One of the best things about deer hunting season is having a good deer stew in the crock pot. Something about slow cooking the venison and all of the other ingredients all day long just makes it perfect. It really hits the spot on a cool fall day. This is a hearty deer stew with deer meat, potatoes, carrots and more. This recipe is simple, easy, and delicious.
Table of Contents
Author’s Rating
Preparing the Deer Meat
One thing that many people don’t think of is how important the preparation and butchering of the deer itself feeds into the flavor that you end up with. If you’ve already gotten the deer meat, you can probably skip this section, but if not we’re going to talk a little bit about why this is so important. We’re not going to get super detailed, but there are a few details to be aware of to ensure your meat it top quality.
First, when butcher a deer, you want to hang it in a cool and dry place as soon as possible. You’ll also want to remove the skin if you plan on letting the deer hang for a while. If it’s a cold winter day, you can let the deer hang for a longer, but in if the temperatures are warmer, you’ll want to get the deer processed fairly soon. Letting the deer hang too long in warm temperature can negatively impact the taste.
Keeping the meat at an appropriate temperature and cooling it down as quickly as possible is probably the most important consideration for avoiding the gamey taste. It also helps prevent bacterial growth.
Once you’ve cut the meat off of the deer, you’re going to want to ensure that you trim all of the fat, sinew, and silver skin from the meat. These can have a bad impact on taste and texture also. You also want to do your best to remove any hair. I’ve seen some people use torches to burn excess hair off of the deer before cutting the the silver skin off. Some people will also soak the meat in a mixture of salt and water for about 30 minutes.
Then use a knife or electric razor to remove the hairs. If you follow these instructions when preparing your deer it will lead to an excellent tasting deer stew in the crock pot.
Why Use a Crock Pot?
Stew is the perfect food to cook in a crock pot. We like using crock pots because it’s an excellent way to make a delicious and hearty meal with less effort. The hardest part about crock pot recipes is the prep, and even that is usually a little bit less when you’re working with a crock pot. For the most part you just cut up a few things, toss them in the crock pot, and let them sit for a few hours. It really could not be more simple.
The way that crock pots slow cook the food really helps to seal in the flavor and also ensure that the food comes out tender. Crock pot foods are just super rich and flavorful due to the way all of the ingredients mix together over time with slow cooking. Plus it’s easy to make a large amount of food that you can eat all week or freeze for later.
Cooking deer stew in the crock pot is a cost-effective and efficient way to make one of the most tasty stews that you will ever eat. If you don’t have a crock pot, we’ve included one of the most popular models from Amazon below.
- 8-quart slow cooker capable of preparing food for 10 plus people
- Digital timer counts down cook time up to 20 hours
- Automatically keeps food Warm after cooking is done
- Removable, dishwasher-safe lid and stoneware pot
- Recipes inclu
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The Recipe for Deer Stew in the Crock Pot
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs deer meat, cubed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, cubed
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Cube the deer meat, onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots in large but bitesized pieces.
- Place the cubed deer meat, onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, and celery into the crock pot.
- In a bowl, mix together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and rosemary. Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Serve with your favorite side dish.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoy this classic meal. Deer stew in the crock pot is a delicious and comforting meal that is very easy to prepare. By combining the chopped vegetables, herbs and spices with the venison, you can create a savory dish that will tantalize your taste buds and make a cozy meal for you and your family. It just takes a few easy steps to create a hearty and filling stew that will please even picky eaters.
This is one of my favorite recipes to eat on a cold winter day. Give it a shot and see how you like it! Also give our recipe for deer tenderloin in the crockpot a try.