I was a teenager when I experienced my first North Woods deer camp. It was a time of pure joy for any young hunter. Schools shut down for the week, everyone took off from work, and there was little stress — other than worrying about how many deer we might see, and if anyone would actually shoot one.

In preparing for the hunt, a few things were absolute necessities: a bubble compass for your hunting jacket, a Buck® knife, wool gloves and … a Zip-Lok® bag – just in case you were lucky enough to shoot a deer – so you could bring the heart back to camp for an opening weekend meal.

Most of the deer-camp traditions still remain, but somewhere along the line deer hunters in general have shied away from eating organ meats. I understand some of the reasons why people don’t partake in them, but honestly, unless you’ve had them, you don’t know what you’re missing. Organ meats, especially heart, are not only delicious, they are good for you (packed with iron and vitamins). Nutrients found in venison heart meat are beneficial to the brain and have been found to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, depression, and anxiety, according to a report in Medical News Today. Venison heart meat is also a great source of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). This is an antioxidant and can help treat and prevent certain diseases, particularly heart disease. Remember, everything in moderation is the key to any healthy life.

This is one of my favorite ways (actually the only way) to prepare venison heart. It’s stupid easy to prepare and makes enough meat for four good-sized sandwiches. 

Ingredients:

1 venison heart

6 cups water

8 ounces Craft Private Selection® Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Pretzilla® Soft Pretzel Buns

Directions:

This is one of the easiest ways to prepare a celebratory meal on opening weekend of deer season. Upon harvesting a deer, remove the heart, drain in the field as much as possible, and place in a plastic zip bag. Place the bag on ice during warm weather, or until you get back to camp. Once back at camp, use cold water to thoroughly rinse the heart. I’ve been in camps where guys go through painstaking steps to remove all fat, viscera and connective tissues from the heart. I don’t do that. I simply make sure the heart is thoroughly rinsed, and then I place it in glass bowl filled with ice water and let sit in the fridge overnight. By the next day, most of the blood will have soaked into the water, leaving the heart a pale pinkish color.

From there, simply place the heart in a slow cooker with 6 to 8 cups water (enough to almost cover it). Place on low heat. Cook (do not remove the lid) for 4 to 6 hours or until tender. With a see-through lid on the slow cooker, it’s pretty easy to see when the heart is done, because the meat will start to peel away.

Remove from heat. Allow 20 minutes to “rest” on a carving plate. Slice lengthwise in thin strips, removing non-meat parts as you go (again, very easy to determine). Place meat strips in bowl and cover with bourbon BBQ sauce. Stir the sauce into the meat, making sure it is well coated.

Place meat strips on fresh Pretzilla® buns (it helps to warm them up in the oven). I prefer to eat these sandwiches with no extra toppings, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to add a sprinkle of shredded Wisconsin cheddar, carmelized onions or any other desired topping. My favorite side dish is buttered brussels sprouts. They go with everything!

Oh, and be sure to have a cold beverage of choice to top off this excellent meal that should be shared with the details of the hunt from whoever brought the deer back to camp!

Watch our Venison Recipes playlist and our Butcher Shop series on our YouTube channel!