Easy Venison Shanks and Broccoli

Here's a fantastic and tasty recipe for venison shanks. So much of the time shank meat, especially deer; tends to end up ground or worse yet, as dog food. This is a way to use the shank meat with an oriental flare.

2 lbs of venison shank

2 Tablespoons of kosher or coarse salt

2 cups of good soy sauce

1 cup of fresh broccoli flowerets

2 tablespoons of corn starch or arrowroot

1 to 2 cups of water

Bone the venison shanks and remove the fat and the silver tendons. Cut into ¾" cubes. Place cubed meat into a large bowl and mix in the kosher salt, corn starch or arrowroot, and soy sauce. Let it marinade for about an hour. The salts will start to tenderize the meat.

I like dropping the mixture into a hot skillet first without the water to let some of the flavored cornstarch dehydrate on the bottom. Give it a quick stir and put water in. You can judge in later recipes how much you want to dilute the flavor by adjusting the water content. Scrape the bottom of your skillet or wok to get the dehydrated cornstarch off the bottom. It will bring a very good flavor to the sauce that will develop as it reduces. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and then simmer covered for 45 minutes to an hour.

After some simmering time, test a piece of the venison to see if it has reached the desired tenderness. If not, cook it a little longer. Now place the broccoli flowerets on top of the meat. I like mine just a bit crunchy. You can simmer them until they reach the desired tenderness. Blanching or just quickly cooking keeps them a very rich green.

For the low carbohydrate dieter, this is a very nutritious and tasty meal in itself. For the diner not concerned with carbohydrates, serve on fresh white or wild rice. Baby potatoes are a wonderful side as well. Reserve the sauce to pour over the meal before presentation.

FLAVOR NOTE: If you're not a big fan of soy sauce just marinate in the kosher salt and cornstarch, toss in the skillet or wok, and add some freshly made au jus.

If you're not a "low carb" follower, feel free to add onions to the mix. You might add them later in the cooking as they will cook much faster than the meat.