SLOW COOKER VENISON SHANKS
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 4 venison shanks
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 to 4 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced thickly
- 2 medium onions, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 to 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium orange, quartered
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 8 pitted dates
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups red wine
Instructions
- Dry the venison shanks off with paper towels and season them with salt and black pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the cooking oil. Once the cooking oil is hot and starts to shimmer, add the shanks and deeply down on all sides. Work in batches if needed to prevent the shanks from steaming in the pan.
- Remove the shanks from the pan and place them in the slow cooker. Turn the heat to low and add the red wine to the pan. Using a sturdy spoon or spatula, scrape up any brown bits that are on the bottom of the pan. Once the bottom of the pan appears to be relatively clean, remove from the heat and pour over the shanks. (You can also skip this step and continue to step 3).
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, cover and cook on the low setting for around 10 to 12 hours. If you're nervous they won't be tender enough, you can cook them for as long as 15 hours without losing much quality in the final dish.
NOTES
Making a Sauce:
After the shanks are cooked, you can make a sauce from the cooking liquid. Strain out 3 to 4 cups of the braising liquid into a pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce it by half of its volume (around 2 cups).
Now is an excellent time to add a few extra pitted dates for sweetness and texture to the final dish. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed. You can also whisk in some melted butter for extra richness to the sauce.
Garnishes:
To spruce things up a bit, you can add orange segments, warm pitted dates, orange zest, and fresh herbs like parsley, mint, or fennel fronds.
Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!