When my husband went on his first successful deer hunting trip, I was so nervous about the meat he would bring home. I had heard all the rumors about how venison was difficult to cook correctly and often had a gamey taste or turned out tough. I listened to this podcast episode from Melissa K Norris, and learned that low and slow was the way to go with wild game. Thankfully, the first time I made a venison roast, it turned out fantastic. Thanks to this venison roast recipe, deer is now my absolute favorite meat.

I modeled the recipe after something my Grandma Rose used to make with beef. Meat, onions, potatoes, celery and carrots all slow cooked in delicious herbs and juices. Yum. The key here is in the de-glazing and the longer cook time. First, you brown the meat and veggies. Then, the dutch oven gets de-glazed with red wine (it can be the cheap stuff). Then everything goes into the oven to slow roast to perfection.
First, brown the venison
- heat 3 tbsp of butter in a dutch oven over medium/high heat
- add 1 lb of venison*, cut into 1 inch cubes; all stringy clear and white tissue removed
- brown the meat, flipping it when one side is sufficiently browned so that two sides of each cube are browned
- remove the meat and set aside
*Our meat had been wrapped in 1 pound portions, but our family of six could have easily eaten two pounds per meal. I tried to ration the venison because it was so yummy and we didn’t want to run out, but two pounds would also work in this recipe.

Second, cook the veggies
- add 1 yellow onion, 4 large carrots, 4 stalks of celery, and 4 russet potatoes, all roughly chopped, to the hot dutch oven
- let the veggies cook 5 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, seasoning the veggies liberally with salt and pepper while they are cooking
- transfer veggies to a plate (or back to the cutting board)
Third, deglaze the dutch oven and cook the roast
- with the dutch oven still hot, pour in 1/3 cup red wine
- while the red wine is simmering, add in 4 crushed cloves of garlic and several springs of fresh rosemary and thyme
- let the red wine cook down about 4 minutes
- scrape all the delicious brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven, then add the meat and vegetables back to the dutch oven
- pour in 1 quart vegetable, chicken, or beef broth
- put lid on dutch oven and cook in 300 degree oven for two hours

Substitutions in this recipe
I have also deglazed the dutch oven with beer, which was (of course) super yummy. For that variation, use the entire 12 ounce can. Allow the beer to mostly cook off before adding the veggies and meat back to the dutch oven.
If you prefer to not use alcohol, substitute the wine with a mix of 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons tomato paste.
This venison roast recipe is my absolute favorite way to cook deer. However, my family would definitely grow tired if I made it this way every time. The vegetables can absolutely be swapped out for different root veggies, such as squash or parsnips. Cabbage would also be delicious. You could even try substituting the yellow onion for a couple shallots or even a red onion. Leave me a comment to let me know if you try a variation and how it turned out!
perfect venison roast

This delicious meal consists of deer meat, vegetables, and herbs slow cooked in a mixture of wine and broth.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 1 lb of venison*, cut into 1 inch cubes; all stringy clear and white tissue removed
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 large carrots, chopped into 8 to 10 pieces each
- 4 stalks of celery, chopped into 8 to 10 pieces each
- 4 russet potatoes, cut in half, then quarter each half
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup red wine
- 4 crushed cloves of garlic
- several springs of fresh rosemary and thyme
- 1 quart vegetable, chicken, or beef broth
Instructions
- heat butter in a dutch oven over medium/high heat
- add venison, browning the meat; flip it when one side is sufficiently browned so that two sides of each cube are browne
- remove the meat and set aside
- add onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the hot dutch oven
- let the veggies cook 5 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, seasoning the veggies liberally with salt and pepper while they are cooking
- transfer veggies to a plate (or back to the cutting board)
- with the dutch oven still hot, pour in red wine
- while the red wine is simmering, add garlic, rosemary and thyme
- let the red wine cook down about 4 minutes
- scrape all the delicious brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven, then add the meat and vegetables back to the dutch oven
- pour in broth
- put lid on dutch oven and cook in 300 degree oven for two to three hours
Notes
*Our meat had been wrapped in 1 pound portions, but our family of six could have easily eaten two pounds per meal. I tried to ration the venison because it was so yummy and we didn't want to run out, but two pounds would also work in this recipe.
Leave a Reply