Crockpot Venison Roast
This crockpot venison roast recipe uses 3 to 4 pound deer roast cooked in white wine, soy sauce, hoisin, ginger, garlic, chile, scallions, and warm spices until fork-tender. Serve it shredded with the cooking liquid or thicken the liquid into a sauce with an optional cornstarch slurry.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound venison roast (such as sirloin tip, shoulder roast, or neck roast)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cooking oil (or bacon fat)
- 2 cups onion (sliced thinly)
- 6 cloves of garlic (peeled and chopped)
- 2 two-inch pieces fresh ginger (thinly sliced)
- 2 three-inch cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole star anise
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1¾ cups white wine (or shaoxing wine)
- ½ cup soy sauce (naturally brewed)
- 3 dried árbol chiles (can be substituted with 1 seeded jalapeno or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 1 to 3 cups light chicken stock (or venison bone broth)
- 1 bunch scallions (cut in half)
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil or bacon fat in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, cinnamon, star anise, and chiles de árbol. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the white wine, soy sauce, hoisin, brown sugar, and 1 cup of stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 1 minute to dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat.
- Place the venison roast and scallions in the slow cooker. Pour the braising mixture over the meat. Add more stock as needed so the liquid comes about halfway to three-quarters of the way up the roast. You may use up to 3 cups of stock total. Important Note: You can skip this stovetop step and add everything directly to the slow cooker. But it will be less flavorful.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 7 to 9 hours. Flip the roast once during cooking if practical. Start checking for tenderness around the 6-hour mark. The roast is ready when a fork slides into the meat easily, and it begins to pull apart with little resistance.
- Remove and shred the venison. Taste the cooking liquid. If it tastes too salty or concentrated, dilute it with a little water or unsalted stock. Serve the liquid as-is, or thicken it using the optional cornstarch slurry in the notes.
NOTES
Cut Options: This recipe is written for a 3 to 4 pound sirloin tip, shoulder roast, or neck roast. The original recipe was developed using venison shoulder.
Timing: Different cuts and slow cookers can finish at different times. The fork test is the best way to check tenderness.
Using a Neck roast: A whole bone-in neck may need additional cooking time. Or you can cut it in half to speed things up. Chiles: If you can't find dried árbol chiles, use 1 red or green jalapeño. A 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne will work if you're in a pinch. Thickening the Cooking Liquid: Before starting, check whether the cooking liquid tastes too salty or concentrated. If so, add water or unsalted stock about ¼ cup at a time until the flavor is right. Remove the roast and turn the slow cooker to the high setting before thickening. Thickening Method:
Using a Neck roast: A whole bone-in neck may need additional cooking time. Or you can cut it in half to speed things up. Chiles: If you can't find dried árbol chiles, use 1 red or green jalapeño. A 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne will work if you're in a pinch. Thickening the Cooking Liquid: Before starting, check whether the cooking liquid tastes too salty or concentrated. If so, add water or unsalted stock about ¼ cup at a time until the flavor is right. Remove the roast and turn the slow cooker to the high setting before thickening. Thickening Method:
- For roughly 4 cups of cooking liquid, whisk together 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 6 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Slowly whisk this mixture into the slow cooker until fully incorporated.
- Cook, stirring every minute or two, until lightly thickened. For a thicker sauce, mix another 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and add only as much as needed. If you overthicken the sauce, thin it out with a little water.
- You can speed this step up by transferring it to a pot. Bring to a slow simmer and then whisk in the slurry.
Nutrition
Calories: 649kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 84g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 289mg | Sodium: 1959mg | Potassium: 1434mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 14mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!