I’ve known for a while about all the axis deer on Maui and Molokai multiplying like crazy. Farmers lose some of their crops because they get eaten by the deer. If they start to affect the forests, it will affect the water table and the ecosystem will change for the worse.
I used to serve Maui venison in the restaurant way back when — at first, to simply help by buying the venison meat surplus because they were trying to get rid of a lot of deer. I looked at it like cooking an invasive species whose quickly growing population needed to be reduced. I was recently reminded of that again when I met Micah Richards of Mauka Meats; he brought me a package of Molokai venison to sample.

The first question I asked was, “Can you eat it raw?” What followed was a detailed explanation of how the axis deer are killed, dressed and then inspected by a USDA inspector to get their stamp of approval. So, the answer was a “yes.” For me, venison should be cooked and eaten rare to medium rare and definitely not medium well or well done. When it gets too cooked, the gaminess comes out and it just reminds me too much of the overcooked calves’ liver they cooked back in my childhood days. It was a popular restaurant dish back then, usually served with onions and bacon. Everyone said it was good for you, but there wasn’t enough bacon you could serve me to eat with that liver.

I’ve also prepared venison tartare. It’s just like steak tartare, using beef which is a chopped up raw preparation usually seasoned with capers, anchovies, olive oil, parsley and a raw egg yolk at minimum. I made a “black and blue” venison salad. Black and blue means to sear the outside and keep the inside still raw, dice it and then season it. I can make a poke with it. I opened the package and saw what Micah called a backstrap, which to me is the loin. It was perfectly cleaned and looked like a log of red ahi. I took off some slices and everyone had an “au naturel” taste of it. It was clean tasting, not tough, tender and free of any smell or gaminess. I tried searing a few slices. Because it’s lean, you have to be careful with it. I always try something with no seasoning and not a hard sear on the first time. I want to taste the product in its simplest form to see what the taste is like and see how I start. The seared pieces were OK, but I preferred the raw slices. I then sliced the remaining log of backstrap like sashimi and proceeded to make ceviche with it. I salted the slices, squeezed fresh lime juice all over the top, sliced some onion really thin, chopped up some cilantro, then added my fermented chile pepper water. It was only a 60-second lime cure on the venison, so it was barely turning white and still raw on the inside. This is how I like ceviche. Guamanians and Filipinos also have their versions of cooking raw ingredients in acid like citrus or vinegar. Micah brought other cuts, including ground venison, so I cooked some up a couple of ways. In the end, it was not gamey to me, just very lean. In fact, the leanness means there is hardly any fat, less than 5%. That makes it a great alternative red meat product that is lower in cholesterol and saturated fats, full of vitamins and amino acids. Try putting it in your chili or burger, or treat it like you do hamburger curry.

I tasted Molokai venison that day, but more importantly, I saw that it’s not just about supporting a local product. It’s also important to put a spotlight on this growing problem. Supporting local also means buying local. The ecosystem, pastures, forests and people’s farms are all affected if the population of deer cannot be controlled. It is not sustainable nor responsible to just leave it alone.

I received the samples of venison so that I can get inspired to make a few dishes for my upcoming class. I’m still thinking, but I got reminded of the many things we did in the restaurant that spoke about our definition of sustainability. Chefzone is now selling Molokai venison by the way. Give it a try; you will also be supporting ecosystems on Molokai.