Oh Deer! Venison Ragu

High in protein, iron and zinc, venison is a great source of nutritional value, especially since it is such a lean cut of meat. Although steaks and chops can be pricey, regular roasts, which lend themselves well to long, slow braises are not too expensive. The slow moist-heat cooking method helps break down the collagen in the meat which tenderizes the meat and thickens the sauce.

I was inspired to cook up a Venison Ragu to serve with some Sweet Potato Gnocchi a little while ago. It was a perfect slow cooking meal for a Sunday afternoon. I used a fruity Pinot Noir as the wine in this dish as the venison needs something assertive, but not too aggressive.

Stay tuned for the recipe for the sweet potato gnocchi with comes from Earth to Table: Seasonal Recipes from an Organic Farm.

Venison RaguVenison Ragu

4 slices of bacon

2 ½ pounds venison shoulder

2 tbps olive oil

1 onion, small dice

4 small carrots, small dice

1 red pepper, small dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

beef broth

1 cup red wine (pinot noir)

Thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and allspice berries. wrapped in cheesecloth.

All purpose flour

Slice bacon into small pieces and fry to release the fat. Remove pieces of cooked bacon.

Cube the venison into one-inch square cubes, being careful to remove any silverskin first. Dredge in some all purpose flour. Heat some olive oil in a Dutch oven, and brown the pieces of venison in small batches so as to not crowd the pot.

When venison is browned remove from pot. Add in the onions, carrots and red pepper. Sweat until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for another minute and a half. Then add red wine and reduce, until nearly all evaporated. Put meat, and any juices back into pot and add enough beef stock to cover meat about 1/2 way.

Toss cheesecloth packed with 2 sprigs of thyme, one bay leaf, three all spice berries and a dozen peppercorns. Cover with a piece of parchment paper cut to the size of the pot, with a hole in the centre to allow some steam to escape.

Bake at 300F for several hours (3 to 4 hours is best). Check every half hour, and baste, or turn meat as necessary.

You will know when the ragu is ready, when the meat is tender and pulls apart easily. Remove from oven, take out spice bag, and shred meat with a fork. Serve over gnocchi.

 Venison

 Diced vegetables ready for the pot  Herbs and spices

Comments

[Bryce]

That looks so good! How would I modify this for use in a crock pot?

[[KV]]

Hi Bryce,
If you were going to make this in a crock pot, I would follow the instructions until the addition of the beef stock, and then transfer to the crock.
If you don't do these steps, (browning the beef, cooking out the garlic and tomato paste, reducing the wine) it will not have the same rich taste.
I would use the stock to deglaze the pan, also put less beef stock, maybe 1/2 way up the beef. The crock doesn't release any moisture, so it wouldn't reduce and might water down the finish product. For a fuller bodied taste, you could take some stock and boil it down on the stove to about 1/2 its original volume and then add it in.
Hope that helps!
Carrie (KV)