Beer Braised Venison Roast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

venison roast in a bowl with carrots and mashed potatoes

4.47 from 89 votes

Beer Braised Venison Roast with Carrots and Mashed Potatoes

The most delicious and cozy bowl of comfort food! Venison roast and carrots slowly cooked with brown ale beer, beef broth, and fresh herbs until flavorful, tender perfection! Serve over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and don't forget to drizzle the gravy over the top! Instructions included for oven, crock pot and instant pot!

Prep Time15

Cook Time3 15

Total Time3 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 499kcal

Author: Rachel Kochlin

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Ingredients

Venison roast

2-3 pounds venison roast cut into 2-3 inch pieces (or beef chuck roast)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dried)
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried)
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
12 ounces brown ale beer
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning the roast
¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more for seasoning the roast
1 pound carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces (about 7-8 carrots)

Mashed potatoes

2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-6 potatoes)
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Oven (my preferred method)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Generously season the pieces of roast with salt and pepper. Heat a dutch oven with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the dutch oven, and sear until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of olive oil, onions, rosemary and thyme to the pot. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize. Add in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for about 1 minute while stirring. Mix in the beer, broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt and black pepper.
Add the carrots and meat to the pot. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 - 3 ½ hours, or until fork tender. Remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs, then serve the meat, carrots and gravy over mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes

Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until fork tender.
Once the potatoes finish cooking, strain the water then add the potatoes back to the pot. Add the butter, milk and salt. Use an electric mixer or potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy.

Notes

Substitutions:

Beer: Brown ale is a well balanced beer without being too dark or too light, but you can substitute your favorite beer or whatever beer you have on hand. If looking for a non-alcoholic option, you can substitute with more beef broth.
Boneless venison roast: For this recipe, I like to use a boneless roast cut into small chunks, but a bone-in roast will also work great! Make sure to periodically check the roast so you don't overcook it - I'd suggest around the 2 - 2.5 hour mark.

Helpful tips:

Sear the roast. Searing the roast in a hot skillet creates a deep golden brown crust, adding delicious flavor to the roast. This flavor also carries through to the gravy.
Check for doneness. All ovens cook a little differently - some hotter than others. The size of the boneless venison chunks (0r if you're using a bone-in roast) also plays a factor in cook time. It can be helpful to start checking for doneness around the 2 - 2.5 hour mark, although my oven usually takes about 3 - 3.5 hours. The roast is done when you can easily pull it apart with a fork.

How to cook venison roast in the slow cooker:

Generously season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the meat on both sides until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the meat to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of olive oil, onions, rosemary and thyme to the skillet. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occassionally, until the onions begin to carmalize. Transfer to a crockpot and add the remaining ingredients.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is fork tender. To serve, remove the thyme and rosemary stems. Serve the meat, carrots and gravy over mashed potatoes.

How to cook venison roast in the Instant Pot:

Switch the instant pot to sauté. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the instant pot and sear the meat on both sides until browned. Remove to a plate.
While the instant pot is still on sauté, add another tablespoon of olive oil, onions, rosemary and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to carmalize. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook for about 1 minute while stirring. Stir in the beer, broth, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Turn off the sauté feature.
Add the meat back to the instant pot. Seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. When finished cooking, quick release the instant pot. Add in the carrots, seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release again when the cook time is up.
To serve, remove the thyme and rosemary stems. Serve the meat, carrots and gravy over mashed potatoes.

Nutrition