Venison roast recipe for crock pot?

[JeffDilla]

So here's the deal. I'm a teacher and on vacation. Looks like we're in for over a foot of snow tomorrow, so it'll be a good day to hang around the house and get some stuff done. I'd like to use one of the roasts I have to make a crock pot meal. I've checked the recipe sticky but didn't see anything that jumped out at me.

What slow cooker recipes have you used for deer roasts? Anything to help with the gaminess? I don't mind it but my girlfriend isn't fond of it.

Thanks folks.

 

[WardenWolf]

Well, the recipe I've heard for gamey meat is, you wrap it in horse crap. Then you cook it, you stew it, you brew it for about 48 hours. Then you throw it out and eat the horse crap.

 

[1911 guy]

Start by slicing (not chopping or dicing) a large onion. Sweet Vidalia is best, but any onion will do. Place it in the bottom of the crock. Everything else gets stacked on top of the onion.

Put 1/4 cup A-1 sauce, 1/4 cup red wine and 1/2 cup water in a measuring cup. Whisk it up until the A-1 is disolved. If you know what HP Sauce is and have it on hand, use it instead of A-1. And use real wine, not cooking wine. Cooking wine has too much salt added.

Either marinade or inject the above goop into the roast. If marinade, the longer the better, up to overnight. Put the roast on top of the onions.

Cover the roast with other vegetables you want, carrots, potatos, green beans, whatever.

Cover and cook on "High" two hours. Reduce to "Low" until done, probably another four or so hours, depending on roast size.

 

[Ms_Dragon]

What my father taught me to do with gamey old buck hares was to soak it over night in a sink full of water with a cup of white vinegar mixed into it.

Rinse it off and pat it dry before cooking.

 

[a-sheepdog]

Slice up the roast into chunks of about 1-1/2" squares. Throw it in the crock pot with about 1/2 cup of cooking wine, a packet of Lipton Onion Soup, a couple of cans of Golden Mushroom Soup and a can of Cream Of Mushroom Soup along with salt and pepper. Cook on low all day long, if you desire more gravy, use more soup. Goes great with mashed potatoes. It also works on wild hog, cook low and slow.

 

[1911 guy]

"Gamey" taste is a funny thing, there seems to be no concensus on what causes it. My personal opinion is that it's caused by several things. Lack of a quick kill floods the animal with adrenalyn. Not caring for the meat properly from the outset causes bacteria to form and multiply, causing a change in taste in the meat. An older animal tastes different than a younger animal, especially youung does compared to old bucks. I'm also of the opinion that using a saw to process the deer allows for bones being cut and marrow getting on the meat, contributing to "gamey" taste.

Once it's present, though, the question becomes how to eliminate it. Anything slightly acidic, like the vineagar mixture mentioned above, will help. The trick is to not over-do it and wind up with meat that tastes just as bad "fixed" as it did "gamey". My prefered method is to use a marinade or injection that contains slightly acidic ingredients, like the A-1 and wine. Your cooking style may lend itself to other methods, though.

 

[JeffDilla]

This will be the first roast I'll have cooked from this particular buck. None of the other meat has been gamey at all and has been fantastic.

I can say it was a very quick kill, deer dropped in its tracks. But you're right, I have heard that an animal that doesn't die quickly can have a different (read: worse) taste.

I'm going to try the A1 and wine recipe tonight and add a few things to get creative.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[JeffDilla]

I've read that slicing apples and cooking them with the roast helps as well. Anyone tried this?

 

[1911 guy]

I'm not sure that apples will help with eliminating gaminess, but there are a few meats that cook well with certain fruits. For apples, pork and venison come immediately to mind. In other words, as long as you don't "clutter" the taste too much, you aught to be good to go using apples.

 

[JeffDilla]

The roast is now sitting in the A1, merlot, and water marinade for the night. Thanks for the tips, 1911 guy.

 

[1911 guy]

Merlot is a good choice. Lots of fruit and earthy flavors that aren't found in straight up red wine.

If you've got it in overnight, I'd pop it in the crock early in the morning and cook on low all day. Skip the high setting for the first hour or two. Do it like I do ribs in the smoker. In by breakfast, falling apart by dinner. The ribs are usually good, too.

 

[Rembrandt]

One packet Lipton onion soup mix, deer roast, cover with water.......cook low heat for about 8 hours. Remove meat when done, use water/soup mix to make a brown gravy.

