5 venison recipes to try

Once deer season is over and your freezer is filled, it's time to enjoy that delicious venison. While it can be used in most recipes that call for beef, preparing venison is a little different.

Chris Hull is an avid sportsman, and a communications specialist with South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. He says there are many ways to prepare wild game, but the longer you cook it, the more dried out it gets, which can exacerbate the gamey flavor.

• READ MORE: Cooking wild game

"With deer, like with loins and back straps, get it to medium on high, high heat, get that grill good and hot first. There are always some worries about wild game and making sure it’s done enough, but there’s a line there where it’s done way too much," he says. "We experiment with certain things on how to cook it, but typically it’s high heat for short amounts of time."

Try these recipes with this year's deer harvest:

Venison with blackberry sauce

Juicy venison tenderloins are prepared in a skillet then topped with a sweet sauce made from blackberry preserves and honey.

• GET THE RECIPE: Venison with blackberry sauce

Prosciutto-spinach stuffed venison tenderloin

This dish is made by butterflying a venison tenderloin, stuffing it with spinach and proscuitto, and rolling it up to be grilled.

• GET THE RECIPE: Prosciutto-spinach stuffed venison tenderloin

Venison sausage focaccia

When having your deer processed, have some made into sweet Italian sausages. Enjoy them in this recipe or on top of your favorite pasta.

• GET THE RECIPE: Venison sausage focaccia

Venison chili

Who doesn't love a big bowl of chili on a cold day? This crowd-pleasing favorite is perfect for watching the big game on Sunday.

• GET THE RECIPE: Venison chili

Peppered venison with balsamic prune sauce

This flavorful dinner combines boneless venison loin chops with a balsamic prune reduction made with the skillet drippings.

• GET THE RECIPE: Peppered venison with balsamic prune sauce