Venison Gumbo

venison gumbo recipe
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

God bless the Creole and Cajun cooks who gave the rest of us the notion of gumbo: A spicy, rich Mulligan stew of… whatever is handy. This gumbo is my own version; yours may be different.

Note that there is no tomato in this gumbo. If you want something like this that does have tomato in it, try my recipe for Venison Sauce Piquante.

This is the dish I make when I have some old game meats lurking in the freezer. So long as they have been vacuum-sealed, there is no reason you cannot use meats that are more than a year old — they will not be as nice as younger meats, but hey, that’s what this gumbo is for.

A bowl of Cajun gumbo made with venison and sausage.
5 from 11 votes

Venison Gumbo

Any cut of venison will do, as will similar meats like beef, goat, bison and such. This is the gumbo to make when you have really random meats.
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Cajun
Servings: 10 people
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup peanut oil, lard or bacon fat
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 large minced green peppers
  • 2 minced medium onions
  • 4 minced celery stalks
  • 6 minced cloves garlic
  • 3 to 4 pounds venison or other game meats
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 3 quarts game stock, chicken stock or water
  • 1 pound smoked andouille sausage, cut into rings
  • 2 tablespoons file powder
  • 2 green onions and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley per person

Instructions 

  • Bring the stock to a gentle simmer.
  • In a Dutch oven or large pot, add the cup of oil to the pot, and turn the heat to medium-high. Whisk in the flour, and stir this frequently until it turns the color of chocolate. You can go as dark as dark chocolate brown, but under no circumstances can you let this roux burn. Keep in mind that this takes time, maybe 15 to 25 minutes of frequent stirring.
  • When the roux is ready, add the peppers, onions, celery and garlic and stir to combine. Cook this, stirring often, for 6  to 8 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
  • Meanwhile, mix all the dry spices together except the filé powder.
  • When the veggies are soft, ladle in the stock with one hand while stirring with the other. Stir in each ladle of stock before adding another. Turn the heat to high to bring the gumbo to a strong simmer.
  • Add half the spices, stir to combine, and add the meats except the sausage, if using. Taste and add more salt or spices if you want. Drop the heat to a simmer, cover and cook gently for at least 90 minutes, but probably more like 2 to 3 hours. Check the status of the meats every half-hour after 90 minutes have elapsed. When the meats are about falling off the bone, fish them out and when they cool enough to handle them, pick the meat off the bones. Return the meats to the gumbo and add the andouille. Cook for another 15 minutes or so.
  • Add the filé powder, the green onions and parsley. Cook for 3 minutes more. Serve with rice or all by itself.

Notes

You will want to get some filé powder, which is powdered sassafrass. It is an important flavor component here, and the filé (FEE-lay) needs to be added at the end of the process. If you cannot find it, do without. But be sure to look at least before you omit.
If you have it, okra can substitute for the file powder. Use up to 1 pound, sliced into coins. 

Nutrition

Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 885IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

 

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