Slow Cooker Venison in Cider

Oh boy, this Slow Cooker Venison in Cider is a decadent and deeply nourishing stew that’ll warm the body and the soul.

A few years back, in the depths of winter, we got a call from our good friend Simon.

He’d just witnessed the car in front hit and kill a deer on his way to pick up a Chinese takeaway.

He called to see if we wanted it.

Errm, yes please!

And that is how Simon & Jonny were to be found piling a road kill deer into the boot of my Ford Focus on a tiny country lane. Whilst I held the torch and Simon’s dog sniffed round with extreme interest.

Ah, country life :)

We got the beast home and rigged it up in the log shed where I managed to remove the internal organs to stop it spoiling.

Bearing in mind the biggest animal I’d ever butchered at this point was a pig, and that was with help, I was a little daunted about taking this huge deer apart.

However, after watching a couple of youtube videos and consulting a couple of knowledgeable friends on the subject, I managed to butcher that deer into tidy-ish joints of venison.

Slow Cooker Venison in Cider

When cooking a wild venison, it’s often the case that you won’t know how old the deer was.

And the older an animal is, the tougher the meat generally is, I find using a slow cooker the absolute best way to cook diced venison.

Here follows the recipe I use and love. Depending where you are in the world you can switch between UK and US measurements using the little button in the recipe card below.

And if you just so happen to be using the meat from a freshly shot (or roadkill!) deer, put the liver to very good use by trying this Venison Liver Pâté recipe.

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Slow Cooker Venison in Cider

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 hrs

Total Time

10 hrs 20 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: venison in cider, venison recipe

Servings: 6

Calories: 298 kcal

Author: Jane Sarchet

Ingredients

• 800 g venison
• 1 tablespoon of your favourite oil
• 3 onions sliced
• 6 rashers of smoky bacon rind removed and chopped
• 1 litre dry cider
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 bay leaf
• Cornflour
• Salt & pepper

UK Measurements - USA Measurements

Instructions

1. Dice the venison into bit sized chunks and pop them into the slow cooker. If you have time feel free to sear them first in a hot pan, but I was in a hurry and skipped this step. It still tasted delightful.
2. Heat the oil and cook the onions down until they become soft and slightly golden. Avoid letting them crisp as they'll become chewy in the final stew. Tip onto the venison.
3. Fry the chopped bacon until well coloured and tip into the slow cooker.
4. Pour a little of the cider into the frying pan to deglaze it (keep the pan over the heat and stir/scrape all the tasty sticky bits stuck on the bottom of the pan up into the cider) Pour this over the venison too.
5. Finally throw the garlic, bay leaf and the rest of the cider into the slow cooker. Pop the lid on and cook of high for 4-6 hours or low or 8- 10 hours or until the venison is fall apart tender.
6. Season with the salt & pepper to taste.
7. Mix the cornflour with a tablespoon or two of cold water and pour this in too. Pop the lid back on for 10 - 15 minutes until the cornflour has thickened the sauce.
8. Serve with crusty bread or creamy mash and some green veggies.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Venison in Cider

Amount Per Serving

Calories 298 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 127mg42%

Sodium 216mg9%

Potassium 559mg16%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 0g0%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 34g68%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 25mg3%

Iron 4.8mg27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.