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Venison Stew is the coziest way to turn a hunter’s harvest into a rich, hearty, melt in your mouth dinner. My husband brings home venison every fall, so I started braising it low and slow on cold winter nights until the whole house smells like a savory pot of comfort. If you love a soul warming bowl, you will want this next to our creamy chicken stroganoff.
Lean venison gets soaked to tame the gaminess, seared until deeply browned, then braised with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and herbs into a thick, savory stew.
Venison Stew Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 3 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 432kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, savory, hearty wild game stew
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our white chicken chili
Quick Answer
Soak and dry venison stew meat, toss it with salt, pepper, and flour, then sear it in a Dutch oven. Saute garlic, herbs, and tomato paste, add potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, Worcestershire, and beef stock, then cover and braise at 250 degrees for 2.5 to 3 hours. Stir in charred mushrooms and peas at the end and serve.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Soaking the venison tames the gaminess. A cold water soak and rinse pulls out the strong wild flavor so the stew tastes rich and beefy instead of gamey.
- Flouring and searing builds flavor. Coating the meat in flour and searing it creates a deep brown crust and thickens the stew as it cooks.
- Low and slow in the oven. Braising at 250 degrees for hours gently breaks down the lean venison so it turns fork tender without drying out.
- Tomato paste and Worcestershire add depth. These two pantry staples bring savory, umami richness that makes the broth taste like it simmered all day.
- Searing the mushrooms separately. Charring the mushrooms in their own skillet keeps them meaty and deeply flavored instead of soggy.
- Adding peas at the end. Stirring frozen peas in at the finish keeps them bright green and sweet instead of mushy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is the coziest way to use venison, turning lean wild game into a rich, tender, hearty stew.
- One pot delivers a complete meal with meat, potatoes, and vegetables all in a savory, herby broth.
- It is pure comfort food, right up there with our creamy chicken stroganoff on a cold night.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this venison stew so rich and hearty. See the recipe card below for the exact amounts.
- Venison: Lean stew meat from the deer is the star. A cold water soak before cooking mellows the gamey flavor.
- Baby yellow potatoes and carrots: Hearty vegetables that hold their shape and soak up the savory broth.
- Mushrooms: Baby bellas, charred separately, add a meaty, earthy bite.
- Tomato paste and Worcestershire: The umami backbone of the broth, the same depth builders we use in our beef short rib ragu.
- Beef stock and fresh herbs: A good stock plus thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf make the broth taste slow simmered.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Here are a few easy ways to make this venison stew your own.
- No venison? This same method works beautifully with beef chuck for a classic beef stew.
- Stir in a splash of red wine with the stock for an even richer, deeper broth.
- Serve it over a scoop of our roasted garlic mashed potatoes instead of adding potatoes to the pot.
- Add a cornstarch slurry at the end if you like a thicker, gravy like stew.
How to Make Venison Stew
- Cut the venison into bite sized pieces. To remove some of the gaminess, soak the meat in cold water while you chop the vegetables, then drain, rinse until the water runs clear, and pat completely dry.
- Toss the venison with the salt and pepper, then add the flour and toss to coat.
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat and sear the floured meat on all sides in batches, then set it aside.
- Turn the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and Worcestershire sauce, then return the seared meat and toss to combine.
- Pour in the beef stock and stir. Cover and bake for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the meat and vegetables are tender.
- While the stew finishes, char the mushrooms in butter in a skillet over medium high heat until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf, then stir the mushrooms and frozen peas into the stew. The peas will thaw right away.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve the hearty stew warm.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soak and rinse the venison in cold water first to pull out the gamey flavor for a cleaner tasting stew.
- Pat the meat very dry before flouring so it sears and browns instead of steaming.
- Sear in batches. Crowding the pot steams the meat and you lose that deep brown flavor.
- Keep the oven low. Lean venison needs gentle, slow heat to turn tender without drying out.
- Char the mushrooms separately so they stay meaty instead of turning rubbery in the broth.
- Serve with crusty bread or over our roasted garlic mashed potatoes to soak up every drop.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This venison stew is a complete, cozy meal in a bowl. Ladle it up steaming hot with plenty of the savory broth and a hunk of crusty bread for dipping.
For a bigger spread, serve it alongside our creamy corn chowder or a bowl of white chicken chili on a soup and stew night. A simple green salad rounds it out.
It is even better the next day, so make a big batch. Spoon leftovers over our roasted garlic mashed potatoes for a comforting second meal.
Venison Stew FAQs
Soaking the venison in cold water and rinsing until the water runs clear before cooking pulls out much of the gamey flavor. Searing the meat and braising it with tomato paste, Worcestershire, and herbs also mellows it into a rich, beefy taste.
Venison stew meat, usually from the shoulder or leg, is ideal because it becomes tender with long, slow braising. Cut it into bite sized pieces so it cooks evenly.
Yes. Sear the floured meat and saute the aromatics first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker with the vegetables and stock and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Add the seared mushrooms and peas at the end.
The flour coating on the meat thickens it as it cooks. For a thicker, gravy like stew, stir in a cornstarch slurry at the end and simmer for a minute until it thickens.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavor only improves overnight. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of stock if it has thickened too much.
Yes. Cool it completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove.
Craving more cozy comfort food? Try our creamy corn chowder next, then come back and tell us how your venison stew turned out.
Venison Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison stew meat
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 pounds baby yellow potatoes cut in half lengthwise
- 1 large sweet onion large dice
- 2 cups 1-inch diced carrots
- 1 celery stalk cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 6 cups beef stock
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms cut in half or quartered
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Cornstarch slurry optional
Instructions
- Cut stew meat into bite-sized pieces or leave them larger, keep in mind it will take longer to cook if you keep the venison in larger chunks. To get some of the gaminess off the meat, place the venison into a large bowl. Cover with cold water while you slice and dice your veggies. Pour the water out and continue to rinse the meat until no more red comes off in the water. Lay the pieces onto a sheet tray that is lined with paper towels. Pat the pieces with more paper towels to get them dry.
- Add the meat to a large bowl and toss with the salt and pepper. Add the flour and toss to coat.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Heat a dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil. Shake off any excess flour and sear the meat on all sides, not touching in the pot. You will need to do this in batches. Place the cooked pieces on a plate while you sear the rest.
- Take out the last batch of the meat, turn the heat to low, and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir constantly and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the meat back and toss to combine.
- Pour in the stock, stir to combine. Cover and place in the oven for 2.5-3 hours until the meat and veggies are tender.
- When the stew is done cooking, discard the thyme sprigs, rosemary sprig, and bay leaf. In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter once hot. Add the mushrooms, stirring occasionally until charred and cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
- Add to the stew along with the frozen peas.
- Stir everything to combine. The peas will defrost immediately. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, great for a family dinner.
- You can swap out potatoes if you’d like, see my tips above.
- Beef stew meat can be used in place of venison.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- If you want to make a slurry to thicken this you can whisk together 4 tablespoons cornstarch with 4 tablespoons cold water. Slowly stream in the slurry while the stew simmers, stirring constantly. Let cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally and serve.
Nutrition
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