would be great with buffalo. Anchos or New Mexicos would work just fine
Chef T. March 28, 2011
dish looks awesome and I bet it tastes better!
thirschfeld March 28, 2011
Thanks chef
Kitchen B. August 4, 2010
I ? the diamond griddle patterns and the way the venison chop begs to be held by the tiny twin bones and chomped. In the autumn we love red-wine poached pears with venison
thirschfeld August 4, 2010
I have a couple of pear trees and this will be the first year they are producing pears. I plan to make poached pears with a Belgian beer I just haven't decided which. Do you add sugar to your pears that you serve with venison? Oh and my wife's best friend lives in Amsterdam and one of my friends lives in Haarlem. We get to the Netherlands about every 2 or 3 year. Love the country.
WinnieAb August 3, 2010
So beautiful...looks and sounds like it belongs in a cookbook :)
thirschfeld August 3, 2010
Thanks WinnieAb. Question do you ever use whey as a starter for lacto fermentation?
WinnieAb August 4, 2010
I have used whey, yes...but I kind of got away from that and just started using more salt.
It does work well, though. How is all the lacto fermenting going? I just made a batch of cortido (a latin american sauerkraut)...was very good.
AntoniaJames August 6, 2010
I used whey to make my last batch of pickles, and liked the results much better. They don't taste as salty!! ;o)
mrslarkin August 3, 2010
Sounds delicious and looks fantastic, thirschfeld. Are you a hunter, too??
thirschfeld August 3, 2010
Yes I do hunt but I only hunt a couple of things. I don't own any camo if that tells you anything I am sort of old school about it.
thirschfeld August 3, 2010
Thanks. I am a big fan of venison as well. Oh and make the sauce now and use it for grilled chicken.
MyCommunalTable August 2, 2010
Love venison. My brothers are big hunters and age, and cut their own venison. Love your take on this. Plums and chili, great combo. I will tag this recipe for when I get my chops this fall from them. I just have to make this sauce ahead of time. Sounds great. It's a winner in my book.