Hearty Venison Stew

Bowl of venison stew served with crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

4.60 from 61 votes

This venison stew is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food! Tender venison, hearty potatoes, and sweet carrots are slowly simmered in a rich and thick red wine sauce until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the vegetables are perfectly cooked. Easy to make in the oven or on the stovetop, with a slow cooker option included. Sure to become a family favorite!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 20

Total Time3 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 329kcal

Author: Rachel Kochlin

Equipment

Dutch Oven (or slow cooker)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds venison roast cut into 1-2" chunks
1 yellow onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cups beef broth
2 cups water
½ teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 bay leaves
1 pound potatoes cut into 1-2" chunks (about 3 potatoes)
1 pound large carrots cut into 1-2" chunks (about 3 carrots)
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

Oven or Stove-Top

If using the oven method, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add half the venison and sear about 5 minutes, until nicely browned, flipping the venison halfway through. Remove to a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining venison.
To the same pot, add the onion and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add back in the venison with its juices, sprinkle with flour and mix together.
Deglaze the pot by slowly pouring in the red wine, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot - this is where the flavor is at!
Add in the broth, water, thyme, salt, pepper, sugar and bay leaves.
Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. If your pot isn't oven safe, transfer the stew to an oven-safe dish and cover. Alternatively, cook the stew for the same amount of time on the stove over low. You want it to lightly simmer.
Remove from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots. Cover and place back in the oven. Continue to cook another 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and venison are fork tender.
Mix in the peas and remove the bay leaves. Enjoy with crusty bread!

Slow Cooker

Follow the instructions above through step 4 to sear the venison and deglaze the pot, then transfer the stew from the pot to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients except for the peas.
Cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for about 6-8 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Mix in the peas and remove the bay leaves. Enjoy with crusty bread!

Notes

Helpful Tips:

Sear the roast. Searing the venison in a hot skillet creates a deep golden brown crust, adding delicious flavor to the roast. This flavor also carries through to the gravy.
Use a semi-dry red wine. I like to use a red blend that's around the $10-15 price point. There's no need to use an expensive wine when it comes to cooking, but you still want to choose one that you would enjoy drinking. If needed, you can substitute with more beef broth.

What cut of venison is best for Stew?

The best cuts for wild game stew are tougher pieces like deer neck, shoulder, hindquarter, and shank, which benefit from slow cooking to break down the collagen and silverskin. While any venison cut can tenderize in stew, I prefer using a boneless roast. For the perfect texture, I cut the venison into 1-2" chunks for fall-apart tenderness.

Why is my venison stew tough?

If the venison is tough, it likely needs more time to cook. Simmer the stew until the venison is fork-tender, which usually takes about 3 hours in the oven or 6-8 hours on low in the slow cooker, depending on the size of the meat chunks. It may need even longer for larger pieces of meat. It needed, you can add extra broth.

Instant Pot Instructions

What's great about the Instant Pot is the sauté function - this way you can sear the venison right in the instant pot, and you don't have to dirty an extra pot!

1. Turn the Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until hot. Add half the venison and sear about 5 minutes, until browned, flipping the venison halfway through. Remove to a plate. Repeat this process with the remaining venison.

1. Add the onion and remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Add back in the venison with its juices, sprinkle with flour and mix together.

1. Deglaze the pot by slowly pouring in the red wine, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot - this is where the flavor is at!
2. Add in the broth, water, thyme, salt, pepper, sugar, bay leaves, potatoes and carrots.

1. Lock the lid on and check that the valve is set to seal. Set to cook for 35 minutes on HIGH pressure. When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.

1. Carefully open the Instant Pot after all the pressure has released, and mix in the frozen peas and remove the bay leaves.

Nutrition