Let's talk venison stew!

[BowhunterNJ]

So I put together a batch of venison stew the other day and wanted to see what some of your recipes were.

The flavoring was pretty good, but felt a little "flat" or "plain".

I wanted to kick it up a bit...what do you guys like to mix in to make the "sauce" or broth?

[jag10]

I made some for Superbowl Sunday. I use the McCormick  stew seasoning,  and add some extra seasonings i have in my cabinet .

[BowhunterNJ]

Cool, I'll give that a try for the next round. I like nice and simple, pour it in and it taste good recipes!

[Haskell_Hunter]

Geese, where to start....

 

I got a solid slab of bacon as a Christmas gift, about 3 pounds. I saved all of the bacon grease from cooking it all up. So when a recipe calls for oil or I'm going to brown something, I use bacon grease. So now I fry everything in bacon grease. It's awesome.

 

Put 1 cup of wine or sherry into your broth. After you brown the venison, use the sherry or wine to deglaze the pan, add water as necessary so. You don't reduce the wine or sherry too much.

 

Use beef broth or make it from beef stock. That will help.

 

Use Bisquick to make basic biscuits and throw those in for good measure.

 

Too much thickener can make the stew bland. So you might have to double up on beef stock to bring the flavor back out.

 

Also, before you brown the meat, roast all of the vegetables in your frying pan with the bacon grease before stewing them. That'll bring their flavor out more in the pot.

 

Use fresh herbs, not that dried bottled crap. And always throw a pinch or two more in just for good measure.

 

Next time you make it, I'll come over and taste as much of it as I can to give you some pointers.

[BowhunterNJ]

How are you keeping the grease? Just in the fridge? I'd imagine it'd last a long time!

Bacon is definitely an add-in the next batch too.

 

I read about the deglazing as well, I grabbed some red cooking wine to give that a try next time too. Basically scraping the bits of meat off that get stuck from browning and mixing it with a red wine reduction...nice!

 

I tried a low sodium beef brother this time around, but I think it really needed that salt...I found myself adding a bunch more just to give it a less "watery" flavor.

Definitely was blander than I was anticipating.

 

Ah Bisquick...good idea! I used flour but it didn't thicken it that much...I didn't want to go overboard. Bisquick would taste better for sure!

 

I forgot this step...the roasting/softening of the veggies to help release the flavors. I do that for my chili and it works out very well.

 

I do think with the stew, I can go a little heavy on pretty much everything given the liquid and amount of food in there. Seems like a lot, but what I used turned out to be too little.

 

Haha, sounds like a plan! I make a great chili, but the venison stew is new to me...so just started experimenting!

[Haskell_Hunter]

I never use cooking wine. Grab a bottle of Merlot or cab and throw that in. Those two have bold flavor. Alternatively, instead of using water, use Guinness instead. I make a crock pot beef stew with Guinness instead of water. Really brings out the seared flavor of the meat.

 

Fresh rosemary and thyme plus a bay leaf or three will really round things out. Consider growing these spices in planters around the outside of your house. It's a treat to go grab some fresh spice from the yard at dinner time. Since they're in planters, you can bring them in when it gets cold out.

[Haskell_Hunter]

Oh, and the bacon grease is in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup in the fridge. If you are using crappy store bought bacon (Oscar Meyer or store brand) you might want to strain that grease with a cheese cloth before saving it. Butcher bacon is fresh and you'll get a better grease from it.

[BowhunterNJ]

You can use a regular drinking wine, no problem? I love Cabs and Merlots...so that's awesome!

 

I've heard about using Guinness, but personally I hate drinking it...and feel like I'd be wrecking my meal. Do you need to enjoy the drink to enjoy how it influences the meal or is it just a slight complimentary flavor?

 

I did use bay leaves this time around, not ground but whole leaves. I put about 5 or 6 in there, wasn't sure how many to use, but didn't really notice them dominating the flavor. Also didn't mash them up or cut them up...that would probably help release their flavor a bit more.

 

I'm definitely hooking up a garden this spring/summer at my place! I'll add some spices to the mix to grow!

 

Good info on the butcher bacon...not sure I've had anything but store bought bacon. I don't know...I've never had "bad" bacon...I don't think it's even possible haha

[Bucksnbows]

Many good points and advice given.  I'll add that beef broth alone may not give you that intense flavor you want, so I always add a couple/few beef bouillon cubes.  The only other way is to simmer a lot of beef broth into a concentrate, but the cubes are a shortcut that I use along with the beef broth I need to cook and make the stew.  And use a decent red wine as others said, not the useless cooking wine.  Venison stew is one of the only ways my wife will eat Bambi, so I make it often around here.  Plus I butcher my own deer and move quickly, cutting lots of stew meat on purpose. 

