This braised venison with Southern peanut gravy recipe takes me back home every time I smell it cooking. Growing up in the South, I ate a wide variety of dishes that incorporated peanuts in some way.
Take a look at my entire venison recipes guide for more comfort food dinner ideas.
From roasted peanut soup to peanut butter pie, it was all delicious and unique. But the American South definitely isn’t the birthplace of peanut cookery; if you dig deep, you’ll find that Africa, Asia, and Latin America were on to this long before. This is a very fresh-tasting dish and goes well with a side of basmati rice or my favorite, Carolina gold rice. And if you don’t happen to have any shanks lying around, this works great with venison neck, too.
Cooks notes:
Any braising cut of venison will work. This includes shanks, necks, or shoulders. If you’re using shanks, you can reduce the cooking time by deboning them.
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Braised Venison with Southern Peanut Gravy
Ingredients
For the Venison
- 2 pounds braising venison (neck, shank or shoulder meat)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, for searing shanks
- salt and pepper
For the Peanut Gravy
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil, or butter
- 1 1/2 cups raw unsalted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1 cup chopped sweet onions
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup coconut milk
- juice of 1 fresh lime
- 12 ounces of lager beer
- 2 cups chicken stock
For Garnishing
- fresh cilantro
- green onions
- fried garlic
- fried shallots
Instructions
Make the Gravy
- In a large skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the peanuts, garlic, onions and ginger. Cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring often. You want to toast the peanuts here and the onions should be translucent. Add the spices and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the stock, lime juice, coconut milk and beer. Bring this mixture to a slow simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until the peanuts are soft. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Once the gravy has cooled slightly, add to a blender and puree until very smooth. If it becomes too thick, add a little water at a time to thin out. It should be the consistency of a traditional gravy.
Cook the Venison
- While the gravy is resting, it's time to cook the venison: Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Place a large Dutch oven or wide pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the meat and brown well on all sides. This should take about 5-8 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low and pour the peanut gravy over the shanks. Cover with a lid and simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or until the shanks are tender. (Be sure to stir the venison and gravy around about every 30 minutes so that the gravy doesn't burn.) If you notice the gravy getting a little too thick, add a touch of water to thin out. This can happen if your lid isn't a tight fit.
- Serve with rice.
