Savory Dutch Oven Venison Stew | Redmond Hunt Recipes

Did you tag a nice deer this season? Are you now on the hunt for a hearty venison stew recipe that warms up the house and satisfies your insides? If you’ve got a freezer full of deer meat, we’ve got a flavorful new recipe to help you unpack it and put it to use. It comes from Andrea Rothove of Huntress View.  She loves creating and preparing recipes from the wild game she harvests—and then sharing them with others.

There’s a lot to love about this recipe, from the rich flavor, to the chunky veggies, to the way it’s stewed. It’s made the old-fashioned way in an enameled dutch oven and baked in the oven for even heat distribution—one of the best ways to make venison meat tender. It’s the ultimate comfort food for crisp autumn days, afternoons in the woods, or cozy nights in.

So tie on an apron and fill your kitchen with the fragrant smells of warm venison stew! It marries seared venison, sizzling bacon, simmering red wine, and tender vegetables in thick gravy, all slow-baked to bubbling perfection. Serve it alongside warm, crusty bread and a crisp salad to top off your supper. Get ready to wrap your hands around a hearty bowl and visit deer harvest heaven!

Savory Dutch Oven Venison Stew

By Andrea Rothove of Huntress View

My family and I always process our own deer meat. While doing so, we keep in mind our favorite recipes and make sure we package certain cuts of meat specifically for them. This venison stew baked in a dutch oven is a family favorite—and the main reason we make sure we have plenty of venison stew meat in the freezer. Quality ingredients like Redmond Real Salt and a good dry red wine take this recipe to the next level and make it absolutely amazing. I highly suggest giving this one a try!

Ingredients

• 6 oz bacon, chopped into pieces
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, to sauté
• 2 lbs venison stew meat
• 2½ tsp Redmond Real Salt, or to taste, divided
• Redmond Season Salt
• 1½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground, divided
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups good dry red wine (my favorite for this recipe is Pinot Noir)
• 1 lb baby portabella mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots peeled and cut into ½-inch thick pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth or beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 1 lb small potatoes, new potatoes, or fingerlings, halved or quartered

Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven or oven-safe pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until golden brown.
2. While bacon cooks, place venison stew meat in a large mixing bowl and season with 1½ tsp Redmond Real Salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Add Redmond Season Salt to taste. Sprinkle venison with ¼ cup flour and toss to evenly coat meat.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked bacon from dutch oven to a separate bowl.
4. Transfer venison in two batches into hot bacon fat and sear over med/high heat until venison is browned (a few minutes per side). Add olive oil if needed. Transfer seared venison to the bowl containing bacon.
5. Add 2 cups red wine to the dutch oven and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to deglaze the pot. Add sliced mushrooms and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add sliced carrots, diced onion, and 4 chopped garlic cloves, and sauté until vegetables start to soften but still have some firmness (about 4 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp tomato paste and sauté another minute.
7. Transfer veggies to the dutch oven and add 4 cups beef broth, 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp Redmond Real Salt, and ½ tsp pepper.
8. Return venison and bacon to the dutch oven, then add potatoes.  Stir to combine and ensure potatoes are submerged in liquid.
9. Cover with lid and bake in the oven at 325˚F for 1 hour 45 minutes. Let the stew cool a bit, remove the bay leaves, and serve! Goes great with crusty bread and/or your favorite fresh salad.

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