Rack of Venison with Fig Sauce

A delicious and beautiful way to serve your venison

by

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2 h

2 h

4-6 ×

1 rack (10-12 bone) rack of venison

1 cup Cane Syrup

½ cup Melted Butter

½ tsp. Dried Thyme

½ tsp. Dried Basil

½ tsp. Dried Rosemary

2 Tbsp. Dried Tarragon

3 Tbsp. Garlic, minced

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Granulated Garlic to taste

2 cups Fig Preserves

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 Shallot, diced

1 Cup Fruity Red Wine

2 Tbsp. Beef Base

wild game

I was given this wonderful recipe for rack of venison by Conrad and Judy Cathey of JuJu’s cabin in Toledo Bend. The great flavors of cane syrup and figs give venison a truly Southern flare. 

Method:

  1. Place venison in a large shallow bowl or dish. Pour cane syrup over venison, cover and refrigerate overnight or for several days.
  2. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400°F. Remove venison from cane syrup and place, meat-side up, in a large, shallow roasting pan.
  3. Rub evenly with melted butter and set aside.
  4. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients for venison and mix well. Rub venison with seasoning mixture and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
  5. Roast venison rack in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 135–138°F for medium-rare, or cook to desired doneness. NOTE: You should not overcook venison rack because it dries out quickly.
  6. While venison is cooking, make fig sauce. In a sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté until lightly browned.
  7. Add figs, wine and beef base. Bring to a boil and reduce by half volume. Simmer over very low heat until desired consistency.
  8. When venison is done, remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. To serve, slice rack into chops. Serve 2–3 chops per person and top with an equal amount of hot fig sauce. NOTE: Beef base is a concentrated beef flavor available at many gourmet shops. You may wish to substitute 2 cups beef consommé or 1 cup prepared demi-glace in place of the base.

Recipe from Chef John Folse’s After the Hunt: Louisiana’s Authoritative Collection of Wild Game & Game Fish Cookery

Learn more from Chef John Folse and four other chefs about the many versatile ways to create wonderful meals with venison in this story from our November 2021 issue.