This dutch oven venison stew recipe is easy to make and uses simple ingredients to a create a fall apart tender stew with deer meat and lots of veggies in a savory gravy. Perfect for serving over mashed potatoes, noodles, or with a piece of crusty bread.
When I took a bite of this easy venison stew for the first time, I knew it was a winner. It is everything you want a good comfort food meal to be, rich in flavor, tender meat, and veggies, all in a rich sauce that will have you wanting to lick your plate clean!
A lot of people's favorite cut of the deer is the backstrap, and for good reason. It is amazingly tender when cooked right. If you are looking for backstrap recipes, try this simple cast iron backstrap or venison medallions recipe.
Venison roasts come from the rump of the animal so they need a little time to become tender.
But when cooked right, venison stew meat can be incredibly tender and delicious!
Secrets for the best ever venison stew
- Low and slow cooking. Unlike the backstraps, where you want to cook them quickly until just medium rare, roasts will get more tender over time. Braising them in liquid at a lower temperature for a longer period of time will produce a delicious roast.
- Balsamic vinegar. I almost always add some type of acid or vinegar when cooking venison because it helps to tenderize the meat and offset some of the gamey taste.
- Beer. A wheat beer adds such a nice flavor to the gravy. You can use your favorite beer here, the stronger beers like stouts will give more of strong beer flavor, whereas a pale ale will be more mellow. Don't worry, this recipe is still family friendly, as the alcohol will cook off. You can also substitute the beer for more beef broth.
Ingredient Notes
- Venison roast: You can either use a whole venison roast or use cut up pieces like shown here. Venison backstraps can be used, not many people prefer to save those to be served rare.
- Avocado oil: I prefer this to olive oil in this case as you will be cooking over high heat.
- Mushrooms: You'll find me including mushrooms in pretty much every stew I make. They are hearty and soak up all the flavors around them. Cremini are my favorite.
- Balsamic vinegar: Adding a little vinegar to venison recipes is a helpful way to stave off any potential "gamey" taste. Balsamic pairs perfectly with the rich stew flavors.
- Beef broth: If you happen to have venison stock, that would be great as well.
- Wheat beer: Use whatever you have on hand. The alcohol cooks off, but if you prefer not to use, just add extra stock.
- Dried spices: I used a blend that includes rosemary and thyme from Bragg, called Sprinkle. It's an awesome seasoning blend. Italian seasoning or herbes de provence would be lovely as well.
For full ingredient list and amounts, see recipe card below.
How to make venison roast in the oven
Step 1. Remove venison roast from the fridge and cut it into 1-2 inch pieces.
Step 2. Season with salt and pepper and then thoroughly coat with flour.
Step 3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Step 4. To a large dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp. of oil over medium high heat. Add meat pieces and brown until all of the sides have color, around 5 minutes.
Step 5. Place meat on a plate to the side. Reduce to medium heat and add remaining oil. Saute onions, garlic, and celery over medium heat until tender, around 3-4 minutes.
Step 6. Deglaze the pan by pouring in beer. Scrap up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon
Step 7. Add beef broth.
Step 8. Add in remaining ingredients, including, carrots, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, and dried spices.
Step 9. Add venison back in. Stir to coat everything in liquid. Cover with dutch oven lid and place into preheated oven to cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Step 10. Remove pot from the oven and stir. Enjoy your hearty one pot venison stew!
Recipe Tips
- You can leave the roast whole, but I find cutting it into pieces allows it to tenderize more easily. It will also allow for more surface area to brown during the beginning stages of cooking which is a great way to add additional flavor to the dish.
- This recipe is great with almost any wild game, but can easily be made using beef stew meat as well.
Can you make this into a slow cooker venison stew?
Yes, you can!
I love this in the oven (it makes the house smell amazing) but it can easily be adapted to the slow cooker as well.
- Sear the flour coated meat first to give it a nice brown crust and then add it to the crock pot or slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Set to low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is fall part tender.
What to serve with deer meat pot roast
I like to serve this venison pot roast over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta. It's also great with noodles like pappardelle or spaetzle. Try it with homemade spinach pasta for a nice added color! A piece of crusty bread or roasted potatoes pair really well too!
Recipe FAQs
No, it doesn't! When cooked properly, venison is a very approachable and sustainable meat option. By cooking it in strong flavors with a bit of vinegar, there is no gamey taste to this dish.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also store the cooked venison stew in airtight containers for up to 3-4 months. It can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
If you prefer not to cook with venison, or do not have access to it, beef will work great in this recipe. Lots of cuts of beef would be good options, such as stew meat, chuck, or round.
More delicious venison recipes
- venison shepherd's pie
- venison stroganoff with mushrooms
- best ground venison burgers
- sous vide venison tenderloin
- easy venison lasagna
- crockpot venison sandwiches
If you tried this Dutch Oven Venison Stew or any other recipe on Season and Thyme, please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.
Dutch Oven Venison Stew
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. venison roast
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. avocado oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 4-5 carrots peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
- 10 oz. cremini mushrooms quartered.
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 12 oz. wheat beer
- 1 tbsp. dried spices I used a blend that includes rosemary and thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Remove venison roast from the fridge and cut it into 1-2 inch pieces.
- To a shallow bowl, add flour, salt and pepper. Add venison stew meat pieces and thoroughly coat with flour.
- To a large dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp. of oil over medium high heat. Add meat pieces and brown until all of the sides have color, around 5 minutes.
- Place meat on a plate to the side. Reduce to medium heat and add remaining oil. Saute onions, garlic, and celery over medium heat until tender, around 3-4 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan by pouring in beer. Scrap up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add venison back in. Add in remaining ingredients, including, carrots, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, beef broth, and dried spices.
- Stir to coat everything in liquid. Cover with dutch oven lid and place into preheated oven to cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- Remove pot from the oven and stir.
Notes
- You can leave the roast whole, but I find cutting it into pieces allows it to tenderize more easily. It will also allow for more surface area to brown during the beginning stages of cooking which is a great way to add additional flavor to the dish.
- This recipe is great with almost any wild game, but can easily be made using beef stew meat as well.
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