Venison and Waffles

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John Vile

Field Staff Writer at Harvesting Nature

I live in NE Pennsylvania with my wife and two children. My passions include chasing whitetail deer during archery season, hunting waterfowl on local creeks, rivers, and agricultural fields, freshwater fishing, and assisting my wife with the vegetable garden. I spend almost every available minute on the water and in the woods with my kids and wife, and for us, spending time in the outdoors as a family is a way of life.

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I sat across from my daughter at a favorite local restaurant which specializes in southern cuisine, and I watched her devour a giant platter of cajun-inspired chicken and waffles.  I thought this would be a great dish to try with venison, and I was shocked at how well it turned out and is by far the favorite venison meal of both my kids.  Tenderloins are the perfect cut for this recipe, but I’m sure you could substitute backstraps or other tender cuts. If you plan to serve this to young children, cut down on the cayenne and cajun spice. Be warned, don’t surprised if the family requests this dish before you even have a chance to unload your harvest. 

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Serving Size: 4    
Time To Make: 30 min

Special Equipment:
Belgium Waffle Maker

Ingredients:

4-6 Venison tenderloins

1 Cup panko breadcrumbs

1 Cup yellow corn meal

2-3 Tablespoons Tacticalories Dirty South

1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 Cup local honey

3 Tablespoons hot sauce

2 Eggs

1 Cup flour

1 Cup Kodiak waffle mix

1 Cup milk

Peanut oil for frying

Powdered sugar

Preparation:
Venison
Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the tenderloins flat to a thickness of about 1/4 inch, but do not kill them.  If you are using large tenderloins, I like to cut them in half.  Season both sides with salt and a light coating of your favorite Cajun seasoning such as Tacticalories Dirty South.

Mix 2-3 tablespoons cajun seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the panko and corn meal.  Lightly dredge the tenderloins in flour, then dip them in the eggs wash and toss in the seasoned panko.

Heat peanut oil to 375 in cast iron pan.  Fry tenderloins in hot oil, turning when golden brown after 30-45 seconds.  Remove tenderloins when the internal temperature is around 130 degrees F.  Fry in batches and set cooked tenderloins aside on a wire rack.

Waffles
Add 1 cup milk, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon cooking oil to 1 cup waffle batter and mix until smooth.  Preheat waffle maker and once heated add batter and cook until golden brown.

Honey Sauce
Mix honey and hot sauce until blended.

Top Belgium waffles with two tenderloins, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and drizzle with the honey sauce.  This recipe works for anytime of the day, so I like to serve it with a hot cup of Black Rifle coffee or a pint of a coffee brown ale.