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Venison Heart Bulgogi Recipe: How to Make This Unique Korean Wild Game Dish

Here's a great venison heart bulgogi recipe from the team at MeatEater and Wild & Whole.

Korean food, and specifically the country's style of barbecue, has found its place as a popular style of cuisine we've taken to our American kitchens. Mix a little wild game into the soiree, and you've got yourself an adventurous new recipe to attempt.

Bump up the adventurous factor even more by using venison heart, either from a deer or basically any other hoofed big game animal, and you're going to discover something especially unique.

Since they just recently filled us in on butchering a venison heart, we'll again turn to the encyclopedic experts over at MeatEater, as well as the hands-on training of Danielle Prewett from Wild & Whole who carries us through the steps.

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Ready or not, here's one awesome wild game recipe you should try at least once before given it a full opinion.

To recap, there isn't a whole lot to this recipe when you really break it down.

Slice the heart meat into strips, and mix in the sweet and spicy marinade: honey, grated pear, fresh ginger, ponzu (or soy sauce), grated garlic cloves, yellow onion, and toasted sesame oil. Add some crushed red pepper flakes, and you'll be ready to let it soak.

Drain the juices, then toss it on the grill or stove top frying pan to cook to completion over medium to high heat. The cook time will vary depending on what style you go with.

After that just garnish it with green onion and sesame seeds and serve it. Those who try it for the first time will probably be surprised to learn it's venison, and even more surprised that it's heart. Traditional Korean bulgogi is made with thin slices of flank steak or some other cut of beef. You could also make this with another game meat cut, like venison backstrap.

Since "bulgogi" translates to "fire meat," it's worth it to consider making this over a true fire, or at least on a charcoal or wood-fired grill.

With each new recipe you add to your overall wild game cookbook, you're giving yourself yet another reason why harvesting game animals can be such a rewarding experience. This is one of the main dishes that should get heavy consideration.

NEXT: BUTCHERING DIAGRAM: DO YOU KNOW ALL YOUR DEER PARTS?

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