A Sticky Situation

• Ground deer meat meatballs won't hold shape without a little help. You'll need a binding agent -- such as eggs with flour or breadcrumbs, or even all three. For every pound of ground venison, one or two beaten eggs should be enough. You need to get the meat sticky enough to stay together but not so wet that it turns into a sloppy mess. Breadcrumbs add bulk and texture to the meatballs. As an extra tip for handling the deer meat and rolling the meatballs, try dusting your hands with plain flour.

Stuffed Full of Flavor

• While venison has a gamey flavor that appeals to many, consider adding extra flavoring before you shape the meat into balls. Ingredients such as dried parsley, garlic powder, thyme, allspice, diced onion and of course salt and pepper can all help boost the taste. Try adding some parmesan cheese to the ground meat. This works particularly well if the meatballs are going in a bolognese or marinara pasta sauce. When shaping, make your meatballs no bigger than a golf ball.

Brown Those Balls

• Browning caramelizes the meatball exterior, making for a richer, tastier mouthful. To brown, add a drizzle of oil to a hot skillet and lower the meatballs in one by one. Roll them carefully around the pan until they're brown on all sides. This should only take a few minutes. Don't push them around the pan too vigorously, or they may break apart.

Saucy Cooking Tips

• Though you can cook venison meatballs in as little as 15 minutes, one tip for delicious ground deer meatballs is to let them cook for longer. For example, try covering the meatballs in a pan with a tomato or marinara sauce. Gently bring it to a low bubble, then simmer lightly for 45 minutes to an hour. Keep the lid on until the last 10 minutes. This creates a deep, rich sauce with succulent venison meatballs perfect for serving with pasta.