Grilled Rack of Venison with Roasted Garlic and Red Wine Sauce

This week's guest blog is courtesy of Jannell Lo  and Reid, who prepared this amazing dinner for us at the cottage.  We are so lucky to have kids who enjoy playing with their food as much as we do.  And Jannell's skills take it up to a whole new level.  Thanks, guys!

Grilled Rack of Venison with Roasted Garlic Red Wine Sauce

If you are looking for an alternative red meat, venison is the perfect hybrid of your standard beef and lamb - and it’s healthier too!

Marinade:

⅔ cup olive oil

⅓ cup grapefruit white balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red currant jelly

4-5 sprigs thyme

4-5 sprigs rosemary

4 cloves garlic, crushed

a dozen dried juniper berries, crushed

freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, white balsamic and red currant jelly until emulsified. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs. Crush and add garlic and juniper berries to the mixture. Add pepper to taste. Marinate the venison rack  in an airtight bag or a covered casserole dish for 2 hours.

Roasted Garlic:

1 head garlic

olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place garlic head on tin foil (large enough to wrap it) and drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Wrap garlic head in the tin foil and bake on a sheet for 30-35 minutes.

Let cool.

Roasted Garlic Red Wine Sauce

3 shallots, sliced thinly

1 bayleaf

1/2 cup red wine

2 1/2 cups beef stock (you can use bouillon and water)

2-3 sprigs thyme

2-3 sprigs rosemary

2 tablespoons red currant jelly

1 head roasted garlic, skin removed

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Before getting this started, preheat the grill to 375F. You can cook the sauce and the meat simultaneously.

In a saucepan, saute shallots at medium heat (with the bayleaf) until translucent in colour. Deglaze the pan with red wine to lift up all those wonderful brown bits from the bottom. Let most of the alcohol evaporate before adding the beef stock. Add the rest of the ingredients (thyme, rosemary, red currant jelly, roasted garlic, salt and pepper) and let the sauce reduce to ¼ of the original volume on low heat, around 20-30 minutes. Strain. If you want a thicker sauce, you can add a cornstarch slurry and adjust to your liking.

For the venison, cook for 12 minutes (6 minutes per side) at 375-425F. Let  it rest for 6 minutes off the grill. Cook for another 12 minutes (6 minutes per side) to reach medium-rare. Take off and rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve with classic ratatouille and your favourite mash recipe.