This delicious savory blueberry sauce for venison is the perfect pairing for dry-brined steaks. The ingredients are simple yet throw a powerful flavor punch that complements the deer meat perfectly.
This blueberry sauce is one of my favorite sauces for deer meat. Check out my entire venison recipes collection for other ways to use it.
When cooking in this simplistic style you tend to find that the flavors of each ingredient pop and they are quite noticeable. All of these ingredients are perfect pairings for just about any wild game meat.
In this recipe the venison loins go in the fridge overnight after being rubbed down with an aromatic dry rub. This dry brine (or quick cure) gives the meat a robust flavor and helps it sear up nicely with a dark golden brown crust.
Blueberry Sauce for Venison (Savory, Not Sweet)
This is a pan sauce built for deer steaks and roasts. Dried blueberries and tart cherries are reduced with apple and cherry juice, then finished with cider (or fruity balsamic) for acidity. Thyme for earthy brightness and fresh basil for lift. The result is glossy, spoon-coating, and balances venison’s mild flavor without turning into a dessert sauce.
- Why it works: Concentrated dried fruit gives deep berry flavor without excess water. Vinegar and herbs cut richness and keep the sauce bright on lean backstrap and hind-quarter cuts.
- Texture target: Reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain for a smooth finish, then fold in cherries to keep texture. If it tightens on reheat, loosen with a little water.
- Flavor control: Salt last. Add vinegar a little at a time and stop when the sauce tastes balanced.
- Make-ahead: Holds 1 week refrigerated. Reheat gently with low heat.
- Serve with: Venison backstraps, round steaks, or a simple roast. Great with wild rice, creamy grits, or grilled corn.
Dry Brine Overnight
After rubbing the venison with the dry rub, letting them dry overnight on a baking pan fitted with a wire rack is one of the best ways to ensure you get the best crust possible on your venison steaks. Using a wire rack promotes airflow around the deer meat, minimizing the chance of moisture buildup. It’s a much better way than placing them on paper towels that need to be changed and become soggy.
I recommend cooking the steaks in a heavy-bottomed pan, such as a cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat, rather than on a grill. The flames from the grill have a tendency to burn rubs if you’re not extra careful with the flames.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this dish with earthy flavors like grilled corn, wild rice, or creamy grits. The blueberry sauce pairs perfectly with these, allowing all the ingredients to shine through. In my photo above, I served my dish with wild rice fritters that add a crunchy texture to the plate. The blueberry sauce also goes great with venison breakfast sausage.
Make ahead and Storage
- You can prepare the blueberry sauce and dry-brine the venison the day before your dinner.
- You can make larger batches of the dry brine (spice rub) and store them in an air tight container for up to 6 months before its starts to lose its qualities.
- The blueberry sauce will keep in the refrigerator if tightly covered for 1 week. You can gently reheat it in the microwave by using the warm setting or by placing it in a pot over low heat. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply thin it out with a little bit of water.
More Wild game Recipes
- Fried Venison Backstrap
- Grilled Venison Backstrap
- Smoked Canada Goose Breast
- Venison Breakfast Sausage with Maple Syrup
- Bacon Wrapped Venison Medallions
If you make this venison with blueberry sauce, be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! Also, tag me on Instagram with some of your creations. I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.
Dry Brined Venison With Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients
For the Venison
- 2 (8 ounce) venison backstrap portions
- 3 tablespoons high smoke point cooking oil (avocado, canola or peanut oil)
- Kosher salt
For the Dry Brine
- 4 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground fennel
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons mild chili powder (Ancho works Great)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the Blueberry Sauce
- 3/4 cup dried blueberries
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
- 1 cup real apple juice
- 2 cups cherry juice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar or a fruity Balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Blueberry Sauce:
- Combine the blueberries, apple juice and black cherry juice to a pot. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the water and vinegar, simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer. Pour the sauce back into the pot, add the dried cherries and simmer until soft, about 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the fresh basil. Season with salt as needed.
Make the Dry Brine.
- Place the coriander, black peppercorns, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a large skillet and toast over medium low heat until they are fragrant. This will take about 5 minutes. Let the spices cool completely and then grind in a spice or coffee grinder.
Dry brine the Venison:
- Rub the spice mixture all over the venison. Place the meat onto a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. If you don’t have a wire rack, the baking sheet or a plate will work fine. Place in the refrigerator uncovered overnight.
Cook the Venison:
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat, add the cooking oil. When the oil starts to lightly smoke, add the backstraps. Cook on all sides until golden brown, rotating frequently to prevent the meat from burning. Add more cooking oil as needed to prevent the pan from drying out.
- Cook the venison until you reach a rare to medium-rare internal temperature.
- Let the meat rest for around 10 minutes. Slice against the grain, season with kosher salt, and serve with the blueberry sauce.
NOTES
- Built for venison: This savory blueberry sauce for venison balances lean backstrap/loin—deep berry, bright acid, clean herb finish.
- Reduce until it coats a spoon: Simmer until it coats the back of a spoon; strain for smoothness, then fold in cherries for texture. If it tightens later, loosen with water.
- Season taste season: Add vinegar gradually; salt at the end so it stays bright, not sweet.
- Dry brine = better crust: Chill steaks uncovered on a rack overnight for airflow and faster browning.
- Sear properly: Heavy pan (cast iron), medium-high, rotate often. Grills can scorch rubs. Cook to rare–medium-rare, rest 10 min, slice across the grain.
- Make-ahead: Sauce holds 1 week refrigerated; reheat gently on low/warm. Dry-brine mix keeps up to 6 months in an airtight container.
- Serve with: Backstrap or round steaks; wild rice, creamy grits, or grilled corn.
