VENISON VEGETABLE SOUP WITH BARLEY
Hearty venison vegetable soup with barley, root vegetables, mushrooms, and smoky bacon, all simmered low and slow in red wine and stock until the venison is fall-apart tender.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 3 pounds venison stew meat, 2 to 3 inch pieces (see above for cuts)
- salt and ground black pepper
- 4 slices smoked bacon, chopped
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 cups diced carrots, 1/2 inch
- 1 cup diced celery, 1/2 inch
- 2 cups button or cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, (preferably fire roasted)
- 1 quart 4 cups chicken or venison stock
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 cups pearled barley
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat renders. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside while reserving the fat in the pot.
- Increase the temperature to medium-high heat. Once the bacon fat starts to slightly smoke, add the venison and season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Cook the deer meat on all sides until it is golden brown. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium low. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms and minced garlic to the same pot. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Cook for 6 minutes while stirring occasionally and scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. This will take around 6 minutes.
- Place the meat back to the pot. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the carrots and barley.
- Cover with a lid and bring to a slow simmer. Cook gently for around 2 hours or until the venison is almost fall-apart tender.
- Add the carrot and the barley to the pot and cover with the lid. Simmer until the carrots are fork tender. Add a little more stock or water if needed.
- Remove the bay leaves and the thyme springs from pot. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with crusty bread, sliced green onion and my favorite, fresh c
NOTES
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Follow the main instructions and stop once you reach step number 6.
- Using a 6-quart pot, add all of the ingredients except the carrots and barley to the cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours or until the venison is tender.
- Add the carrot and the barley and cook for another 2 hours or until the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork. Add a little more stock to the slow cooker if needed
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can serve directly from the cooker if you like.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
- Make Ahead Instructions: The soup can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in the fridge. Reheat the soup on the stove over low heat. Or for those busy weeknights, use the microwave on the low setting.
- Freezing Instructions: Store the soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!