VENISON SLOPPY JOES

Homemade venison sloppy joes (aka sloppy does) are the ultimate comfort food. Whether you’re a deer hunter or not, this is one of those easy meals perfect for those busy weeknights.

What some people refer to as the traditional sloppy joe or “manwich” is usually made with ground deer meat and a delicious canned mystery sauce. While this is one of my favorite childhood meals, it can be improved by using fresher ingredients and with bold flavors.

You can use ground venison for a classic recipe. Or, by using whole muscles like venison shoulders, you can slow-cook the meat for hours and achieve even greater depths of flavor. So, if you’re like me and don’t grind a lot of your venison, braising or slow-cooking stew meat is the easier route.

Cuts of Venison to Use?

For the ground version: You can use straight ground venison with zero added fat or venison ground with beef or pork fat. I like a fat content of around 20% for this recipe.

For slow cooking: Boneless venison cut from the shoulders, necks, or shanks works well here. You could even use shanks that have been cut into disks, like for venison osso buco.

For substitutes: Ground beef for the venison. Boneless chuck works great for braising, as do most red meats labeled “stew meat.”

Thicker Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce?

After the dish has finished cooking, strain the sauce from the deer meat. Then, reduce the sauce to a thicker consistency using a slow simmer. Add the meat back to the sauce and stir to combine.

Serving Ideas:

Hand Pies: If you want to try something new, try stuffing this mixture inside the pie dough and baking. These savory hand pies are a tasty handheld treat for the whole family to enjoy at the dinner table.

Loose Meat Sandwiches: You can never go wrong with serving them on brioche buns or hamburger buns. Maybe topped off with slaw, chopped red onion, melted cheese, and a few dashes of hot sauce? Now we’re talking about some darn good sloppy joes.

Make Ahead and Storage

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Sloppy Joes will last 4 to 5 days in the fridge. It is one of those dishes that gets better the next day.

Freezing: Once the mixture has cooled, you can freeze it in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months.

Reheating: The best way to reheat this recipe is to use low heat on the stovetop or microwave. Be sure to use a loose-fitting lid to prevent splattering.

Looking for other wild game recipes? These are a few of my favorites:

Lastly, if you make this Venison Sloppy Joes Recipe, leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.

HOMEMADE VENISON SLOPPY JOES

Author: Larry White

5 from 10 votes

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Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 pounds ground venison
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ 1 large onion, sliced
• ▢ 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon allspice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, Mexican cinnamon works great here
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 750 ml bottle of dry red wine
• ▢ ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (can sub yellow mustard)
• ▢ 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 cup ketchup, I prefer Heinz Ketchup
• ▢ 1/2 cup light brown sugar

Instructions

• Add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or deep sided large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Season the venison with kosher salt and black pepper.

  When the oil shimmers and starts to smoke lightly, add the venison. Work in batches if necessary to achieve a golden brown crust on the meat.
• Remove the deer meat from the pot and set aside. Reserve the oil in the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium. If the pan looks dry, add more olive oil as needed. Add the onions and garlic for around 2 minutes while stirring. Add the chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, allspice, paprika, dried thyme, and tomato paste. Cook while stirring for 1 minute.
• Add about one cup of the red wine to deglaze the pot. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula while scraping up any brown bits in the pot. This will take about one minute.
• Add the remaining red wine, tomatoes, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, and sugar. Stir to combine.
• Partially cover with a lid. Cook over medium-low heat or at a slow simmer until the mixture has thickened to your liking. This can take up to one hour.

NOTES

For the Stew Meat Method:

1. Follow the steps above. Use 4 pounds of venison stew meat in place of the ground.
2. Cover the cooking vessel completely with a lid. Cook at a slow simmer until the venison is fork-tender. This can take up to 4 hours. Add water, beef, or venison stock if the mixture becomes dry. Stir often to prevent burning.

Crockpot Method:

1. Follow the main instructions through step 5.
2. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
3. Cover with the lid and cook it on the low setting for around 3 hours for the ground venison version. For the stew meat version, cook between 8 and 10 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

 

Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!