The Best Slow Cooker Venison Stew Recipe with tender, juicy venison, potatoes, and carrots in an easy, delicious, and flavorful deer stew.
My family loves a great stew recipe. My son Sam’s Weeknight Beef Stew was featured in my cookbook and is a recipe that we make time and again. Sam’s best friend, Ethan, asked the best way to cook a venison leg roast and we made this delicious slow cooker venison stew with it.
Venison isn’t something I cook weekly, but when I cook it, I want to make sure that I prepare it as carefully as possible to make sure the meat is tender, flavorful, and incredibly delicious. This stew definitely checks all of those boxes.
Table of Contents
How to Make the Best Slow Cooker Venison Stew Recipe
This easy slow cooker stew is hearty and tasty. There are a few optional steps needed to prepare your deer roast if you prefer to remove as much of the wild flavor as possible. Loaded with vegetables, this stew is comforting and delicious.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Venison – We used a venison leg roast. You can also use a shoulder or neck roast.
- Butter and olive oil – Sear (brown) the venison roast in melted butter and olive oil on all sides.
- For the stew – you’ll need flour, Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos), tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, beef stock, red wine, Stone House Seasoning, and possibly brown sugar and additional salt to taste.
- Vegetables – I use carrots, potatoes, and onions. If you don’t want to include potatoes in the stew, it is delicious served over mashed potatoes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Dry age the venison roast. The goal of this process is to remove as much of the blood from the venison roast as possible. In my experience, this removes the majority, if not all, of the “gamey” flavor from the venison. If you prefer that flavor, you can skip this process. Wrap the venison roast well in paper towels and store in the refrigerator on a rimmed baking sheet for up to 3 days. Replace the paper towels with fresh paper towels and a clean baking sheet as the paper towels become soaked in the blood from the venison. On the first day, you may need to replace the paper towels a couple of times during the day. By the third day, there should be very little blood on the paper towels, if any.
Sear the roast (Brown the roast). I use a slow cooker with a browning feature that allows me to sear the roast inside the slow cooker. If yours does not have this feature, use a skillet or Dutch oven set on medium-high heat on the stove. I allow my butter to melt and then add my olive oil. Then, I carefully add my venison roast using tongs. Using the tongs, turn your roast to make sure that all sides of the roast are seared.
Make the stew. Add the flour to the drippings in the pan and stir until browned. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos), tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, beef stock, red wine, and Stone House Seasoning. Stir together to make sure it is well combined.
Add the vegetables. Now, add the vegetables to the slow cooker.
Cook. Place the lid onto the slow cooker and cook for 8 to 9 hours on the low setting. Shred the roast with two forks or remove from the slow cooker and coarsely chop. Add the meat back into the slow cooker. Taste the stew, and if needed, add the brown sugar and/ or salt to taste.
Serve. I love to serve with cornbread and especially with my cornbread muffins! If you don’t include the potatoes in the stew, it is also delicious served over creamy mashed potatoes. Yum!
Dry Age the Venison
Dry aging the venison removes the majority, if not all, of the wild game flavor from the meat. It is an easy process that makes a huge difference. Plan for three days to age the venison properly. If you prefer the wild game flavor, you can skip this process!
Storage Tips
Make Ahead. While making this recipe in the slow cooker is so easy to do, you can also make this recipe ahead of time to serve. Cook, cool, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat. There are multiple ways to reheat the stew.
- Stovetop: Transfer the stew to a pot set over medium-low heat on the stove. Add a few tablespoons of stock or water to the stew if it is dry. Cover the pot and allow the stew to bubble. Then, reduce the heat and allow the stew to reheat throughout, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Microwave: Transfer a single serving of the stew to a microwave-safe container. Add a few tablespoons of stock or water to the stew if it is dry. Cover with a damp paper towel and reheat for 1 minute on full power. Reheat in 30-second intervals until reheated throughout and steaming.
Freeze. Venison stew freezes beautifully. Cook and cool the stew completely. Store in airtight, freezer-safe containers in the freezer for up to 4 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, reheat, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure that you are providing ample time to cook your venison roast. I recommend cooking the roast on the low-temperature setting of your slow cooker for at least 8 to 9 hours. Check the meat to make sure that it is tender. If it is not, then you can continue to cook the roast at a low temperature or remove the roast and shred it or chop it and return it to the slow cooker to continue to cook for a few more minutes in the juices.
While you do not have to include the wine in this venison stew recipe, it makes the stew rich and even more delicious. The acid in the wine helps to balance the flavor of the venison. If you’d like to substitute, you can increase the beef stock and the balsamic vinegar in the recipe to equal the amount of red wine called for.
Here’s my Slow Cooker Venison Stew recipe (Slow Cooker Deer Stew). I hope you love it, too!
Slow Cooker Venison Stew Recipe
Equipment
- Paper Towels
Ingredients
- 1 (3-4) pound venison roast, leg, shoulder, or neck roast, bone-in or boneless
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Stone House Seasoning
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 cup red wine, a deep, rich red wine such as burgandy or merlot work well
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups carrots
- 2 cups potatoes
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
Optional Ingredients to taste
- brown sugar, to taste
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Dry Age the Venison (up to 3 days)
- The goal of this process is to remove as much of the blood from the venison roast as possible. In my experience, this removes the majority, if not all, of the wild game flavor from the venison. If you prefer that flavor, you can skip this process. Wrap the venison roast well in paper towels and store in the refrigerator on a rimmed baking sheet for up to 3 days. Replace the paper towels with fresh paper towels and a clean baking sheet as the paper towels become soaked in the blood from the venison. On the first day, you may need to replace the paper towels a couple of times during the day. By the third day, there should be very little blood on the paper towels, if any.
Make the Venison Stew
- Sear the roast (Brown the roast). Melt the butter in the slow cooker set to brown or in a skillet or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add the olive oil. Using tongs, add the venison roast to the melted butter and olive oil and sear (brown) on all sides.
- Make the stew. Add the flour to the drippings in the pan and stir until browned. If in a skillet or Dutch oven, transfer to the slow cooker. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos), tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, beef stock, red wine, and Stone House Seasoning. Stir together to make sure it is well combined.
- Add the vegetables. Add the carrots, potatoes, and onion to the slow cooker.
- Cook. Place the lid onto the slow cooker and cook for 8 to 9 hours on the low setting. Shred the roast with two forks or remove the venison from the slow cooker and roughly chop it. Return the meat to the slow cooker. Taste the stew, and if needed, add the brown sugar and/ or salt to taste. Serve.
Notes
Storage Tips
Make Ahead. While making this recipe in the slow cooker is so easy to do, you can also make this recipe ahead of time to serve. Cook, cool, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat. There are multiple ways to reheat the stew.-
- Stovetop: Transfer the stew to a pot set over medium-low heat on the stove. Add a few tablespoons of stock or water to the stew if it is dry. Cover the pot and allow the stew to bubble. Then, reduce the heat and allow the stew to reheat throughout, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
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- Microwave: Transfer a single serving of the stew to a microwave-safe container. Add a few tablespoons of stock or water to the stew if it is dry. Cover with a damp paper towel and reheat for 1 minute on full power. Reheat in 30-second intervals until reheated throughout and steaming.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
