Gauging Meat Doneness
The Right Temperature
A tip to ensure not to overcook your venison is to avoid “carry-over cooking.” As the venison is removed from its heat source, the internal temperature will continue to rise 5° to 10° depending on the size and/or thickness of the cut. Keeping this in mind you’ll want to remove meat from the heat source BEFORE it reaches desired doneness temperature.
Insider Tips
We recommend using an instant-read meat thermometer or meat probe to ensure you get the right temperature every time.
Here are a few meat thermometers we recommend trying if you don't already have one:
Rare
Remove venison meat from the heat at 115° to 125°Medium Rare
Remove venison meat from the heat at 125° to 130°Medium
Remove venison meat from heat 130° to 135°*With the exception of ground recipes, stir-frys, and long braised stews, medium-well and beyond is not recommended.
The Finger Method
No instant thermometer, no problem. Another great method to gauge the doneness of meat is to use “The Finger Testing Method.”
