September 26, 2014

Chunky Venison Stew

Name: Chunky Venison Stew
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 175 min
Total time: 205 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 pounds venison stew meat (cut into 1" chunks); 1 large yellow onion (coarsely chopped); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 whole bay leaf; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried parsley; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 7 medium red potatoes (peeled and quartered); 1 pound carrots (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces); 3-4 cups beef stock (as needed); 1 1/2 cups frozen petite garden peas (optional); 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup water

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My husband likes to hunt deer and elk in the fall. This Chunky Venison Stew is a wonderful way to use some of the processed meat.

(Post modified on 1/4/24.)

Our family practically lived on venison meat for the first 15 years of our marriage. During that time, I learned how to best prepare the burger, steaks, and roasts. Some of the recipes were okay. Some were amazing. This stew falls into the latter category.

Our granddaughter adores this stew. We’ve nicknamed it “Mountain Stew” because we always make Chunky Venison Stew when we go camping in the mountains. And we’re hoping to one day take a big family vacation, where we’ll make this stew together. It also works well for Cowboy gatherings. Or any family gathering, for that matter.

More Venison Recipes to Try

Ingredients for Chunky Venison Stew

(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)

vegetable oil
venison stew meat
large yellow onion
garlic
Worcestershire sauce
bay leaf
oregano
parsley
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
beef stock
red potatoes
carrots
frozen petite garden peas (optional)
all-purpose flour and water (to make a thickening paste)

Tips for Making this Stew

There is nothing quite like having meat simmer on your kitchen stove. It smells so good. Meat that simmers for hours and turns so tender that it falls apart in your fork. That’s how you want this meat to be. Of course, you could use beef for this recipe as well. I have done so. But I have to admit that it just doesn’t taste as good. The venison meat (at least in this recipe) gives it a distinct, and wonderful flavor that you won’t get from a beef roast.

For this stew, you want your vegetables to be large and chunky. It seems appropriate to make them that way, to go with the wild meat you’re serving. And it just tastes plain wonderful when you scoop some up in your spoon and take that first bite. Yummy! Can you say Comfort Food?

I sometimes like to add frozen peas to the stew to give it just a little pop of color and even more flavor.

Instructions for Making Venison Stew

Gather all the ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.

Prepare the Ingredients

Using a cutting board and sharp knife, slice chunks of stew meat and set aside.

On a second cutting board, coarsely chop the yellow onion. Mince the garlic. Place in a small bowl until ready to use.

Slice the red potatoes into bite-size chunks. Peel and slice the carrots. Place vegetables in a bowl and set aside until later.

Make the Stew

Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Brown the chunks of stew meat.

Add in the prepared chopped onion and minced garlic.

Using a wooden spoon or spurtle, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, dried oregano and parsley. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer covered 2 hours or until meat is tender. Add water as needed, one cup at a time.

Add just enough water to keep the meat from burning, about one cup at a time. Be sure to check the meat every 20-30 minutes to stir.

Add prepared chunks of potatoes and carrots to the stew meat with enough beef stock to cover the vegetables. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

If desired, add frozen petite garden peas to the stew for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Add Thickener

In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and water until completely incorporated. Slowly stir into stew.

Cook and stir until thickened. Remove bay leaf. Allow the stew to cool for 5-7 minutes before serving.

This recipe will serve 6-8 people.

I like to serve this stew with Country Biscuits, Sourdough Biscuits, or Savory Southwest Biscuits. They all are equally wonderful with this stew to help mop up that delicious, thick gravy.

See more Venison Recipes Here. View more Soup ideas Here.