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Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

Venison Stews and Soups

kentucky burgoo recipe with squirrel, venison and pheasant
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Venison, antelope, elk and bison are all well-suited to long simmering.

Venison stews are excellent, as are Italian sugos, which are highly concentrated pasta sauces where the meat becomes the chief flavoring agent. I am also partial to venison soup, where the broth is more of the star than what’s in the broth. Depends on my mood.

A few things to remember about venison stews: Use larger pieces of meat than you might use with beef, and then shred the meat when it’s fall-apart tender. This will defeat that “dry meat” problem many venison stews have. Another way to do the same thing is to dice the venison very small, and then stew it.

Also, cook your venison stews at the barest of simmers — never let them come to a full boil.

And be sure to add some sort of fat in your stew or sauce, or it will taste dry. I like to drizzle a little bit of good olive or other nice oil over the stew when you serve it.

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