Maple and Venison...mmmmmmm

Maple syrup and venison steak....what could be better? (ok maybe lobster).   I have always used maple sugar or syrup in my marinade for venison jerky (that's another post) but for some reason not for steaks, until I was hanging out with my friends Leah and Jonathan at a Native outdoor cooking demonstration, and we grilled her maple marinated venison over the open fire, on sticks no less.   It was divine.

The basic marinade is about a 1/2 cup of  REAL maple syrup, some salt, or soy sauce, some garlic, and onion (powder works fine), for the steaks I added some red wine vinegar and a little olive oil.  Mix it well.  I put the steaks in a plastic zip lock bag with the marinade and left it overnight.  Then skewer onto some large green sticks and roast over a roaring open fire.  Or if you are at home pan sear them about 3-5 minutes on each side.  Then deglaze the pan with a little red wine. (you can also add a table spoon of venison demi or stock to the pan at this point)  Slice the steaks like a London broil and serve with wild rice or boiled buttered potatoes and a generous covering of the pan gravy.  One note about venison and other game meats, you generally do not want to cook them "well done" as they are very lean and this will ruin both the taste and the texture.
next time I'll post my maple glazed venison jerky ideas....