Braised Venison
Braises are one of my very favorite ways to cook. Meals cooked with this method are always full of flavor and body. Braised venison is no exception!
Meats that work well when braised are usually proteins that have a lot of muscle fiber and connective tissue. As this breaks down, it dissolves into gelatin which adds body and to the cooking liquid. Successful braises intermingle the flavor of the vegetables, herbs, and liquids making it a delight to enjoy!
To me, if the meat is marinated overnight with an acidic liquid such as tomato juice, wine, beer, and even coke, the meat becomes more tender and succulent than if braised without the marinade. If I am in a hurry, I skip this step, but a little of the richness is missing in the final result.
Find this recipe and more like it in my book, Tracking the Outdoors In.
Last night I wanted to create a one pot meal that was exceptionally tasty, but fairly easy. This Braised Venison recipe is easy and seriously delicious. It is one that you will make weekly and is perfect for the hunting camp! I used my Dutch Oven, but this dish would work equally as well in a crock pot and can be prepared quickly using a Can Cooker.
Braised Venison
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison roast cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cup red wine
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces no nitrate bacon chopped
- 4 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 4 ribs celery roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound potatoes cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 pound button mushrooms halved
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons oregano
- 2 tablespoons rosemary
- 1 quart beef stock
- 16 ounces canned tomatoes crushed with your hands
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place venison and red wine. Marinade in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for at least 2 hours. While reserving wine marinade, remove the venison to a rack and dry with a paper towel. Venison needs to be dry to brown properly. Liberally salt and pepper the venison.
- In a Dutch Oven or large cast iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until almost smoking. Brown venison in batches adding oil to the pan as needed. Remove venison to a plate and set aside.
- Add bacon, carrots, onions, celery, and garlic to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until browned and onions are translucent (about 6 minutes). Add potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, oregano, rosemary, reserved wine, beef stock, tomatoes, and 1tablespoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the pan. Bring mixture to a boil and add venison back to the pan. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. Turn the heat off and allow to sit uncovered for 30 minutes. This seems to allow the meat to tenderize even more. Serve with crusty bread! So so good!!
The braised venison recipe was fantastic! I made it in a cast iron Dutch oven on my Big Green Egg with apple wood smoke for the browning part. I left the meat, deboned hind quarter, in large pieces. It turned out fork tender.
I am so very glad to hear that!!! I love that recipe too Robert!
I love this recipe and keep it bookmarked. Thanks so much for publishing it! I used it first with venison, then beef. Can’t wait to try it with Muscovy duck!
I’m so glad you like it!! You are very welcome. I hope it’s a keeper in your house for years to come.
I have been cooking/tasting stews for a long time. Our indoor oven stopped working so I pulled out the Dutch Oven from years and years ago and found your recipe on line. BEST EVER! Incredible, Genius. My daughter, who works in the fine dining industry, agreed. Thanks so much for taking the time to share! Suffice it to say, the Dutch Oven is staying out. Thanks again, Paul
AWESOME Paul! I love hearing that. I appreciate your letting me know. I love when people try my recipes and then let me know if they liked it. I hope you will try more of the recipes to come!
Just tried this recipe with rabbit. The taste is amazing yet again!!
I’m so glad Jovan!! I hope you’ll keep the recipe in your arsenal!
This seems like quite a bit of thyme oregano and rosemary. Are those fresh or dried?
The measurements are correct since I am using fresh herbs. Yes, that would be a lot for dried. Thanks for asking. I love having you here!
Having this tonite and the aroma is making us very impatient .