The Best Venison Steak and Kidney Pie
Steak and Kidney Pie is a classic British dish and one of my family's favorite comfort foods. The buttery pastry stuffed with venison steak, kidney, onion, and gravy are what dreams are made of. I developed this small version made in a muffin tin because I'm a dad with a 7-year-old and love creating meals easy to eat without a plate. This is a simple recipe with the added bonus of being a perfect grab-and-go dinner for those busy weeknights. I also opted to use a store-bought premade refrigerated pie crust because they are ready in minutes with no mixing and no mess. Just unroll the dough, cut it into circular shapes, press into your muffin tin, fill with the meat and gravy mixture, cover with another circular shaped piece of dough, and bake. You can use a cookie cutter to cut the circular shapes out of the unrolled pie crust, but you can also use a knife if you want to go that route. My daughter loves helping me make these, and she simply uses a pint glass or coffee mug to cut a circular shape.WHAT IS A KIDNEY PIEThe satisfying and comforting steak and kidney pie is a classic British dish which usually incorporates beef steak and kidneys that are cooked inside a flaky, buttery pastry shell. This dish first appeared in written form in 1861, when it was added to Isabella Beeton’s The Book of Household Management.Today it is made with butter and beef, lamb, or pork kidneys. My wild game version's combination of tender venison steak, earthy-flavored kidneys, and flavorful gravy inside the pastry make this pie one of the favorite traditional British delicacies.WHERE IS THE KIDNEYI love harvesting and eating deer kidneys, but people always ask me, "Where is the kidney on a deer?"Just like us humans, deer kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of a fist. They are located just below the rib cage, one on each side of your spine. It's pretty easy to find them when you are also harvesting the deer liver. They are pretty close to each other.DEER KIDNEYOrgan meats like kidneys are one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet and can have an important role in your health. But no matter how popular the carnivore diet may be, it's hard to get people excited about nose to tail eating if recipes are complicated or look like something on Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. My goal with this recipe was to make a simple and easy recipe that the whole family will enjoy.If you don't have access to fresh deer kidney, then you can try and get fresh lamb kidney from your local butcher. The key is to clean and prep the kidneys in advance and soak them for a couple of days. You want to slice the kidney lengthwise, then use a sharp knife or game shears to remove the white center. I prefer to soak the kidneys in the refrigerator overnight in a simple brine of 1 Tablespoon of water in 2 cups of water Then I rinse them well and soak them in milk in the fridge overnight before cooking.This Venison Steak and Kidney Pie is just one more tool in our toolbelt to waste less meat and enjoy a little bit more of the animals we love to hunt. If you want to try my other favorite way to cook venison kidneys, check out my Deer Kidneys with Apple Cider Sauce or my Deviled Kidneys Recipe.OTHER OFFALLY GOOD ORGAN MEAT AND VENISON STEAK RECIPESIf you are looking for other ways to use the organ meat from your deer, antelope, elk, or moose be sure and check out my Pan Fried Venison Heart Recipe, my British Meatballs, and my Deer Liver and Onions Recipe.And If you love venison steak as much as we do, you can also check out Our 15 Best Venison Steak recipes!COME DEER HUNTING IN NORTH DAKOTAIf you would like to come to North Dakota and experience a great deer hunt, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here. CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYSign up here to receive a new recipe in your email inbox every Tuesday morning!If you make this Venison Steak and Kidney Pie Recipe, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! When you post a pic of your finished dish on Instagram, be sure and use the hashtag #wildgameandfish and then tag me @wildgameandfish so I can share it on my Instagram stories.If you have another favorite way to cook deer kidneys you'd love to share, I'd love to hear about it. You can email me at: jeffinfargo@gmail.comDid you enjoy this Venison Steak and Kidney Pie Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces venison steak
- 8 ounces venison kidneys
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
- 2 Tablespoon canola oil + more to grease muffin tins
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup venison or beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Pillsbury Premade Refrigerated Pie Crusts
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- On a cutting board, chop the venison steak and kidneys into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss them in the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak and kidney and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the onion and sauté over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 1 minute.
- Add the broth, another 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the steak and kidney back to the pan and simmer over medium heat for about another 4 minutes until meat is tender and gravy has thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Use a little more canola oil on your fingers or a paper towel to grease 8 holes of a muffin tin.
- On a clean work surface, roll out both pie crusts and cut out 16 circular shapes (8 for the bottom and 8 for the top) that will fit in your muffin tins.
- Press the pie crust rounds into the 8 greased holes of the muffin tin and spoon 2 Tablespoons of the meat & gravy mixture into each. Place the remaining 8 circular shapes on top of the filling, gently pressing to try to join the top with the bottom edges.
- Use a fork or small knife to poke a few holes in the top of each pie. Brush with egg wash and bake for about 25 minutes until beautiful and golden brown.
- Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack before eating.
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