Suya-Spiced Venison Skewers
West African peanut-and-chile rub on venison strips, cooked over the fire at camp.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 60
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Venison, cut into thin strips | 2 lb | about 1 in wide, 1/2 in thick, 5 in long |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted peanuts | 1 cup | ground fine at home |
| Cayenne pepper | 2 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Onion powder | 1 tbsp | |
| White pepper | 1 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1 tbsp | |
| Peanut oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Skewers | 8 to 10 | metal, or wood soaked 30 minutes |
Method
- At home, grind the peanuts with the cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, bouillon, and salt until it looks like coarse sand. Bag it.
- In camp, thread the venison strips onto skewers in a long S so the meat lies flat.
- Rub the oil over the meat, then press each skewer into the spice mix spread on a plate or a sheet of foil. Coat both sides.
- Build the fire down to coals and set the grate close over them. You want fast heat, not flames.
- Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side. Venison has almost no fat, so pull it the moment the center loses its red.
- Rest a minute on foil, then eat off the skewer.
Suya is street food from Nigeria and Cameroon: thin meat, a dry peanut-and-chile rub, high heat, a few minutes a side. It suits camp cooking because the rub is dry. Grind it at home and it keeps for months in a bag, no marinade, no leaking container, no cooler space beyond the meat itself.
Venison is the reason to watch the clock. There is no intramuscular fat to buy you slack, so a minute past done is jerky. The peanut oil and the ground peanuts in the rub cover for that a little, adding back the fat the animal never had. Cook over coals rather than flame; flames will scorch the peanut solids before the meat is through.
Packing
The peanut-spice mix travels in one zip bag; grind it at home since nobody is running a food processor at a trailhead. Venison goes in the cooler, cut and vacuum-sealed, and thaws on the drive.
Variations
- Sliced raw cabbage and onion on the side, with a lime wedge squeezed over the meat.
- Beef sirloin or flank cut the same way works if venison is not in the freezer.
- Leftover skewers, sliced, go into tortillas the next morning.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/venison-suya-recipe