The Complete Guide to Sous Vide Game Cooking

Game meat presents a unique challenge: it's lean and flavourful but can be easy to overcook. Sous vide cooking solves this problem by delivering restaurant-quality results every time. Whether you're cooking venison loin, pheasant breast, or wild boar, this cooking method ensures tender, perfectly cooked meat that's never dry.

This guide will show you exactly how to use sous vide to cook game meat perfectly, with temperatures, timings, and expert tips to ensure success every time.

What is Sous Vide Cooking?

Sous vide cooking—meaning 'under vacuum' in French—has been used by professional chefs for decades to prevent meat from drying out during cooking, making it particularly useful for lean game meats. The meat is sealed in a vacuum bag and cooked in a temperature-controlled water bath.

Most modern sous vide kits use a thermal immersion circulator that sits in a container of water, heating it to an exact temperature over a set period. While the concept dates back centuries, modern technology has made the equipment more affordable and compact, bringing this restaurant technique into home kitchens.

Why Sous Vide Works Perfectly for Game

Sous vide is a highly beneficial way of cooking meat, particularly game, as it allows precise control and regulation of cooking time and temperature.

It also prevents the meat from drying out as it is cooked because the sealed pouch prevents the evaporation of moisture—crucial for lean game meat that has little fat to keep it moist.

Vacuum packing meat prior to cooking normally requires the investment in a vacuum pack machine, which can be costly. However, meat from The Wild Meat Company comes with the added benefit of it already being packaged suitably for the water bath. Simply make a note of the weight, calculate your cooking time and temperature, peel off the label (although this is not essential), and drop it straight into your pre-programmed sous vide.

⚠️ Important: Check for Absorbent Pads

If you're using pre-vacuum packed meat, check whether there is an absorbent pad in the vacuum bag. Meat with an absorbent pad isn't suitable for sous vide cooking in its original packaging. Remove the pad and re-pack the meat after seasoning (see tips below) before cooking.

How to Cook Game Sous Vide: Essential Tips

Bring Meat to Room Temperature First

For the best results, ensure the meat is at room temperature before cooking. A cold piece of meat straight from the fridge will lower the water temperature in the sous vide, affecting cooking times and results.

Pre-Season for Maximum Flavour

If you have access to a vacuum pack machine, pre-season the meat prior to cooking. Place it inside the vac pack bag before seasoning with salt and pepper or, for the more adventurous, with garlic, thyme, rosemary or juniper berries. Once seasoned, seal the bag and you're ready to go.

The seasoning could include marinating in advance but be aware that this might overpower the taste of meat that is delicate or subtle in flavour.

Calculate Timing Based on Thickness

Deciding timings for sous vide cooking can often seem complicated and overwhelming, but it doesn't need to be. For red meat such as venison, pigeon and grouse, follow the simple rule of 30 minutes cooking time per half-inch thickness of meat. This should ensure tenderness throughout the cut.

The cooking times table below provides optimised times based on testing for specific cuts and weights.

Choosing the Right Temperature

Cooking temperatures can also seem over-complicated but can be simplified by following some simple principles. The higher the water temperature, the more the meat contracts and extracts moisture.

To avoid dry game meat, use lower temperatures for longer times, particularly for thicker cuts of meat like a large venison joint or a whole game bird. Suitable temperatures range between 55°C and 65°C.

Using a Meat Thermometer for Precision

If you'd like to experiment with your own cooking times and temperatures, you can monitor the internal temperature of the meat with a probe thermometer. To do this whilst maintaining the vacuum seal, you'll need sous vide foam tape, which can be purchased online for around £5-£10 depending on the quantity you need.

Place a square of the tape on the bag near the thickest part of the meat. Insert the probe through the tape, into the bag and into the meat. The foam tape creates a seal around the puncture in the bag and prevents the loss of vacuum and any juices.

With an instant-read thermometer, check the temperature, return the meat to the bath if needed, then check again later through the same patch of tape. With a corded meat thermometer, leave the probe in the meat with the temperature display outside the water bath, set to alert you once your desired temperature has been reached. This ensures perfectly cooked meat and is highly recommended when testing your own cooking times.

Resting and Searing: The Final Steps for Perfect Results

To get the best results from game meat cooked in the sous vide, release the meat from its bag and drain off any excess juice. Pat it dry with kitchen paper and leave the meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes depending on its size.

Heat some oil, butter or fat such as beef dripping in a suitably sized frying pan and sear it on all sides in the pan to get a caramelised crust around the outside. It is then ready to slice and serve.

Game Meat Cooking Times & Temperatures

Use this table as your quick reference guide for perfectly cooked game every time:

*These timings apply to both individual breasts and our typical multipacks, as long as the thickness of each breast in the pack is consistent.

Try Our Recipe

If you're feeling inspired to try sous vide game cooking for the first time, we recommend taking a look at our recipe for Sous Vide Venison Haunch served with Crispy Potatoes and Salsa Verde