I made a pot of this venison stew recipe about a month ago and roughly followed a random french style found online. It was really good so I decided to play around with the ingredients to really bring out the flavors more while creating a thick, rich stock. It worked so well, I didn’t even add salt or any seasonings. I’ll be making this one again and it’s a real hit with guests.
Why It’s So Damn Good
The thing that makes this stew so good is the long process used to marinade the meat and vegetables combine with the use of that same marinade in the cooking process. Throw in the bacon grease and things get very tasty. I think it would still be great without the bacon grease but it certainly adds that extra rich flavor. The first time around I used some nice meat off the hind quarter. The second time around I intentionally went with the front shoulder and rougher cuts. It didn’t matter and everything was still tender and delicious.
Venison Stew Ingredient List
- 1 Yellow Onion (or red)
- 5-6 carrots, chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, whole
- 2-3 pounds of venison, cubed
- Flour
- Tomato paste (optional)
- 3-4 cups mushrooms, choose your favorite variety
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 package bacon
Cooking Instructions
Cooking this meal is easy but it takes some advanced planning. Cut the carrots and onion and place in a large bowl or casserole dish. Cube the meat and add it as well. Add the beef stock, red wine vinegar and wine to the mix. I like to lightly salt and pepper at this point as well. Place the marinading mix in the fridge overnight.
Fry the bacon and keep the grease in the pan while setting the bacon aside. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables into a temporary bowl. Do the same with the meat and save the leftover juice.
Cover the meat in flour and fry in the bacon grease. I do just enough to sear it then add the vegetables and fry until the grease is absorbed. You can add a little tomato paste here as well but I typically skip the paste. Pour the vegetables and meat into the slow cooker and turn on low. Pour the marinade into the pot and add the mushrooms. Chop the bacon and add as well. Cook on low all day.
After an hour or two, check the pot for liquid content. Add a cup of water if the liquid content is low. Cook for a few more hours and check again. This is where some intuition helps. You can add more stock if the liquid is not quite rich enough or water if it’s too thick. Use your best judgement here.
I cook on low for a good 6-8 hours then turn to high for an hour. Go back to low for a half hour then serve with bread and butter. You can add cheese or sour cream but the stew is so rich and flavouful it’s not really needed.
