• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Amish 365
  • About
  • Amish Recipes
  • Amish Culture
  • Amish Marketplace
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Amish Recipes
  • Amish Culture
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Amish Recipes
    • Amish Culture
    • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » The Plain Columns » The Amish Cook Column

    The Amish Cook: Barbecued Venison Meatballs

    Published: Nov 3, 2014 · Updated: Oct 1, 2022 by Kevin Williams | Leave a Comment

    By Gloria Yoder

    Is everyone enjoying this pleasant fall weather before winter sets in? With October and November rolling around, the deer hunters are spending time in the woods once more. Deer meat has been a tremendous blessing in our community in the past years. With having a large quantity of deer in our area, hunters help keep the disease rate down. In areas with lots of deer and few hunters, the deer end up with a lot of sicknesses and diseases sweeping through and killing large numbers of them.

    This summer my husband Daniel promised Julia that he’d take her along bow hunting. He explained to her the importance of holding still and not talking  too loudly on the stand. Narturally, she was all excited and impressed  with the idea. She informed him that once she’s big she is also going to go hunting. “And, Daddy,” she said. “If you go hunting with me, you’re going to have to hold very still!”

    So recently one day, Daniel asked me if Julia and I would like to go with him that evening.

    “If I don’t have a chance to shoot anything, that is okay,” he told me. “I just want Julia to have a chance to go out with us.”  Of course Julia was all for it. She felt all grown up especially when putting on an orange stocking cap just like Daddy’s. After a good trek we  arrived at our stand, climbed up the ladder, and settled down.  Julia sat between the two of us. At first she just sat there glued to the spot, barely even blinking, not saying a word for fear of spooking the deer.

    “You’re doing better than even Mom and Dad,” we praised her. For a 3-year-old she did a fantastic job even though she was tired of it by the time the sun set. Unfortunately, Daniel didn’t have any chance to shoot anything, yet at the same time it made special memories of time spent together.

    As a young girl my Dad would occasionally take us children along deer hunting. On days we didn’t go along we anxiously waited for his return in hopes to hear a success story . Sometimes when it was suitable he would take us children with him to help us drag the deer out of the woods.

    We as a family relied heavily on deer as a primary source of meat. Now with being married to a hunter I’m also blessed with an ample supply of venison.  I have food memories of getting together with my cousins on  winter evenings to help each other butcher deer. We like sawing the steaks to be marinated and grilled or fried. Most of the venison is trimmed off and grinded. The buck meat, which tends to be have a stronger flavor, is used to make bologna. Occasionally we also make hot dogs or jerky which is always a treat.

    For those of you who are not used to the venison flavor, try adding taco seasoning while browning it. My mother discovered that that really helps cover the game flavor.

    I’ll include a venison meatball recipe. My mother and I have made hundreds of these. They freeze very well so I like like making a large batch and putting a bunch in the freezer for easy meals in the weeks to come.

    In spite of growing up with  a Dad and three brothers that enjoyed hunting, it never appealed to me to go hunting myself. Well, some how things changed. I had planned to  share my story but it looks like I won’t have enough space this week. Perhaps well have to save it for later.

    Variations I like to try from time to time are adding some liquid smoke to the meatball recipe (not just the sauce) or sage seasoning.  I also like substituting some of the milk with ketchup or barbecue sauce, so there is room to experiment with this recipe according to your family’s taste!

    The Amish Cook: Barbecued Venison Meatballs
     
    Print
    Prep time
    20 mins
    Cook time
    20 mins
    Total time
    40 mins
     
    Author: The Amish Cook
    Serves: 18 meatballs
    Ingredients
    • 3 pounds ground venison
    • 1 3 /4 cup milk
    • 1 cup quick oats
    • 1 cup cracker crumbs
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon onion salt
    • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
    • Salt and pepper
    • BARBECUE SAUCE
    • 2 cups ketchup
    • 3 /4 cup brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar
    • 1 1 /2 teaspoon liquid smoke
    Instructions
    1. In a large bowl, combine the ground venison, milk, oats, cracker crumbs, eggs, and seasonings.
    2. Stir or knead until the meat mixture is well-combined.
    3. Shape the meat into 1 1 /2 inch balls.
    4. Place the balls on cookie sheets and bake at 350°F until no longer pink inside, approx 15-20 minutes.
    5. In a Dutch oven, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, and liquid smoke.
    6. Stir until well-combined and heat over medium, stirring frequently, until near boiling Add the meatballs to the sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until ready to serve.
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
    3.2.2885

     

    « Baked Chicken in Cream
    Amish in the News: Amish Ireland ; Dismantling a Barn; Mennonite Relief, and Rosanna Rock Star? »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Rate this recipe:  

    Primary Sidebar

    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

    More about me →

    Latest Amish Recipes

    • How Do The Amish Keep Warm During Winter?
    • The Bishop's Overnight Chicken and Macaroni Casserole
    • Sour Milk Cookies and 4 other Amish Recipes Using Sour Milk
    • The Amish Cook: Russian Creme Dessert
    dutchcrafters

    Download The "Almost Amish" Ebook

    Footer

    Footer

    About

    • About The Amish Editor
    • Download "Almost Amish" Ebook
    • Amish Communities
    • Amish Marketplace

    Contact

    • Work With Us
    • Contact

    *As a member of various affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2000 - 2020 Amish 365 | Powered by Touch The Road