 

[wyohome]

I would cut the roast into serving sized chunks, brown in bacon fat and follow some of the other guy's suggestions.

 

[Patocazador]

"Gamey" taste is a funny thing, there seems to be no concensus on what causes it. My personal opinion is that it's caused by several things. Lack of a quick kill floods the animal with adrenalyn. Not caring for the meat properly from the outset causes bacteria to form and multiply, causing a change in taste in the meat. An older animal tastes different than a younger animal, especially youung does compared to old bucks. I'm also of the opinion that using a saw to process the deer allows for bones being cut and marrow getting on the meat, contributing to "gamey" taste.

Once it's present, though, the question becomes how to eliminate it. Anything slightly acidic, like the vineagar mixture mentioned above, will help. The trick is to not over-do it and wind up with meat that tastes just as bad "fixed" as it did "gamey". My prefered method is to use a marinade or injection that contains slightly acidic ingredients, like the A-1 and wine. Your cooking style may lend itself to other methods, though.

Deer fat tastes terrible and hardens at a high temperature making the meat taste as if it has soap hunks in it. ALWAYS remove all fat when cleaning your deer.

IMO, gamey taste is due to semi-spoilage from not dressing and skinning the deer soon enough to cool it down and/or to getting gut contents on the meat while cleaning.

 

[1911 guy]

Agreed, but the fat doesn't taste "gamey". It tastes absolutely bitter and rancid. But yes, absolutely trim ALL fat from venison before cooking and preferably when you're butchering. I guesss I assume that because anybody who's cooked venison with the fat still on it usually doesn't make that mistake twice.

 

[Ms_Dragon]

I wonder if venison fat, once it's been rendered down, makes good soap?

 

[Lloyd Smale]

[QUOTEOne packet Lipton onion soup mix, deer roast, cover with water.......cook low heat for about 8 hours. Remove meat when done, use water/soup mix to make a brown gravy. ][/QUOTE]

thats my favorite but i throw in a chopped up onion and a few carrots. Cream of mush soup is another good one. trim your meat well and i doubt it will have any gammy taste. that said i dont want my venison roast to taste like a bland beef roast. I like the taste of venison for what it is.

 

[inclinebench]

I know it is a little late for this particular roast, but I tried making corned venison this year, and it is amazing. I probably will not be eating corned beef again. A fellow by the name of Hank Shaw has a website honest-food.net that has the corning recipe as well as a bunch of other great ones.

 

[JeffDilla]

inclinebench, this website is amazing! Thanks for the link. I have another venison roast in the freezer that I think I'll try corning.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I've read that slicing apples and cooking them with the roast helps as well. Anyone tried this?

Put the apples in the desert, that's where they go.
Just kidding, to each his own. I despise fruit or even the slightest hint of sweetness with any meat. I'm so weird like that. I even hate honey glazed ham or ham with pineapple on top. Smoke that bad boy and call it good.

For my crockpot venison, I cut into manageable size pieces and brown on the stovetop first. Then cover with beef stock and let cook on low all night in the crockpot along with plenty of onion and garlic. It should be falling apart at this point. About an hour or two before time to serve, I'll throw in some cream of mushroom and cream of celery. Pour some of that over some mashed taters and man, you talk about good.

 

[JeffDilla]

I decided not to put the apples in anyway, I didn't think they'd pair well with the wine and A1

I did put plenty of sweet onion slices in though, and a liberal amount of worcestershire. I made enough of the mixture to mostly cover the roast. Things are starting to smell great, it's been in for about 2 hours now.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Let's see, if I leave now, I can be at your house in about 28 hours......

 

[MCgunner]

Process it properly and it won't be gamey. I love the crock pot for venison roasts, gets it to fall right apart. Don't even need a knife to eat it. I just spice it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder or sometimes I'll pour a bag of McCormick's pot roast seasoning over it. Cut up some onion, potatoes, and add some baby carrots for veggies. Excellent.

 

[inclinebench]

Hey Jeff, you are welcome. He also has links to like minded websites with great stories and recipes. I cannot rave enough about the corned venison.

 

[JeffDilla]

Update: The roast came out great. Excellent flavor and not a hint of gaminess. I made a gravy by adding a bit of butter to some of the broth in a sauce pan, then added a water/flour slurry, some thyme, and worcestershire sauce. It went great with the meat, potato, and carrots. My girlfriend made a loaf of beer bread to go with it as well.

All in all a fantastic meal on a snowy day!