One of the best things about harvesting a deer or an elk and butchering it yourself is that you get to pick exactly how you would like to treat each cut of meat. When I am butchering the hindquarters of mine I like to save at least one super tender roast and cube it up for one of my favorite winter time venison dishes, venison gravy over garlic mashed potatoes. This dish is extremely easy to make and I can promise you it will feed an army and warm you up on a a cold winter evening.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. cubed venison
2 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
1 white onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
2 cups frozen green peas
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 qt. chicken or beef stock
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup red wine (optional)
Spices:
Montreal Steak Rub
Sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp.onion powder
1 tsp. garlic Powder
1 sprig fresh Thyme
1 sprig fresh Rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
Fresh chopped parsley
Preparation:
Marinate cubed venison in Montreal Steak Rub, onion powder, garlic powder and Cajun seasoning.
Combine all of your chopped vegetables into one bowl and season liberally with salt, pepper and a bit of the seasonings used to marinate the venison.
Cooking:
Begin by heating your butter and olive oil on high heat in a cast iron pan. Once the pan is searing hot add the cubed venison and stir constantly until the the cubes have a hard sear on all sides. When the venison is seared, remove it from the pan, set it aside and immediately add your vegetable mix. While sweating the vegetables be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet, that's where all of your flavor is right now. When the vegetables begin to change color and stick to the skillet, add about half cup of chicken stock or red wine to deglaze and continue to scrape your skillet while doing so.
Next add the sprig of thyme and the sprig of rosemary and continue the process of cooking down the vegetables and then adding chicken stock several times until the onions develop a jelly-like consistency. At this point add your cubed venison back to the dish and add the remainder of your chicken stock and red wine. Bring the stew back to a simmer, cover and cook for another 2 hours adding liquid occasionally until the meat is pull apart tender. About 30 minutes before serving add your 2 cups of frozen green peas.
Sprinkle Cajun seasoning and fresh chopped parsley over the top of the stew, and serve over rice, or my favorite, garlic mashed potatoes. The last step is to pour your self a cold pint of Guinness and enjoy!
-Good Hunting
