I’m showing you how to cook venison steak! This recipe is the best because of how little work it is but also how tender and juicy the venison steak tastes!

The Best Way to Cook Venison Steak

The Instant Pot has officially become part of our family with this venison steak recipe. Yes, there is a cultural trend associated with it, but unlike most trends, I cannot foresee this one going away! The Instant Pot makes so much sense. I’ve always known that pressure cookers create the most tender meat, but to have one that plugs into the wall where the user can walk away is quite genius. When I finally got my hands on a 6 qt Instant Pot, venison steak was first on the menu. My husband harvested a deer during the 2017 season and it provided us with 60 pounds of meat for our freezer.

What I love about preparing venison steak in the Instant Pot is that you can go from rock solid frozen to fall off the bone tender in about two hours. Amazing. For years I spent slow roasting or slow cooking venison at medium temperatures. Although I enjoyed the aroma wafting through the house, it took hours, sometimes all day to get really tender meat …and that didn’t include the time it took to defrost the meat in my refrigerator! With four young children and an endless parade of meals, pressure cooking is now my favorite way to prepare venison.

Are you ready to make delicious venison in the Instant Pot with me? Come on in to my kitchen!

How to Cook Venison Steak

Step 1 – Add Frozen Venison Steak to Instant Pot

Before you start, make sure your cut of meat will actually fit into the Instant Pot. Since we are starting with frozen, you won’t be able to cut the meat into chunks. Shown here is a 2.78 lb package of bone-in venison steak. You can always ask your butcher ahead of time to cut the steaks into pieces that will fit into an Instant Pot.

**After hearing from many of you, I suggest reserving this recipe for bone-in venison steaks only. The time may vary for other cuts of meat such as boneless cuts, roasts or tenderloins with little intramuscular fat**

Step 2 – Add the Venison Steak Seasoning

Remove the butcher paper and any plastic wrapping from the meat. Set the meat inside the inner pot (make sure the lid closes!) and sprinkle some good onion soup mix on top. I like to make my own onion soup mix with dried onion and a handful of spices I have on hand like garlic powder, celery salt and turmeric. For each pound of meat, use one Tablespoon of seasoning. Since my steak is nearly three pounds, I am using 3 Tablespoons.

Step 3 – Add Quality Beef Broth

Next, pour one 14.5 oz. can of quality beef broth into the inner pot and lock the lid. That’s it! This recipe is so simple that it’s almost silly! There is no need to cut onions or sear the meat first.

Step 4 – Pressure Cook the Steak in the Instant Pot

Press the “Manual” button using high pressure and set the time for 90 minutes. When there is 20 minutes remaining, I cut up some carrots and potatoes and roast them in the oven while the venison finishes up. A lot of recipes call for you to pressure cook your side vegetables after removing the meat, but I found that my meat would get cool before the vegetables were done. By utilizing my oven, everything is done at the same time.

Step 5 – Let The Instant Pot Pressure Release Naturally

When the 90 minutes are up, allow the instant pot to come to natural pressure release. This means that you don’t touch the lid until the little float valve drops (about 20 minutes). Unlock and open the lid and be prepared to have the socks knocked off your feet! To show you how tender the meat is, I removed it from the pot and heard the bones drop onto the plate because it was so tender. I could also hear the sound of our hungry kids waiting at the table. This is one of their favorite meals 🙂

You can make some gravy with the broth or just keep things as-is. The roasted vegetables and slices of baby swiss pair well with venison, but we also gobble it up alongside crusty bread and salad. A satisfying wholesome meal ready to welcome Easter weekend. Enjoy!

Vension Steak Cooking Tips

Can I use boneless cuts of venison? This recipe is for bone-in venison steaks only. The time will significantly decrease for other cuts of meat such as boneless cuts, roasts or tenderloins with little intramuscular fat. If you are planing to make boneless you can follow the suggestions from Marla in this comment below.

Should the timing change if my venison is thawed? Yes, this recipe is for frozen so you will need to reduce the cooking time if your venison is thawed. If making boneless AND thawed this comment has suggestions on timing.

What if my steaks are heavier than 5 pounds? For each additional pound of meat, you may need to add additional cooking time after natural release. One reader added 12 extra minutes and a second natural release for 5+ pounds of venison steak in an 8-quart pot.

Do I have to use broth with the meat? Yes, we are working toward both tender and moist venison with just the right amount of liquid. If you don’t add enough broth, your meat can be dry. If you add too much, the meat can become tough. If you don’t have any broth on hand, you can substitute water or juice.

Can I use quick release on the instant pot instead of natural? You should always use natural release when cooking meat, beans or rice because the quick release method evaporates moisture too quickly. We want our meat to keep in as much moisture as possible.

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