Dave Davidson - the key to palatable tasting venison is to get all of the silver skin and fat off the meat before cooking it. The presence of silver skin and deer fat will give the meat a very off taste for most people. Just like a cow there are certain muscle groups that are much more tasty and tender than others. Those "other" muscle groups are better suited for the grinder and making sausage. I highly recommend butterflying the backstraps and grilling them just like steak, comments from my friends have been, "This is better than any beef I have ever eaten". There are other factors involved in palatabilty too, such as did the meat get cooled down quickly in warm weather, and did the deer hang for at least 24 hours before butchering. There are a number of factors that can affect the quality and taste of venison, if everything is done right then vensison is extremely delicious, if not done quite right then it is not near as palatable as it should be.
