This slow cooker venison stew recipe brings together tender venison steak, fresh vegetables, and herbs in a rich, flavorful red wine broth, making it the ultimate comfort food for dinner. It’s an easy recipe that delivers a hearty and satisfying meal every time.
This venison stew always results in the most tender venison in an absolutely delicious red wine broth. And you know what the best part is? This deliciously hearty meal is conveniently prepared in a slow cooker, just like our popular venison stroganoff recipe.
My venison stew recipe is a delicious twist on our classic slow cooker beef stew and vegetable beef soup, perfect for those who love to experiment with game meat. If you find this intriguing, don’t miss out on our other game meat recipes such as the hunters casserole with ground venison or these venison meatballs.
This recipe was created by trial and error using my favorite stew base with fresh cuts of Venison.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: The steps are straightforward and simple, making it a perfect recipe for both seasoned cooks and beginners.
- Tasty: The venison, vegetables, and herbs combine to create a stew that’s incredibly flavorful and satisfying.
- Classic Flavors: This recipe sticks to traditional ingredients like venison, potatoes, and carrots, resulting in a stew with classic, comforting flavors.
- Family Favorite: This stew is a hit with the whole family. It’s a meal that brings everyone together at the dinner table.
- Convenient: This stew is made in a slow cooker, which means loads of hands-off time for you to catch up with your chores or make some delicious sides.
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Key Ingredients
- Venison bone-in steak: This cut of deer meat is the star of our venison stew recipe, providing a hearty meal with a unique flavor.
- All-purpose flour: Flour is used to coat the venison, helping to brown it and thicken the stew.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the venison and vegetables, bringing out their natural tastes.
- Cracked black pepper: Adds a bit of heat and depth to the stew’s flavor profile.
- Butter: Used to brown the venison and sauté the vegetables, it adds a rich, creamy flavor.
- Mushrooms: These add an earthy flavor and a tender texture to the stew.
- White and green onion: Onions add a sweet and savory flavor that complements the venison.
- Garlic: Minced garlic infuses the stew with a warm, aromatic flavor.
- Dry red wine: Deglazes the pot, picking up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan and adding a robust flavor.
- Golden potatoes: Potatoes add a comforting, starchy element to the stew, absorbing the flavors of the broth.
- Carrot: Carrots add a sweet note and a pop of color to the stew.
- Celery: Adds a crunchy texture and a fresh, slightly bitter flavor.
- Tomato paste: Deepens the color of the stew and adds a tangy, umami flavor.
- Beef stock: Forms the base of the stew, adding a rich, meaty flavor.
- Water: Thins the stew to the desired consistency.
- Fresh rosemary: Adds a piney, aromatic flavor that pairs well with venison.
- Fresh parsley: Adds a fresh, herbaceous note and a pop of green color to the finished stew.
How to Make
Preparation
Begin by chopping your venison stew meat into bite-sized chunks. Combine these pieces in a bowl with flour, salt, and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. Stir until the meat is well-coated.
Step 1 – Brown the Venison
In a skillet or stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add your venison chunks and sear them on both sides until they are browned. This should take about 2 minutes per side. You’ll notice brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan, which will add a rich flavor to your stew.
Step 2 – Transfer Meat and Sauté Vegetables
Transfer your browned venison to your slow cooker. In the same skillet, melt an additional tablespoon of butter. Sauté your onions, mushrooms, and garlic, stirring occasionally. Once they’re tender, add them to the slow cooker as well.
Step 3 – Deglaze the Pan
With the heat still on, pour a cup of dry red wine into the skillet. Whisk quickly to lift those flavorful brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce for a few minutes on medium heat.
Step 4 – Add the Remaining Ingredients to the Slow Cooker
Next, add your carrots, potatoes, and celery to the slow cooker. Include your herbs, tomato paste, stock, water, the remaining ¼ tsp. of salt, and the reduced red wine.
Step 5 – Cook the Stew
Give your hearty meal a good stir to combine all the ingredients. Set your slow cooker to LOW heat and let it do its magic for 8 hours. Once your venison stew is cooked and the flavors have melded together, it’s ready to serve.
