Healthier: Venison is not only low in fat and cholesterol but is high in many vital nutrients like B vitamins, iron, and phosphorus. Like any non-farm produced animal, Venison is resistant to disease and does not live on a diet of antibiotics and steroids. Many people stay away because they believe the flavor is too strong, venison actually has a wonderful woody, almost fruity flavor that is truly fantastic. Don't compare it to beef, because there is no comparison in flavor, though the texture is similar. One word of warning though, If you are prone to "gout" you should eat venison in moderation. Venison meat contains purines which can cause gout flare-ups.
Preparation: Venison has such a great flavor that you don't need to do much to make it great on the grill. While you certainly can marinate and season venison it doesn't need much flavor to give you a great meal. Since venison is so low in fat you can marinate it in an oil based marinade to give it extra moisture.
Grilling: Since venison is very low in fat it will dry out if overcooked. The grill is the perfect place to cook venison because of the high, intense heat that allows for quick cooking times. Because of the low fat content, venison can stick to your grill so brush it light with oil before it hit the hot cooking surface. Venison does not need to be cooked to the same high temperatures as beef and should only be cooked to about 145 degrees F. Venison makes great hamburgers, but you need to watch the cooking time. While most people haven't seen a medium rare burger in decades, it is important that you not over cook ground venison or you'll end up with a crunch char-burger.
Smoking: Low and slow smoking works great with venison, but again you need to compensate for the lack of fat. This is typically done by seasoning the venison roast and then wrapping it in bacon. The bacon with maintain the moisture of the meat while it smokes. Make sure that there are spaces between the bacon to let smoke reach the meat. Venison also makes great jerky.
