This is the time of year when many hunters bring home venison for the dinner table.

"Deer meat, or venison, can be substituted for beef in most of your favorite recipes," says Martha Winter, University of Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator. "Venison can be cut into roasts, steaks and stew meat. As a ground meat, it can be used in chilli, spaghetti, meat loaf, tacos, sloppy joes, casseroles and most any recipe that requires ground beef."

Venison is usually leaner than beef, but the fat has a stronger flavor. To prevent a gamy flavor, trim all visible fat from the meat before cooking. Venison roasts and steaks also tend to be drier than beef cuts, so a moist cooking method is recommended.

"You can usually get good results with a crockpot," says Winter. "But, these slow cookers don't heat up quickly enough at the Low setting to kill all the bacteria. To keep the meat safe, always set the crockpot on High for one hour, before turning to the Medium or Low setting."

Another way to make venison moist and tender is to soak it in a marinade before cooking. Make sure you keep the meat in the refrigerator while it marinates.

Wild game has a greater chance for bacterial contamination, so proper cooking is essential. A food thermometer can help ensure that the meat is cooked to a safe temperature. Venison needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in order to prevent E-coli.

"If you make your own venison jerky, freeze it for 30 days before eating it," advises Winter. "If any parasites are in the meat, the freezing process will kill them."