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This Red Wine Venison Roast is the perfect comfort food recipe to use up your fresh deer roast! A low and slow oven braise leaves large cuts of venison fall-apart tender. Fresh herbs and a bold red wine combine to create a silky-smooth sauce that makes this venison recipe extra special!
There’s nothing quite like this deer roast recipe! It’s classic and comforting - filling the house with that warm scent of tender meat. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and your favorite roasted vegetables for a complete meal that’s as simple as it is stunning.
If you're looking for more stunning venison dinners be sure to check out my smoked and reverse seared venison tenderloin and grilled venison backstrap!
Ingredients for this recipe
- Fresh Venison Roast (we like to use round or chuck roasts, more on that later)
- Garlic and Onion Powder
- Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Red Wine
- Beef Stock
- Fresh Herbs (such as thyme and rosemary)
- Garlic
- Onion
- High Smoke-Point Oil (such as grapeseed, beef tallow, or lard)
Venison Roast in a Dutch Oven
This is just a brief overview, find detailed instructions in the recipe card below!
- Season the roast. I like to do this simply with a blend of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and onion powder. That's the base for my venison dry rub, too.
- Sear the roast. Using grapeseed oil which has a higher smoke point than olive or canola oil means you get great color on the outside of the meat.
- Add the aromatics and liquids. The roast is braised in a mixture of beef stock and red wine to keep it from drying out!
- Roast the venison. Low and slow in the oven until it is fall apart tender.
- Let the meat rest. So the juices redistribute.
- Make the sauce. By reducing the cooking liquid while the venison round roast rests.
- Mix it all together. The sauce coats the shredded meat and is so succulent. Oh my gosh!
What cuts of venison to use for roast?
We’re very lucky to have a friend who grew up in a butcher shop. He hunts with my husband and helps us process all of our venison meat, so we get great cuts every time!
For a recipe like this I like to use the chuck roast (from the front shoulder cuts of the deer) or the outside round roast (from the hind leg cuts of the deer).
This cooking method can also be used for sirloin or inside round roasts. Basically, any deer roast you have and want to make sure is juicy and succulent!
Make ahead instructions
This recipe can be made a day or two in advance. This is actually sometimes better! See below for how I prep this dinner ahead.
After the initial slow braise, remove the deer round roast from the oven and discard the herbs and garlic skin.
Allow everything to cool to room temperature before covering and placing in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to reheat, remove the roast from the refrigerator. There should be a solidified layer of fat on the top of the pan. Remove this and discard it.
Place roast in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until warmed through. Then proceed with the shredding and pan sauce preparation as outlined in the recipe card below.
Cooking with Red Wine
When choosing a red wine to cook with, opt for one that is semi-dry to dry and not sweet. I like to use a red blend or cabernet in the $8-$12 range. It's always important to cook with a wine you would also drink a glass of!
Alternatively, omit the red wine and use all beef stock for a non-alcoholic version.
An equal amount of dark beer, such as a brown ale, can be used in place of the red wine in this recipe. That’s how I make my beer braised beef roast.
Thickening the Pan Sauce
For a thicker sauce, create a slurry by whisking together 2 tablespoons of braising liquid and ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and stirring back into the sauce as it reduces.
Fresh Herb Bundles
For easy removal, tie the fresh herbs into a bundle with butcher’s twine. This makes it a breeze to remove and discard after cooking.
While the recipe calls for fresh thyme and rosemary, fresh oregano or tarragon would also be delicious!
If you don’t have a full venison roast but have stew meat, might I suggest my Red Wine Venison Stew recipe?
More great venison recipes!
Watch the recipe video!
Fall-Apart Tender Red Wine Venison Roast
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 pounds venison roast (chuck, rump, or round)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons grapeseed oil (or other high smoke-point oil)
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 head of garlic, top sliced off
- 6 – 10 Thyme Sprigs
- 4 – 6 Rosemary Sprigs
- 24 ounces red wine
- 16 ounces beef stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. While it’s heating, season all sides of the roast with the kosher salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. (Alternatively, you can use my venison dry rub!) Add the grapeseed oil (or whatever fat you're using) to the hot pot. Sear the meat on all sides until a good crust forms, about 2 – 3 minutes per side.
- When roast is seared, add the onion, garlic, and fresh herbs (tied into a bundle, if desired). Pour in the bottle of wine and enough beef stock to cover the roast. (Refrigerate any leftover beef stock.)
- Cover the Dutch oven and place in center rack of oven. Cook, covered, for 3 – 4 hours, until liquid is reduced by half and the roast is fork tender.
- Remove roast from pan and tent with aluminum foil. While the roast rests, make the pan sauce.
- Remove the herb bundle from the braising liquid and discard. Gently skim the fat off the liquid in the pan and discard. Squeeze the cloves out of the garlic head in the liquid and discard the skin. Place the Dutch oven over medium high heat and bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half.
- When the sauce has reduced, shred the meat with two forks and return to the sauce, turning to coat the meat in all that silky red, wine goodness.
- Server roast and any extra sauce with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies.
Video
Notes
- Refer to post body for tips and tricks and recipe hints.
- Leftovers can be stored for up to five days.
- An equal amount of beer such as brown ale or amber ale can be used in place of wine.
- An equal amount of beef stock can be used in place of alcohol, if desired.
Norma says
This is WONDERFUL! Very easy, no fuss, deeply complex flavors, and fork tender. Will make again......soon! Loved the addition of sauteed mushrooms to the sauce.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Oh Norma this just makes me SO happy to hear! It's one of our absolutely favorite venison recipes, too! Thanks for rating and reviewing 🙂
WI snowflake says
Made this in a cast iron Dutch oven on a snowy winter day. Easy and excellent. My husband was impressed. Will make again.
Amanda Gajdosik says
LOVE to hear this! It's one of our favorites for cold winter nights, too 🙂
Nathalie says
Turned out great!
Amanda Gajdosik says
Love to hear that, Nathalie! 🙂
Kristy says
Can I use the recipe in a slow cooker?
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Kristy,
Yes! Though it's my preference to make it in the oven (there's just something so much better about it, IMO). Follow the recipe as directed through sautéing the mushrooms and removing them from the pot. Then you'll add the onions, carrots, garlic, herbs, wine, and stock to a crockpot. Toss the seared venison with the flour and then add that to the crockpot, too. Cover and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. When the venison is fall apart tender stir in the crispy bacon and sautéed mushrooms. Remove the herb bundle and you're good to go! Just note: the sauce won't be thick, it'll be more soup-like because it won't reduce like it would in the oven. If desired, you can use 1 cup less of the wine or make a slurry using 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid and 2 TBSP cornstarch. 🙂
Kaeline says
I’m so excited to try this out tonight! I have a question though. I do not have access to fresh herbs. Can I use dried? And if so do I need to take them out of the liquid still or leave them in sense they will be dispersed?
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Kaeline,
You can use dried herbs, of course! Use about half of the required amount, as dried herbs are more concentrated. You'll only need a teaspoon or two of each herb, and don't worry about trying to remove them. Just be aware they'll be in your sauce!
PAW says
Added sliced portabella mushrooms....fabulous recipe! Thank you!
Amanda Gajdosik says
LOVE the addition of mushrooms! I'm going to do that next time too! <3
TC says
Excellent! Made without wine but with beef broth. Really tender. Used a cast iron double boiler. 3.5 hrs. Fell apart.
John Rhoe aka. Jense Bardulf says
This is certainly roast made to this Viking’s liking. Give it a try … I heartily recommend it. NAY! Even command it!!!
John Rhoe aka. Jense Bardulf says
This dish should be easily finished in a few days. No problems with leftovers!