This Asian-inspired Grilled Deer Heart recipe features tender venison heart marinated in sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger, then grilled to perfection and served with charred baby bok choy and sweet roasted red peppers.
Grilled Venison Heart Recipe the Family will Love!
I love sitting down to dinner with a meal that began on a cold November morning, with frost sticking to the grass and a deer finally coming into view after hours of waiting. Whatever the circumstances, I believe that taking an animal's life comes with the responsibility to make good use of it. And that includes the heart.
After more than two decades of hunting and cooking wild game here in North Dakota, I've learned that some of the finest meals come from cuts other hunters overlook. As a wild game chef and recipe developer, I've spent years finding ways to turn everything from venison shanks to goose legs into delicious meals that ordinary families can prepare without spending all afternoon in the kitchen.
And deer heart deserves a place near the top of that list.
I especially love preparing dishes like this grilled venison heart for my wife, Melissa, and our 11-year-old daughter, Lucia. There's something wonderful about bringing a platter of beautifully grilled meat and colorful vegetables to the table, then watching everyone settle in for a meal together.
This Asian-inspired recipe makes that experience surprisingly simple. The heart spends the day soaking in a fragrant marinade, and the actual grilling takes only a few minutes.
How to Achieve Tender Deer Heart
If you've never cooked deer heart, you might imagine something with an unpleasant texture or an overpowering flavor. Fortunately, neither has to be true.
Deer heart is a remarkably lean, dense muscle with a clean, beef-like flavor. Unlike liver or kidneys, it doesn't have the strong mineral character that sometimes discourages people from eating organ meats.
However, proper preparation makes all the difference.
First, trim the heart thoroughly so it’s ready for high-heat cooking. Open it along its natural seams, then remove the valves, blood vessels, and tough connective tissue. You want smooth pieces of dark red muscle, roughly even in thickness, that will cook quickly over high heat.
Next, use a Jaccard meat tenderizer to prepare it for cooking. Its small blades cut through tightly packed muscle fibers without pounding the heart flat. This helps improve tenderness and creates tiny channels for the marinade.
Finally, let the meat marinate for plenty of time. My preferred Asian venison marinade combines sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, garlic, ginger, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Marinating for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator lets the flavors develop and prepares the meat for a tender, flavorful result.
One of Our Favorite Asian Venison Recipes
I've always believed that the best wild game recipes respect the meat rather than burying it beneath a dozen competing flavors.
That's what makes this grilled deer heart recipe appealing: it keeps the meat as the central focus.
The soy sauce brings salt and savory depth, while sesame oil adds a rich, nutty aroma. Garlic and ginger add warmth and fragrance, and a small amount of smoked paprika adds another layer of flavor without overwhelming the venison.
The baby bok choy offers a welcome contrast.
When you place the halved bok choy cut-side down on a hot grill, its pale stalks develop golden-brown grill marks while the tender green leaves soften and curl at the edges. The stalks retain a pleasant crunch, and their natural sweetness becomes more pronounced.
The roasted red peppers come next. I love using the jarred variety because they're convenient, sweet, and ready to eat. Their brilliant red color against the green bok choy makes the finished platter particularly inviting.
A simple glaze of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil then ties it all together.
Tips for Grilling Deer Heart and Bok Choy
- Get the grill properly hot. A temperature of 450 to 500 degrees F encourages browning before the lean heart has time to dry out. Because deer hearts vary in size and thickness, use an instant-read thermometer rather than trusting the clock alone.
- Don't overlook the bok choy. These little vegetables can hide an astonishing amount of grit between their leaves. Rinse them carefully after cutting, then dry them thoroughly. Excess moisture prevents the cut surfaces from browning properly.
- Keep the vegetables crisp-tender. Baby bok choy needs only a few minutes on the grill. You want lightly charred edges and tender leaves, but the thick stalks should still offer a little resistance when you bite into them.
- Let the heart rest. Five minutes on the cutting board allows the meat to settle before slicing. If you choose to slice it before serving, cut thinly against the grain for the most tender bite.
Deer Organ Recipes
Cooking with deer organs like heart might seem intimidating at first, but recipes like this one make it approachable and family-friendly. You can find other deer organ recipes here so you can learn how to cook with deer heart, deer liver, and kidneys. I hope you'll try these recipes, expand your horizons, and start eating nose-to-tail! Check out these other deer heart recipes:
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Grilled Deer Heart with Baby Bok Choy
Ingredients
For the Grilled Deer Heart
- 1 deer heart, trimmed of fat, valves, and connective tissue
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- ¼ cup less-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Baby Bok Choy and Roasted Red Peppers
- 6 baby bok choy, about ½ pound total
- ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and sliced into thin strips
For the Bok Choy Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare the deer heart. Place the trimmed deer heart on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, open the heart along its natural seams and cut it into 2 to 4 relatively flat pieces. Remove any remaining valves, tough connective tissue, and blood vessels. Use a Jaccard meat tenderizer to pierce each piece evenly on both sides, working across the entire surface. This helps break down dense muscle fibers and lets the marinade penetrate beneath the surface.
- Marinate the deer heart. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Transfer the heart to a large resealable plastic bag or shallow dish, pour the marinade over it, and turn to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
- Prepare the bok choy. Trim just enough from the base of each baby bok choy to remove any discolored ends while keeping the leaves attached. Slice each head in half lengthwise, cutting through the core. Rinse carefully between the leaves to remove any trapped grit, then dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Make the baby bok choy glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside. Drain the roasted red peppers, slice them into thin strips, and keep them nearby to warm with the bok choy after grilling.
- Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat, about 450-500 degrees F. Clean and lightly oil the grill grates. Remove the deer heart from the refrigerator and marinade, allowing the excess marinade to drip away. Discard the used marinade.
- Grill the deer heart. Arrange the heart pieces on the hot grill and cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the exterior develops a slightly browned crust. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the thickest portion, aiming for an internal temperature of 130 degrees F for medium-rare. Transfer the heart to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes while you grill the bok choy.
- Grill the baby bok choy. While the heart rests, arrange the bok choy cut-side down on the grill. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cut surfaces develop distinct grill marks and the edges begin to char. Turn and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the stalks are crisp-tender and the leaves have softened. Avoid overcooking; the bok choy should retain a little crunch.
- Glaze the bok choy. Transfer the grilled bok choy to a large serving platter. Add the drained roasted red pepper strips and drizzle with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil mixture. Toss gently to coat, allowing the residual heat from the bok choy to warm the peppers.
- Slice and serve. Transfer the rested deer heart to a serving platter alongside the grilled baby bok choy and roasted red peppers. Either slice the heart thinly against the grain before serving, or leave the pieces whole and let everyone slice their own at the table. Serve immediately.
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