Slow Cooker Red Wine Venison
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1.5 lbs deer loin, cut into 1-2" pieces
- 1/2 bottle cabernet sauvignon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Place the meat into a sealable container. To make the marinade, mix the wine, vinegar, mustard and all the spices together (exclude bay leaf), once its done cover the meat and place in fridge for 2-4 hours.
After its marinated, get the slow cooker set up. Pour the meat and marinade into the cooking vessel for your cooker, add the bay leaf and olive oil, and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve over mashed potatoes or rice and a side of green vegetables.
Notes
You can cook the meat for up to 8 hours if you'd like, just ensure that there is ample liquid so it remains tender and does not dry out.
Venison. Lean, full of protein, and you dont have to worry about it being “organic and grass fed” because last I checked deer aren’t quote domesticated yet despite what your back yard herb garden may be telling you. If you don’t happen to live somewhere were hunters are abundant and can easily get it from your farmers market, like I do in West Virginia, you may have to go to a speciality butcher or as Whole Foods if they can source it for you ( they are pretty awesome at getting pretty much whatever cut of meat you want as long as you request it).
I have cooked deer a bunch of different ways and slow cooked is always the best way. Since the meat is so lean, there is zero fat on the loin, it takes a while for the proteins to break down and become tender strands of meat. While you can technically skip the marinating stage if your in a rush, the dark brown color that will develop on the outside is well worth it. Once you cut into a piece the outer rim will be soaked in the cabernet and spices and the inner strands a beautiful clean chestnut brown. If you want to refine the dish a bit, it is a meat associated with hunters so technically is fine to keep rustic, strain the reserved cooking liquid with a mesh into a sauce pot. Discard the remnants of the spices from the strainer, they have done their job at this point, and add 2-4 pats of grass fed butter to the sauce and serve over the meat. To take the sauce even further, before adding the butter, mash in 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries. Top the dish with fresh parsley.
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