Picture this. A cold February day. Wind, sleet and rain all day and dark before five (not that I’ve wanted to go outside anyway in that weather). Now we want something warming, nutritious and comforting to eat. Not too much trouble to make either, but something that will really fill you up.
This is when I turn to my slow cooker venison and bean stew. Apart from browning the meat and softening the onions, all I have to do is put it in the slow cooker and leave it. And a few hours later – lovely.
Why make this Crockpot Venison Stew
I make this slow cooker bean and venison stew (or is it casserole? I never quite know the difference) lots through the winter. It is a perfect recipe for using venison shoulder or shank – those pieces that most people think are only good for mincing, but once they are in this stew, they become delicious in their own right.
I pretty much agree with the whole “don’t waste” philosophy, and finding a way of making the most under-valued cuts of meat shine is a bit of a personal mission of mine.
Cooking venison shanks
One important thing to say – to get the most out of this, cook it slowly for a long time. It lets all the connective tissues in the shank break down and get absorbed into the stew, thickening the sauce and stopping any toughness. So, so good.
Deer meat benefits
Oh, and can I talk about healthier. Venison is almost completely fat-free and cannot be intensively farmed. In fact, most is wild, so will have lived a completely natural life until just before you get it from the butcher. Lots of boxes ticked right there.
Here is my suggestion, drop everything and make this slow cooker venison and bean stew. It is so, so, so worth it.
Easy venison slow cooker recipes
If you are looking for more easy venison slow cooker recipes then why not check out this 7 ingredient slow cooker venison stew. It is really easy and really filling too.
(And if slow cooking isn’t your thing, try my post with over 75 easy Instant Pot recipes.)
Here is how to make this slow cooker venison soup. Please do try it and if you do make it, then please do tag #recipesfromapantry on Instagram or twitter so that I can pop over and have a look. It is really, really awesome for me when you make any one of my recipes. You can also share it on my Facebook page.
Weight Watchers Points in Slow Cooker Venison and Bean Stew
There is just 1 Freestyle Point in a serving of Slow Cooker Venison and Bean Stew.
Thank you for reading my crockpot venison and bean stew recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you.
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Slow Cooker Venison and Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 2 onions peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- 500 g (1.1lb) venison shoulder or shank cubed into 2cm pieces
- Corn flour to coat the venison
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 x 400g (14oz) tins of black-eyed beans rinsed and drained
- 200 g (7oz) mushrooms sliced
- 2 X 400g (14oz) tins chopped tomatoes
- 250 ml (1 cup) hot beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of thyme or other herbs like rosemary
Instructions
- Add the onions and garlic into a blender and blend into a paste.
- Meanwhile coat the venison pieces in the corn flour and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the meat, and everything else into the slow cooker and cook on high for about 4 hours.
- Test after 4 hrs and if it need a bit more time then cook for a further hr.
- Adjust seasoning and at this point you can either serve it straight away or leave for a day to mature.
Notes
Nutrition
I love to hunt but have never acquired the flavor for venison, other then jerky or sausages, but when I saw your recipe for venison stew I was intrigued. I added a sweet potato, I’m a meat and potatoes kinda guy, to the pot and now I have a whole new way to eat venison. The old R&D (research and development),really paid off big this time! Thanks for the great recipe.
I made this then other day. Absolutely amazing. After browning the meat I made a red wine reduction in the same pot and added that to the slow cooker as well. Added some beautiful flavour.