Venison Recipes Your Family Will Love
Posted on: November 9th, 2020

As the air gets cooler and the leaves change colors, you know it's time to pull out the blaze orange and get your gear ready for another hunting season. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran, or if this is your first time venturing out into the woods, it's easy to get amped up for that first kill of the season. Whether you harvest one deer or multiple this year, get ready to fill your freezer and prepare any of these delicious venison recipes for yourself, your friends, or your family. Take advantage of the many different cuts a deer provides by matching each section with a tailor-made recipe that maximizes the flavor of the cut.
Crockpot Venison Roast
From: Kari M. at Crock-Pot Ladies
Vension cut: Any boneless or bone-in roast section
This slow-cooked delicacy serves up a savory roast with accompanying veggies fit for family and guests.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of bone-in or boneless venison roast
- 5 yellow potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 stick of celery, washed and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 packet of onion soup mix
- 2 springs of fresh thyme, one for cooking and one for garnish
- 1 cup of water
Instructions
- Place veggies and the spring of thyme into the crockpot or slow cookere.
- Set the venison roast on top of the vegetables.
- Shake onion soup mix over all ingredients into the slow cooker, then pour water.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or 3 to 4 hours on high; once cooked, roast should be tender enough to cut apart into chunks with a fork.
- Serve the vension on a serving dish with the cooked vegetables surrounding; garnish with the thyme.

South of the Border Sloppy Joes
From: Scott Leysath at The Sporting Chef
Vension cut: Any finely diced section
A twist on a classic meal, this recipe combines messy, delicious sloppy joes with spicy taco flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground of finely diced venison (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
- 1 cup celery, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2/3 cup tomato salsa
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tequila (optional)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- warm corn or flour tortillas
- chopped red onion
- Shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion, peppers and celery and cook until onions are translucent.
- Add cubed meat to pan. Once browned, stir in garlic powder, oregano, chili powder, cumin, salsa, lime juice, brown sugar and tequila. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon meat onto tortillas, top with onion and cheese.

Grilled Venison Thai Noodle Salad
From: Scott Leysath at The Sporting Chef
Vension cut: Loin, tenderloin or hindquarter
Give your venison dish an Asian flare and pull the grill out of hibernation for this refreshing noodle salad.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds venison loin, tenderloin, or trimmed hindquarter
- 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- tomato wedges
- pinch or two Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Marinade and Dressing
- 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 1/2 cloves garlic
- 1 (1/2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced
- cooked noodles
Instructions
- Combine dressing/marinade ingredients and mix well. Divide mixture in half.
- Place venison in a glass or plastic container or zipper-lock plastic bag. Pour one-half of reserved marinade mixture over. Toss to coat and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours.
- Remove venison from marinade, place on a hot grill or skillet (or in a 250 degree smoker) and cook until the internal temperature is 135 – 140 degrees. Allow venison to cool and slice across the grain into thin strips.
- In a large bowl, toss together sliced venison, cucumber, onion, tomato wedges, salt, pepper and all but a couple of tablespoons of the reserved marinade. Toss remaining marinade with the noodles. Mound noodles on plates and spoon salad mixture over.

Venison Jerky
From: Raschell Rule at Game and Fish
Venison cut: Loin, tenderloin, steak
Delicious and full of flavor, jerky is an age-old, tried-and-true method of preserving meat that remains a fantastic way to make your venison go farther.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of venison, preferably larger cuts
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika (adjust for your preferred hotness level)
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Worchestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Trim any fat off your cuts, and slice them into 4-inch strips roughly between a quarter and a half-inch thick. Partially freezing the meat makes it easier to cut. Pound it lightly and set it aside as you prepare the marinade.
- Combine the rest of the dry and wet ingrediants and mix well. Pour over the venison strips, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Line a cookie tray with foil and place the venison strips on the sheet, taking care not to overlap the meat.
- Preheat the open to 15-174 degrees or the lowest teamperature it has. Bake for 3 hours, then turn the strips over and bake for another 3 hours until meat is dried out.

Venison Stew with Dumplings
From: Rick and Jen at Food for Hunters
Venison cut: Stew meat or roast
Perfect for cold winter evenings, this hearty venison stew is easy to make and will satisfy everyone at your dinner table. Serve it with some warm, crusty bread and a fresh salad.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds venison roast, cut into large cubes
- 2 sweet onions, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 large russet potato, cubed
- 1 large yam (or 2 small, cubed)
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 tbs. lard
- 2 1/2 cups of beef stock
- salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 bay leaves
Dumplings
- 1/2 cup creme fraiche
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp. dried (or 2 tsp. fresh) thyme leaves
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups of self-rising flour
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- generous pinch of salt
Instructions
- Clean venison of all silver skin and fat. Cut into large cubes, about 1 ½ inches. Dab dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of lard over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Brown venison on all sides, remove venison and set aside.
- Add onion and a pinch of salt to the same pot. Sauté onions until they start to caramelize, stirring often. Add crushed garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Once onion and garlic are cooked, return venison to the Dutch oven. Add 2 ½ cups of beef broth. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- While venison is simmering, peel and chop potato, yam, and carrots.
- After venison has simmered for an hour, add vegetables and bay leaves, cover and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until veggies are tender. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Whisk ½ cup crème fraiche, ½ cup milk, and 2 eggs together. Then add in 1 tsp. thyme leaves, 2 cups of self-rising flour, ½ tsp. of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Mix together just until mixture comes together. Do not overwork ingredients.
- During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking your stew, scoop dollops of the dumpling mixture on top of the stew. Increase heat to medium-high, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until dumplings look light and fluffy. Dumplings are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle of a dumpling comes out clean.