Acidic Ingredients

• An acidic ingredient forms the base of a tasty, tenderizing marinade. Plain apple cider vinegar, available in any supermarket, works just fine, but if you prefer, you can use inexpensive red or white wine, lemon juice or tomato juice. You can use lime juice if you like a Tex-Mex flavor, pineapple juice for a topical flair, or rice wine or rice vinegar for an Asian-style marinade. You can also use a combination of acidic ingredients such as apple cider vinegar with a splash of lemon and lime juice.

Keeping Meat Moist

• Many meats can be marinated without oil, but venison is lean and contains little fat. Oil keeps the meat from drying out during the cooking process and helps the flavor of the marinade penetrate the meat. Plain cooking oil or vegetable oil adds moisture without detracting from the flavor of the venison. You can also use inexpensive olive oil or canola oil. If you have bacon fat, a small amount adds moisture and flavor.

Adding Flavor

• Although you can punch up the flavor of venison with a mixture of extras, you can also keep it simple with one or two inexpensive ingredients. Most marinades contain a salty ingredient such as plain table salt or soy sauce. For a pungent flavor, add yellow mustard or Worcestershire sauce. If you like, add minced garlic, chopped onion or chopped Jalapeno peppers. Many marinades contain a sweet ingredient such as white or brown sugar or honey. However, use sweeteners sparingly if you plan to grill the venison because too much sugar will scorch on the grill.

Herbs and Spices

• Herbs and spices add interest to a venison marinade, but you only need a little. If you choose to add herbs and spices, use them lightly so they don't overpower the other flavors in the marinade. Herbs and spices suitable for a venison marinade include black pepper, fresh or dried cilantro, parsley, sage or oregano, paprika, chili powder, or cayenne. You can also use a commercial seasoning blend that contains a variety of herbs and spices.

Marinating Venison

• You can marinate the meat in the refrigerator for as little as an hour or as long as 24 hours. Wet meat doesn't turn golden brown, so pat the marinated meat with paper towels before you cook the venison. If you want to use some of the marinade as a sauce, make a large batch and put some aside. Discard marinade that has contained raw meat because the juices from raw meat can cause food poisoning.