[Matty]

That settles it, venison it is tonight. lol

 

 

I never really make stew, but some of this sounds delicious. 

 

The way I've started processing my deer now is to eat the backstraps and tenderloins over the course of a few days after shooting that deer. The tenderloins I usually just quickly fry up in butter and olive oil or peanut oil and eat them like delicious little snacks. Barely cook them, love them pretty rare. I butterfly the backstraps into steaks and wrap them in bacon. I add whipped cream cheese in the middle and chopped onion and garlic, butter and a touch of apple or honey flavored bbq sauce. I know I'm forgetting something though. It's delicious and I wish it would last longer. I also soak the meat in whole milk for a day or so before I cook it too.

 

Every other part of the deer now gets cubed and canned. I just can all of it in the pressure canner so I can have it whenever I want. It turns the crappiest cuts of meat into the most tender delicious little nuggets. Saves me a ton of freezer space and saves cooking time. I only have one recipe for the canned meat so far and that is to simply heat it in a frying pan (because it's already cooked during the canning process). I usually add a touch of oil or butter as I heat it. Then I add bbq sauce and homemade apple jelly, a little cheese melted in and make a sandwich with a lightly toasted roll (or bread)...Well I say "a" sandwich, but I usually eat 2 or 3. lol

 

I don't claim to know much about cooking, I just slap shit together and make stuff up. Sometimes my concoctions taste awesome though.

 

Oh and for the canning, you can actually probably make stew with the meat because it's already cooked and cubed, you can actually cook the other portion of the stew without the meat and then dump it in near the end to heat it up. Probably saves time since I imagine a lot of the time cooking stew is cooking the meat. The canned venison is a lot like pulled pork too....It's so tender you can just tear it all to shreds. Even the sinewy parts are tender. So far it's a hit with the family and I love it for quick meals, you can even eat it right out of the jar.

 

I'll also add that I find a lot of recipes on Youtube and just modify them to my liking or what I have in the kitchen. Sounds stupid but Youtube is an incredible resource for cooking. I also use some kind of seasoning that is all purpose. I love the flavor of it but can't think of the name and I'm too lazy to walk to the kitchen right now. I put it on my eggs sunny side up and just about all meats. 

[Haskell_Hunter]

Matty, one thing you miss out on with all that is the Maillard Reaction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction).  Your taste buds love science!

 

This is why prior to making stew or roasts you want to sear the crap out of the meat.  Same thing for the veggies and wine to deglaze.  Hot, dry heat caramelizes sugars and such, and that's why a grilled steak has such a robust taste versus one baked in the oven (or worse, boiled).

 

You might want to sear some of that meat prior to canning to see if it make a difference in flavor.  I've never canned, so I'm not sure if it's a preferred or recommended practice.

[Palawman30]

I love venison Stew and love making venison stew....

 

One must have that a lot of folks don't do for some reason is the use of tomato sauce. 1 8oz can is all that's needed to bump your broth and give it that stew like taste. Another must have is a teaspoon of Italian seasoning

[Matty]

I got a lot of Mailroom reactions when I worked for the Post Office. lol

 

No I hear you, I didn't know the science behind it, but searing does add deliciousness. I "raw pack" when I can venison, but there is a way to cook it before you can it. I will look into that method and see if let's you sear it. Nevertheless, canning is still a great way to have the venison, especially because it turns some crappy cuts into tender pieces and it's quick so I can eat it more often. I still use the best cuts for regular grilling or frying though.

[lefteye]

I love venison Stew and love making venison stew....

 

One must have that a lot of folks don't do for some reason is the use of tomato sauce. 1 8oz can is all that's needed to bump your broth and give it that stew like taste. Another must have is a teaspoon of Italian seasoning

 

Try marinating the stew meat for a few days. McCormicks makes some marinades you can mix or there's any number of liquid marinades available. I like the mesquite flavor marinade. 

 

Using tomato sauce is really good, but you can also use diced tomatoes with green chili peppers for a bump. 

[DV1]

I've made stew a lot of different ways but have been doing this one most recently, and the wife and kids love it. 

 

It starts when we cut the deer up. I save the backstrap ends, up near the neck, and the little pieces you miss in the hip bones around the ham, and cube them up, bag them and mark them "tender cubes". I pull cube meat from a few other places in the ham too, but I want tender cubes, makes a better stew. 

 

Dredge them in seasoned corn starch, pour a little olive oil in a dutch oven, brown the meat on high heat, don't cook it through, remove the meat, set aside. Add some red wine to deglaze, as much as you want for the flavor you desire, add beef broth, and one dark stout beer, Guinness is good, and the vegetables. I cut up carrots, celery and use turnips as a replacement for potatoes. 

 

Throw in the meat, some rosemary and thyme. Put the dutch oven in the oven on 300 for a few hours. The house is going to smell pretty good too.