SHIKA SHIRO (Pot-roasted Venison)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Venison steak (A single piece or thick steaks work best. Pat dry before frying.)
• 1 cup Soy sauce (syou sauce) (Traditional syou sauce is Japanese soy sauce. Use regular soy sauce as a direct substitute.)
• 1 cup Vinegar (White or rice vinegar both work well. Used for the marinade.)
• 2 tablespoons Sugar (Used in the marinade to balance the acidity of the vinegar.)
• 2 tablespoons Salt (Same quantity as the sugar, used in the marinade.)
• 1 tablespoon Mixed spices (Used in the marinade. A pre-blended mixed spice or pickling spice blend is appropriate here as specified in the original.)
• 1 whole Onion (Sliced into thin rounds for the marinade.)
• 0.25 pound Fresh pork (fat) (Use fatty fresh pork such as pork belly or fatback. Cut into small strips for frying.)
• 0.25 pound Miso paste (Any variety of miso paste works. Mixed with cold water to form a thickened sauce at the end.)

Instructions

1. 1Place the 3 pounds of venison steak in a large earthenware bowl (or any non-reactive bowl such as glass or ceramic — avoid metal, as the vinegar can react with it). Pour over the 1 cup of vinegar, then add the 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of mixed spices, and 1 onion that you have sliced into thin rounds. Stir briefly to distribute the ingredients around the meat. Make sure the venison is as well submerged as possible — you can turn the meat once or twice during marinating. Cover the bowl tightly with a lid or cling film and place it in the refrigerator or a cool pantry (below 10°C / 50°F). Leave to marinate for 2 to 3 days. The acid from the vinegar will tenderise the game meat and mellow its strong flavour.
2. 2After 2 to 3 days, remove the venison steak from the marinade and lift it out onto a clean plate or tray. Discard the marinade liquid and onion slices — they have done their job. Pat the venison dry with kitchen paper so that it will brown properly in the pan rather than steam. Now take the 1/4 pound of fresh fat pork and cut it into small strips roughly 1–2 cm long. This pork will render its fat in the pan, providing the cooking fat for browning the venison.
3. 3Place a deep, heavy iron pan (a cast iron casserole dish, Dutch oven, or heavy-based saucepan is ideal) over medium heat. Add the pork strips directly to the dry pan — no additional oil is needed as the fat will render out from the pork itself. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the pork strips turn a light golden brown and have released a good amount of fat into the pan. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes. Keep the heat at medium to avoid burning — you want a gentle, steady sizzle. Do not discard the pork; leave the strips and rendered fat in the pan.
4. 4Carefully add the dried venison steak to the pan with the rendered pork fat and strips. The pan should be hot enough to sizzle on contact. Fry the venison over medium to medium-high heat, leaving it undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes before turning, so that it develops a good deep brown crust on the first side. Then turn and brown the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Take care not to let the heat get too high — you want the meat to brown, not burn. A good brown crust adds flavour to the finished dish. If the pan seems dry at any point, reduce the heat slightly.
5. 5Pour the 1 cup of soy sauce over the browned venison in the pan. The liquid will sizzle and steam as it hits the hot pan — this is normal. Using a lid that fits the pan snugly, cover the pan tightly to trap the steam inside. Reduce the heat to low so the liquid is just barely simmering — you should see gentle bubbles, not a rolling boil. Let the venison simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, check the tenderness of the meat by piercing it with a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife. If it still feels tough or resistant, replace the lid and continue simmering for a further hour (up to 2 hours total). Game meat can vary in toughness depending on the age and cut of the animal, so be patient and check regularly after the first hour.
6. 6While the venison is finishing its simmer, prepare the miso paste. Measure out the 1/4 pound of miso paste into a small bowl. Add cold water a little at a time — start with 2 to 3 tablespoons — and stir vigorously with a spoon or small whisk until the miso dissolves into the water and forms a smooth, thickened paste with a consistency similar to double cream. Add more cold water if needed, but do so gradually; you want it thick enough to cling to the meat, not watery. Set aside until the venison is ready to serve. (Note: The original recipe specifies that the miso is mixed and thickened but does not specify a step at which it is added to the pan or poured over the dish — prepare it as directed and serve alongside or spooned over the meat at the table.)
7. 7Once the venison is tender and cooked through, carefully transfer it from the pan to a serving platter. Spoon any pan juices over the top. Serve the miso paste prepared in step 6 alongside or spooned over the meat. The original recipe concludes by directing you to garnish with slices of lemon sprinkled with chopped parsley — arrange these around the edge of the platter for a fresh, bright finish that complements the rich, savoury flavours of the dish.