Cooking surfaces
BBQ Temperature
Main ingredient
Cook Type
Roast
Traditionally the venison is surrounded with mushroom duxelles and prosciutto. I also have a recipe using chicken liver pate, spinach and prosciutto, which is my preferred way to serve it and a favourite with friends and family that have eaten it.
The venison I used in this recipe was from one of the Big Green Egg dealers, Gog Magog Hills Farm. One of the other Big Green Egg dealers, Chart Farm, rears its own venison and sells online.
Ingredients
- 500g venison loin
- 1 pack prosciutto
- 1 pack pre rolled puff pastry
- 1 beaten egg
- Either Duxelles or chicken liver pate (see below)
- Spinach leaves (optional)
For the duxelles
- 50g butter
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 400g chestnut mushrooms, very finely chopped in a food processor
- 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp brandy
For the chicken liver pate
- 50g slightly salted butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped finely
- 225g frozen chicken livers, defrosted
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbsp brandy
Method
For the Duxelles
- Melt the butter and add the shallot and garlic and sweat down gently.
- Finely chop the mushrooms, I find this is best done in a food processor.
- Add the mushrooms to the onion and garlic and fry down. This will take about 20 minutes.
- When all of the liquid has been evaporated out of the mushrooms and you are left with a paste, add the thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Take the duxelles mixture off the heat, add the brandy and put in a bowl.
- Cool in the fridge (preferably overnight).
For the Chicken liver pate
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the bay leaves, onion and garlic. Cook slowly to soften the onion and garlic.
- Add the thyme leaves once the onions have softened.
- Drain off any liquid from the chicken livers and add to the pan.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’re looking to just cook the livers.
- Remove the bay leaves and move the cooked mixture to your food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add the brandy and salt and pepper to taste.
- Place in the fridge to set in a bowl covered with cling film.
For the Venison Wellington
- Light your Egg and get it to 220°C with the half moon cast iron griddle directly on the stainless grid.
- Sear the outside of your Venison loin turning regularly, you’re just trying to get some colour, not cook the loin.
- Once the loin has colour return it to the fridge to cool thoroughly.
- Place a piece of cling film on your kitchen surface and place the slices of prosciutto on top. Make sure the pieces overlap by about 1/3.
- Now add the pate of your choice, covering within 1cm of the edges of the prosciutto.
- Optionally cover the pate in a layer of spinach leaves.
- Add the cooled venison to the long edge and use the cling film to roll the pate and prosciutto around the loin, keeling it tight.
- Fold any spare prosciutto around the ends of the loin.
- Now carefully remove the cling film and add the roll to your puff pastry.
- Roll the pastry tightly around the venison.
- Place the roll seam side down, on greaseproof paper on a baking tray, tucking the ends under.
- Run the back of a knife over the pastry to pattern it but not cut it.
- Egg wash your Wellington.
- Setup your Egg at 200°C in an indirect setup (plate setter feet up, stainless grid on top).
- Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
- Serve slicing 1.5cm slices, the venison should be pink.
Notes
If you don’t have the half moon cast iron griddle then use a cast iron pan on your Egg. Just remember the handle will get very hot.
If you want a little bit of kick you can coat your venison loin after it’s seared and cooled with english mustard.