311 Venison Like an Executive Chef with Corey Fletcher | Evergreen Redux

Originally released January 25, 2014 | Big Buck Registry Episode 031

You've spent countless hours scouting, hunting, and finally putting a deer on the ground. But what happens after the harvest? Are you getting everything you can out of that venison?

In this Big Buck Registry Evergreen Redux episode, we're heading back to 2014 for one of our favorite conversations about wild-game cooking, featuring New Hampshire executive chef, culinary instructor, and fellow deer hunter Corey Fletcher.

At the time of the original recording, Corey was the executive chef at Granite Restaurant and Bar in Concord, New Hampshire, and a culinary instructor at Southern New Hampshire University. Unlike chefs who simply prepare wild game, Corey understood venison from both sides of the equation—as a professional cook and as a hunter.

Alongside Jay Scott Ammann and Dusty Phillips, Corey takes us through the deer, cut by cut, sharing professional kitchen techniques that hunters can put to work at home.

In this episode:

Why great venison begins in the field, long before it reaches the kitchen.

The three fundamentals of excellent venison: meat quality, cooking technique, and seasoning.

How to prepare tenderloins, backstraps, steaks, and roasts.

Why different cuts demand different cooking techniques.

What actually makes venison taste "gamey"—and how handling and preparation influence flavor.

Dry rubs, marinades, spices, and the secret to properly seasoning venison.