Venison Sloppy Joes
Easy homemade venison sloppy joes made with ground deer meat simmered in a rich, slightly smoky tomato sauce until thick and saucy.
Ingredients
- 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, (I like Mexican cinnamon)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chile powder (Chipotle for heat)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 750 ml dry red wine (one standard bottle)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (can sub yellow mustard)
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup 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. When the oil shimmers and starts to smoke lightly, add the venison.
- Season the venison with salt and black pepper. Cook until the meat is nicely browned. Stir often for even browning.
- 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, scraping up any brown bits from the pot.
- Add the remaining red wine, tomatoes, vinegar, mustard, ketchup, and sugar. Stir to combine.
- Partially cover with a lid. Adjust the heat until you achieve a gentle simmer. Cook until the mixture has slightly thickened. This can take up to one hour.
NOTES
- Add the onions and garlic after browning. Once the meat is browned, drop the heat to medium and cook the onions and garlic briefly so they soften without burning.
- Bloom the spices in the pot. Add the chile powder, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, allspice, smoked paprika, thyme, and tomato paste, then cook for about 1 minute while stirring so the spices wake up before the liquid goes in.
- Deglaze with wine first. Add about 1 cup of the red wine first and scrape up the browned bits before adding the rest of the liquid. That keeps the sauce deeper and smoother.
- Keep it at a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook until the mixture thickens, which can take up to 1 hour. Do not rush it with a hard boil or the sauce can reduce unevenly.
- Reduce the sauce if needed. If you want a thicker sloppy joe mix, remove the meat with a slotted spoon, simmer the sauce on medium-low until it tightens up, then stir the venison back in and adjust the salt, vinegar, or heat.
- Use the slow cooker instead. Brown the meat and cook the onions and garlic on the stove first, then transfer everything to the crock pot and cook on LOW for about 3 to 4 hours until the sauce thickens and the flavors come together.
- Use stew meat if wanted. For shredded sloppy joes, swap in 4 pounds of boneless venison stew meat, brown it well, cover the pot fully, and simmer slowly until fork-tender, up to about 4 hours. Add water, beef stock, or venison stock if it starts drying out.
Nutrition
Calories: 707kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 726mg | Potassium: 1249mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 1128IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 10mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
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