Blog

I Tried Marinating Venison In Buttermilk – Here’s What Happened

Ethan Smith

January 19, 2025

465

venison soaked in buttermilk in a cast iron pan

Table of Contents

1 You hear people talking about soaking venison in buttermilk. But why? Does it work? I tried it and here’s what happened.
2 Does soaking venison in buttermilk work?
- 2.1 So…Should you soak deer meat in milk or buttermilk?
  - 2.1.1 Other recipes you may find helpful:

You hear people talking about soaking venison in buttermilk. But why? Does it work? I tried it and here’s what happened.

For YEARS people have been telling me to soak venison in milk or buttermilk before cooking it. Any time I put a post out on social media about why deer meat might taste *gamey* someone always comments “soak in milk overnight. Works every time.” Honestly, I never really got the hype.

Prefer watching a video over reading an article? Here’s the full experiment I did on YouTube!

After all this time, I decided to do a controlled study. I took venison chops from the same animal and cooked them the exact same way: salted, seared in a cast iron pan, basted in garlic, thyme and butter, rested for 10 minutes, finished with flakey salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. My variable was soaking 3 of the chops in buttermilk overnight prior to cooking.

Here’s what happened:

Why soak venison in buttermilk? What does it do?

People have been soaking venison and other proteins in milk or buttermilk for years. The claim is that the acidic or low ph level helps to break down the tissue to tenderize the meat while also ridding the meat of a powerfully “gamey” or wild/iron-like flavor.

I ultimately choose to work with buttermilk because it has a lower ph level than milk.

Why I was skeptical

I was mainly skeptical because of the marriage of flavor between venison and milk/buttermilk. It’s just not an inherently great pairing. My initial thought was “yes, I’m sure the acid in buttermilk can help tenderize the meat but wouldn’t you be better off using a marinade with flavors that complement venison? Like citrus or red wine.”. I’m in love with my All-Purpose Marinade (and still am after this experiment) so my thoughts were to stick with something like that instead of using a dairy product.

See also Hunting the Invasive Iguanas of Puerto Rico

The thought of getting all of the buttermilk off of the meat before cooking also seemed daunting. One of my biggest tips for working with any protein is drying your meat with a paper towel as best you can before cooking to get a great sear. So, this worried me, too. But, forth I went to the kitchen.

venison soaked in buttermilk on a cutting board after cooking

How to soak venison in buttermilk

To soak venison in buttermilk all you need to do is grab a zip-top bag or bowl with a lid and totally submerge the meat in the buttermilk. I marinated overnight, but 4 hours or so should do the trick.

Next, once the meat is marinated, remove it from the buttermilk and PAT IT DRY. You’re going to use up a few paper towels (or kitchen towels if you’re OK with that). BUT DO NOT RINSE THE MEAT. Just be very diligent and pat the meat dry with a towel. It will be fine and actually didn’t hinder the searing process or leave a weird taste behind at all. (are you starting to get the sense that this worked well for me?!)

Next, heat a cast iron pan or grill over medium-high heat. I prefer the cast iron method so I’ll talk about that here.

While your pan heats, salt the meat generously and pat it dry AGAIN with a towel. When the pan is hot, add some sort of high heat tolerant cooking fat (duck fat, avocado oil, etc) and add the meat to the pan.

Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chops. But, when you have a nice sear on one side (anywhere from 2-5 minutes) flip the meat. Then, add about 1-2 tablespoons of butter, smashed garlic cloves and fresh thyme to the pan. Tilt the pan to the side and baste the meat by spooning the butter and aromatics over the chops.

See also Increased Accuracy in the Turkey Woods: Vortex Venom Red Dot

Once the internal temperature reaches about 115-125F, remove the meat from the pan. If you’re grilling just flip and grill on each side for 2-5 mins. You do NOT want to cook venison over medium-rare. I like rare plus. Trust me and get used to cooking it this way.

Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Season with some fresh cracked pepper, flakey salt (or regular salt – just a pinch) and a little squeeze of lemon. You’re done! That’s all there is to it.

venison chops resting on a cutting board

Here’s how soaking deer meat in buttermilk works

The ph level in buttermilk helps to break down the tissue to tenderize the meat and aid in moisture retention resulting in potentially more tender and juicy meat. The protein found in dairy, casein, also binds to the meat potentially helping to rid the animal of a powerfully “gamey” or wild/iron-like flavor.

Does soaking venison in buttermilk work?

In short – YES! Here’s what I noticed after comparing plain venison and buttermilk soaked venison cooked in the same fashion:

The meat was more tender and retained more liquid making it plumper and juicer. The buttermilk soaked meat actually looked different than the control on the inside. It was visibly juicer (check out the video to see).
The flavor of the buttermilk marinated meat was more mild. I actually prefer the control group (plain, unmarianted) because the taste was fresher and a bit more *wild*, if you will. However, the animial I was working with was extremely palatable and perfectly cooked (if I do say so myself).
The meat did not taste poor due to being soaked in dairy! I managed to get off all of the buttermilk just by patting dry and there was not a residual flavor left behind.

See also 6.5mm Creedmoor for Coyote Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Coyote Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the 6.5mm Creedmoor a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for coyote hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the 6.5mm Creedmoor is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest coyote. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the coyote, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the coyote in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop 6.5mm Creedmoor Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a coyote in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the 6.5mm Creedmoor within the ideal range of suitable calibers for coyote hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is A GOOD CHOICE for coyote hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber 6.5mm Creedmoor Animal Species Coyote Muzzle Energy 2300 foot-pounds Animal Weight 30 lbs Shot Distance 100 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a 6.5mm Creedmoor? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a 6.5mm Creedmoor round is approximately 2300 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male coyote? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male coyote is approximately 30 lbs. [Click Here to Shop 6.5mm Creedmoor Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in coyote hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for coyote to be approximately 100 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the 6.5mm Creedmoor. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the coyote being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether 6.5mm Creedmoor is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest coyote - and to this question, the response again is yes, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is A GOOD CHOICE for coyote hunting. [Click Here to Shop 6.5mm Creedmoor Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting coyote to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

So…Should you soak deer meat in milk or buttermilk?

Here’s my conclusion. Soaking in buttermilk can help if one of the following circumstances is true for you:

You don’t like the taste of deer meat because you’re not used to eating it and you have a bunch of chops and steaks to use up and you like beef steak.
You harvested an older buck or buck in peak rut and the flavor is strong. Or really if you have an animal that just tastes really negatively different to you (maybe it’s diet, lifestyle) from past deer you’ve consumed.
Something went awry with your kill and you potentially didn’t execute swiftly enough.
You’re cooking for a group of people who are intimidated by the flavor of deer meat.
Something went amis during the field dressing or processing process (and the meat is still safe to eat).
You just want to switch things up because you’ve got SO MUCH deer meat on hand.

All in all, I’m pleasantly surprised by the results of this study. Will I always soak my meat in buttermilk? Nah. Will I do it again? Probably! I was impressed by the tender texture it resulted in most of all.

Thanks for humoring me and encouraging me to write this post! What should I test next? In the meantime, grab a copy of my cookbook, Venison Every Day, for more recipe ideas!

Other recipes you may find helpful:

Ground Venison Tacos
Venison Lasagna
Venison Chili
Venison Burgers
Venison Enchiladas
Venison Pasta Bake