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This Red Wine Venison Stew is the perfect meal to cozy up with on a weekend night (or enjoy throughout the week as leftovers for lunch). Made in the style of the classic French bœuf bourguignon with red wine, bacon, mushrooms, and fresh herbs it is simple and supremely satisfying!
This is one of my all-time favorite venison recipes! It’s not difficult to make and is absolutely stunning. There are so many layers of flavor to this dish thanks to the low and slow braise in the oven. Serve with perfectly buttery mashed potatoes for a meal that is as comforting as it is delicious!
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
Ingredients for venison stew:
- Venison
- Red Wine
- Bacon
- Carrots
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Flour
- Beef Stock
- S&P
- Bay Leaf
There are a few steps to this recipe, but none of them are terribly complicated! And it’s all made in one pot! Here’s how you can make the best venison stew ever:
How to make Venison Stew
- Cook the bacon. Until beautiful and crispy. Remove it from the pan and save the drippings.
- Sear the venison. In those bacon drippings! We’re creating layers of flavor here, people!
- Cook the mushrooms. Again, in the same pot. The remove and set aside, just like the venison and bacon.
- Sauté the veggies. Until tender and fragrant. If necessary, deglaze the pan with a smidge of beef stock.
- Return the venison to the pan. Add coat everything with flour. This will help thicken the gravy as the stew cooks. A little trick I learned from Julie Child!
- Add the wine and stock. And the fresh herbs and bay leaf. All the aromatics!
- Cook the stew. For 3 hours in a 325-degree oven. The meat will be fall apart tender and the sauce will be so silky and luxurious!
- Serve with mashed potatoes. If you know what’s good for you!
Best Cut of Venison for Stew
While a lot of my recipes utilize ground venison, this one uses the sirloin cut from the deer. This cut is perfect for stew because the low and slow cooking process tenderizes the chunks of meat! Make sure the silver skin is trimmed off before cooking or it will remain tough.
Other Venison Recipes You May Enjoy
Red Wine Venison Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 pounds venison sirloin cut into chunks
- ½ pound bacon cut into pieces
- 1 pound mushrooms chopped (I used a mixture of button and cremini)
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ½ tablespoon flour
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 cups beef stock
- 4 cups dry red wine such as burgundy or cabernet sauvignon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season venison generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper on all sides. Set aside.
- Place a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven with a lid over medium heat. When hot, cook the bacon in the pot until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. If necessary, add one tablespoon of grapeseed oil to the pot if there is not a thin layer of drippings along the bottom of the whole pot. Increase the heat to medium-high.
- Add the seasoned venison to the pot and sear the pieces on all sides, about 1 minute per side. This may need to be done in two batches as all the venison may not fit at once. Remove the seared venison from the pot and set aside. Reduce heat to medium once again.
- Add the mushrooms to the empty pot and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook until mushrooms have released their natural moisture and have browned. Remove the mushrooms from the pot and set aside.
- Add the carrots and onion to the pot, stirring to coat in whatever oil and drippings remain. Cook for three minutes, adding a splash of beef stock to the pot to deglaze. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Return the venison to the pot and sprinkle the flour over everything. Toss to coat. Add in the herbs, bay leaf, beef stock, and wine. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Cover the pot and place in preheated oven. Bake for 3 – 3.5 hours or until venison pieces are tender and the sauce is silky.
- Remove from oven and stir in the bacon and mushrooms. Serve on top of mashed potatoes for a truly wonderful meal!
Notes
- Leftover stew can be stored in the fridge for up to five days.
- Beef stew meat can be used in place of venison if desired.
Arcie says
Practical and not a million hard to find ingredients! I made this with South African Impala and it came out pretty good. A good smoked bacon is a must in my opinion.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Oh wow how awesome to know that it works so well with Impala! That's a protein I've never worked with but hopefully one day. Thanks for rating and reviewing 🙂
Vangie says
This was DELICIOUS!!! My husband who normally wrinkles his nose when I try to sneak in venison, exclaimed that it’s REALLY GOOD!!! Even our 12 year old loved it. Could serve this to guests and anyone would assume this was beef. Zero gaminess. Thank you for this awesome recipe (smelled amazing cooking in the oven, too!).
Stacey says
I don’t normally leave many reviews but had to come here and leave a comment. This is the best venison stew that I have ever made. The flavors were spot on and you could not even tell that I used venison instead of beef. I used a nice Merlot and measured with my heart on just about everything but used all the ingredients in the recipe. I did add a little cornstarch slurry at the end because I wanted it a little thicker. Worked perfectly! Thank you so much.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Oh Stacey you just made my day! This is one of my favorite recipes and I'm so happy others are enjoying it. Also, LOL "measuring with your heart" 🙂
Sam says
Really tasty! I made with venison back strap. I didn’t have any onion soup, so I subed 1/2 cup beef stock, 1/2 cup of red wine, and the normal 1 cup water. Came out fabulous with some mashed potatoes. Thanks!
Raychel says
You never mention what to do with the garlic? Or the bacon? Do you add the bacon back in?
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Raychel, I mention in the recipe when to add the garlic (see Step 5) and when to return the bacon to the stew (see Step 8). Hope you enjoy this recipe after reading it thoroughly! 🙂