Expert Tip
Don’t skip the step of deglazing the pan with red wine after browning the venison. This step lifts the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, incorporating them into the stew and adding a rich, hearty flavor that makes this venison stew recipe truly special.
Recipe Variations
- Cook in Oven: This stew can also be cooked in the oven. Set the oven temperature to 225˚ F and using a covered stockpot, cook the stew for 8 hours.
- Venison Cut: While this venison stew recipe calls for bone-in steak, feel free to experiment with different cuts of deer meat for a unique texture and flavor.
- Seasonings: This recipe uses salt and black pepper, but don’t hesitate to add your favorite spices for a personalized touch. Try adding a dash of paprika or cayenne for a bit of heat.
- Vegetables: The golden potatoes, carrots, and celery in this recipe make for a hearty meal, but you can mix in other vegetables like peas, green beans, or bell peppers for added color and flavor.
What to Serve With
- This hearty venison stew pairs wonderfully with a side of crusty bread. The bread is perfect for soaking up the rich, flavorful broth, making sure none of that deliciousness goes to waste.
- For a complete meal, serve this venison stew with a fresh, crisp green salad. The lightness of the salad balances the hearty, robust flavors of the stew, creating a well-rounded dining experience.
- If you’re looking for a comforting, homely meal, serve this venison stew with a side of creamy mashed potatoes. The potatoes complement the tender venison and vegetables, adding an extra layer of comfort to your meal.
- For a unique twist, try serving this venison stew over a bed of fluffy white rice. The rice absorbs the stew’s flavors, creating a delicious, satisfying dish that’s sure to impress.
Recipe FAQs
For this recipe, a venison bone-in steak is recommended. You could really use any cut of the deer, but I like steak the best because it has a bit of fat on it and it’s easy to chunk up into cubes.
The recipe calls for dry red wine (I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon), which adds a rich flavor to the stew. However, if you don’t have red wine, you can substitute it with beef broth or a different type of wine that you prefer.
Yes, this recipe can be easily adapted for a crockpot. After browning the venison and sautéed vegetables, transfer them to your crockpot, add the remaining ingredients, and cook on low for 8 hours.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate: After enjoying a hearty meal with this venison stew recipe, you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, this slow cooker venison stew doesn’t freeze well due to the potatoes and carrots in the recipe. These vegetables can become mushy and lose their tender texture when thawed and reheated.
- Reheat Instructions: To reheat your crockpot venison stew, simply transfer it to a pot or skillet and warm it over medium heat until it’s hot. Be sure to stir it occasionally to prevent the stew from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Serving Size
- What to Expect: This venison stew recipe yields a hearty meal that serves around eight to ten people.
- How to Scale: If you want to serve more than eight to ten people, you can easily double the recipe. Just make sure your pot or slow cooker is large enough to accommodate the increased quantity. Follow the rest of the instructions as directed, and you’ll have a larger batch of this delicious crockpot venison stew.
Slow Cooker Venison Stew
Ingredients
- 2 lb. venison bone-in steak
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 4 Tablespoons butter divided
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 cup white and green onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups golden potatoes chopped
- 1 cup carrot chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Chop the venison into 1-inch chunks and stir them into a bowl with the flour, 1 tsp. of salt, and cracked black pepper.
- In a stockpot or cast-iron pan, melt 3 Tablespoons of butter using medium-high heat and brown the cuts of steak on both sides until they are seared, and you have bits of browned meat on the bottom of the pan (2 minutes on each side).
- Place the browned meat into your slow cooker and melt the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter into the stockpot. Sauté the onions, mushrooms, and garlic for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. Then add them to your slow cooker as well.
- With the heat still on, pour one cup of dry red wine into the stockpot and whisk quickly to gather up any browned bits. Allow the wine to reduce for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Add the carrots, potatoes and celery to the slow cooker along with the herbs, tomato paste, stock, water, remaining ¼ tsp. salt, and reduced red wine.
- Give it all a stir and set the slow cooker for 8 hours on LOW heat. Serve hot. Top with additional parsley if wanted.
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