Venison Stew (A Southern Recipe) | Buy This Cook That (2024)

When your hubby hands you deer meat, you make Venison Stew. Perfectly seasoned tender meat with hearty carrots, potatoes, celery and onions....this stew recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Venison is almost always in our freezer, and this is a great way to use just about any cut of the lean and flavorful meat. Where we live (West Tennessee), deer is plentiful and affordable, and hunting is a lifestyle. We respect the animal and the kill, and we are always appreciative and thankful for the meals made from this beautiful animal. Serve this recipe with homemade biscuits and your family will go crazy over this delicious pot of yummy.

This is true Southern comfort. (And it makes all of those early mornings of hunting worthwhile.)

Venison Stew : A Southern Recipe

Do you ever make a meal that you are proud of? One of those meals you take your time with, enjoy the entire cooking process, think it is pretty dang good? Then your family eats it and loves it because it tastes so delicious?

This Venison Stew is that recipe for me right now. Proud of my husband for providing for our family. Proud to serve my family this wonderful homemade meal. Proud of where we live and the life we lead.

How beautiful is this? Hardly any fat. Full of flavor and protein, the perfect base for this Venison Stew.

Ingredients Needed to Make Venison Stew:

• Venison- we used tenderloin, but you can also use roast, backstrap, etc.
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Spicy V-8 Juice - you won't believe how much flavor this adds
• All purpose flour
• Bacon fat
• Worcestershire sauce
• Bay leaves
• Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and coriander

We love stew. I make it a few times a year, especially when there is a nip of cold in the air. Usually we use leftover pot roast or beef. (And this recipe is excellent with beef if you do not have access to venison.)

This one was extra special. Not sure if it was the venison meat that was the trick (from my husband's big kill last year), or if the seasonings were perfect...but whatever it is, this Venison Stew recipe is the best stew I have ever made.

Hands down. And I've made a lot of stew.

And just because he (the Hunter Hubby) made me post this, here is THEdeer (currently hanging on my wall), that provided my family this wonderful dinner.

Southern Decor. Thanks to my hubby.
#southerngirlprobs #lastyearsdeer #homedecor #hunting #youmightbearedneck[/caption]

How to Make Venison Stew:

• First, cut venison meat into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss with flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, garlic powder and ground coriander. Use your hands to make sure all of the deer meat is coated well. (Keep the flour that is left in bottom of the bowl.)
• Next, in a large pot, heat 2 TB of the bacon fat over medium high heat. In small batches, cook the flour coated venison until browned on all sides, about 5 – 7 minutes per batch. Add more bacon fat as you cook the deer. As each batch is cooked, set aside. Continue until all meat is browned.
• Then return the cooked venison to the pot. Add the potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. Stir to combine. Add the V-8 to deglaze the pot, stirring well and scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Add 1 cup of hot water to the reserved flour mixture (that was leftover from coating the venison.) Using a fork or whisk, stir until smooth. Pour into the pot with the venison and vegetables.
• Mix in the remaining water, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, remaining salt and pepper. Stir well, increase heat to a low boil. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Cook until the carrots are cooked through and the venison is tender.

TIP: After tossing our venison in seasonings and flour, we browned it in some bacon fat. Yes, bacon fat. Don't be shy...this is about flavor. (Use oil if you want, but if you have the bacon fat, this is a great recipe to use it in.)

Definitely use large chopped veggies because it gives the stew a heartier texture, looks fantastic, and who doesn't love a big ol' carrot in their bowl of stew?

Simmer and stew until the vegetables are cooked through and the venison is tender.

If you love this country recipe, try these:

Country Chicken Cacciatore

Grilled Bacon Cabbage

Tennessee Tomato Gravy

Three Bean Venison Chili

Fall Harvest Homemade Vegetable Soup

Serve with cornbread, crackers, white bread or my personal choice : Homemade Butter Biscuits! (Recipe coming soon!)

Tips for the Best Results:

• Cut the venison and vegetables into similar sized pieces. This makes it easier to eat, plus everything will cook evenly.
• Don't skip the browning of the meat. This is where you develop lots of delicious flavor.
• Not a fan of venison? Swap out beef or lamb instead.
• This recipe is also great with parsnips if you can find them.
• Don't rush the cooking process because the secret to a great stew is all about simmering.
• Remove the bay leaves before eating. 🙂
• Chop up the celery leaves and toss them into the stew, too. There is a lot of flavor in those leafy greens.

What is your favorite stew recipe? Feel free to share your favorites in the comments section below.

📖 Recipe