Warming Venison / Beef Stew

Venison Stew

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I'll never forget the call that cool, Autumn evening. "Honey, the Assistant Pastor called and I need a quick decision."

What? Why? They surely don't need me. My mind was racing; what could he possibly need my input for?

"Some Amish have shot four deer and they don't want them. Do you think you can butcher a deer?" There was silence on the phone while I tried to process this information. "Um, I may have told him we'd take two!"

It was our first year at our Southern Illinois pastorate and it had been a learning experience. Moving from a city of 280,000 to a beautiful place across the river from the Ozarks, I had learned that the world was varied and vastly different in this beautiful part of the country.

Expensive too! Illinois has the highest property taxes in the United States. Our mortgage had increased by $600 in 9 short months due to increases in taxes. It was wild!

The deer meat would be helpful in stretching our budget, but... I had NEVER butchered an animal before in my life.

Oh, sure, we'd signed on with a farm in Seminole, Texas for half a hog every now and then, but the meat came neatly packaged and frozen! Now, my husband was going on and on about one of our board member's being willing to loan us a deer hook to hang the carcass in our shop and how he'd do the skinning if I'd butcher the rest.

I'd need parchment paper, plastic baggies, foil, and a meat grinder. Oh, and the boning knife, don't forget that!

It was all a blur of information about freezing cold water to make the strands of hair separate more easily, and make sure you cut off the white stuff because that's where the gamey flavor comes from.

My head was in a spin, but, of course, as usually happens, I replied, "Sure, I'll figure it out."

And with that, the kids and I were off to the local farm store to see about a meat grinder, a boning knife, and all the bells and whistles we might need to process two whole deer... in a weekend!

That was my start to cooking deer meat! I've had failures that tasted awful and called for ordering pizza, but I've also had successes along the way. This recipe is one of those successes that we reach for in a pinch when times are tight, and we have to trek out to the deer freezer!

This is such a phenomenal recipe and is one of my favorites when preparing deer meat. I've always longed for a warming, cozy stew recipe and this came quite out of the blue at a time when we just didn't have a lot in the pantry!

I was pressed to create dinner when we were desperately waiting on payday. I had to use things I already had on hand, as random as some of them were... and you know what? This turned out to be my FAVORITE deer recipe!

This stew can, of course, be made with beef steak as well. It is a phenomenal compliment to a hearty bread on a cold evening. It also freezes well so it can be used for lunches or a second dinner so you can save a night of cooking!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Warming Deer / Beef Stew Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb Deer or Beef Steak, diced about 1 to 1 1/2 inch

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbs Avocado Oil

1/2 Yellow Onion, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

9 cups Beef Broth

2-4 Potatoes, chopped (less is spicier, more is less spicy)

5 large Carrots, chopped

4 10 oz cans Rotel (for less spice, use 3 14 oz cans Diced Tomatoes)

** You can also use 3 14 oz cans Diced Tomatoes and 1-2 cans Diced Green Chilis

1 can Cut Green Beans

3 Tbs Worcestershire

1 1/2 tsp Bay Leaf, ground

1 1/2 tsp Parsley Flakes

3 Tbs Salt

1 1/2 tsp Pepper

1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Cornstarch

1/4 cup Cold Water

1/4 cup Flour

Directions:

1. Prebake chopped deer meat or beef with salt and pepper at 350 for 30 minutes

2. In a large pot, add 2 Tbs avocado oil and saute 1/2 onion and 2 garlic cloves.

3. Add 9 cups beef broth and heat to boiling.

4. Add 2 potatoes, chopped to about 1/2 inch and 5 carrots, chopped to about 1 inch. Boil for 5-10 minutes until desired texture on vegetables. Note: If you do not want a spicy stew, add 2 more potatoes.

5. Adjust to medium heat.

6. Add 3 14 oz cans diced tomatoes OR 4 10oz cans Rotel (Rotel will make it spicier whereas diced tomatoes will render less spicy).

7. Add 1 can cut green beans, drained.

8. Add 3 Tbs Worcestershire, 1 1/2 tsp bay leaf, 1 1/2 tsp parsley flakes, 3 Tbs salt, 1 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder

9. Add precooked meat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Add 2 tsp cornstarch to 1/4 cup cold water and stir well.

11. Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and the cornstarch. Stir well to thicken the stew.