Easy Venison Stew in a Camp Dutch Oven
(Reprinted with permission from CampDutchOvens.com)
Stews fit neatly in the cooking theory that understanding why you’re doing things is more important than the recipe itself. In terms of vegetables and seasonings, add the ingredients that you like. Steps in italics are what you really need to do; the rest of the steps are there for clarity and first-timers.
Easy Venison Stew in a Camp Dutch Oven
Venison Stew is the PERFECT meal for the first night of deer camp. Celebrating this year's hunt with the spoils of last year's hunt is a time-honored tradition. Similarly, it also goes great with beer and friends.
Equipment
- Cast iron Camp Dutch Oven, at least 12″ across and 4″ deep
- Dutch Oven lid lifter
- Large wooden spoon
- Cutting board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 1 lb venison roast cut into 1″ cubes
- 2 large onions baseball-size
- 4 potatoes cut into 1" cubes
- 2 large carrots diced or 1 cup of baby carrots
- 1 stalk celery diced
- mushrooms optional
- baby corn optional
- green beans optional
- peas optional
- parsnip optional
- rutabaga optional
- 2 cubes beef bouillon
- 1 bottle your favorite locally-brewed stout or porter
- salt and pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, etc to taste
Instructions
At Home
- Chop meat and veggies at home for less mess and hassle, but this isn’t necessary.
Fire Instructions
- If you have a Camp Dutch Oven, you can cook this right in the coals, over briquettes, hanging over the fire, or on a grill over the fire.
Cooking Instructions
- Heat oil over enough coals to hit 350 degrees
- Brown the meat, onions, and garlic together. Make sure the meat is fully cooked by putting it on first. Cook until the meat is browned and onions are carmelized.
- Add all the veggies that you want fully cooked. Potatoes, celery, parsnip, etc.
- Add liquid and most seasonings. Beer and beef bouillon (or skip both and add beef stock) are added, along with most of the seasonings. Save some seasoning for the end of the cook. You could also add cream of mushroom soup right now and it wouldn’t be weird.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for an hour. The venison will need a good long simmer to reduce its toughness, and the potatoes always need more time than you think.
- Add veggies that you want to be crunchy and the rest of the seasonings. Carrots, pea pods, etc.
- Simmer for another half hour.
- Serve and clean up.
Sides and Dessert
When we cook with Camp Dutch Ovens, we cook with three at a time: one big oven for the entrée, one medium oven for the side dish, and one small oven for the dessert.
This recipe would go great with:
Sides
- Bread or Cornbread
- Hasselbeck potatoes or Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Dessert
- Chocolate lava cake
- Apple pie
This recipe was created from various recipes from the following books:
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