Braise Haze

As the ham is corning, I decided to delve into the world of the braise.  This was inspired by an incredible braised lamb shank I recently consumed during a convention in Orlando.  Unfortunately, my venison shanks fell victim to the space restrictions in my cooler for the flight home and were last seen in a freezer in Middle Ranch, far far from Rancho Highlife (sniff).  However, I was assured by several websites that a shoulder braise is perfectly awesome as well.  I created a conglomeration of several recipes from the web.  First the de-boned (thanks again FC) shoulder was sprinkled in kosher salt and cracked peppercorns and seared in bacon fat then removed from the pan.

A mix of carrots, shallots, celery, mushrooms and sweet onions were then browned in the remaining oil (and a little olive oil for good measure).  BTW, all the non-cervid ingredients I've listed so far were leftovers from other dishes so in a real way this was an almost free adventure.  After reintroducing the shoulder to the pan with its new inhabitants I glugged and hearty glug of Cabernet sauvignon into the pan, tossed in some bay leaves, basil, and rosemary (all from my garden), covered it, and left it over a "leetlittle" flame.

I left it this way in the care of the hubby while I went traipsing over to Ocala National Forest, a.k.a Florida's Alaska.  I'm planning on a several-day hike there this winter, with maybe a few hunting trips this fall as well since I have all my proper permission slips from the state to do so.  I'm pretty sure I was near a bear at one point, there was something in the scrub that had footfalls too heavy to be a deer.  I think.

Sunset over the Rodman Reservoir

Anyhow, so I go home, braise was wonderfully done, and we commenced to eat.  I pulled the meat and the veggies from the pan, and at the inspiration of the hubby made a sauce by adding some cream and butter to the much-reduced pan drippings.

Monochromatic, but delicious.

I have to say, it tasted like venison in a very good way.  It was maybe not perfectly tender, but it damn close and was all I could have hoped for.  The cream sauce was a great touch.  Hubby had also roasted up some potatoes and parsnips.  Let me tell you, if you've never had roasted parsnips (as I had not until all-too-recently) you are missing out, such a simple and absolutely awesome veg!