Venison Bourguignon
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • 3 strips smoked bacon, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 pounds deer meat (venison), cut in bite-size chunks
  • 2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 cups mushrooms, button or creminis (baby portobellos), halved
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups dry red wine, such as Burgundy
  • 3 cups beef stock, plus more if needed
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons dark Cajun roux, such as Rox’s Roux
  • 2 large carrots, chopped into large chunks
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups pearl onions, root end and top skin removed
  • 2 cups chopped curly-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Pinch of Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 6 cups cooked pasta, such as bowtie or long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
Instructions
  1. In a large black iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crispy and the fat rendered. Remove the bacon pieces and to the remaining grease, add the venison pieces. Brown the meat on all sides and remove to a paper towel-lined platter.
  2. If needed, add the vegetable oil and heat until sizzling hot. Add the chopped and yellow onions along with mushrooms. Saute until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir into the vegetables and cook just until the raw taste of the flour is gone, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the wine and cook at a slow boil until most of the alcohol cooks off and it reduces, about 15 minutes. Add the venison and the reserved bacon pieces. Add enough of the beef stock to cover the meat along with the tomato paste and roux, and stir to incorporate. Add the carrots, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, pearl onions, and half of the parsley. Add the salt and pepper.
  4. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook on the stovetop until the meat is tender, 3 to 4 hours. Along the way, check to see that there is enough stock in the pot and it doesn’t become too thick; if so, add more stock. Remove the bay leaves and any excess oil by skimming the top of the sauce.
  5. Once the meat is fork tender, taste and season with more salt and pepper, along with a delicate pinch of Cajun seasoning. Add a knob of butter to the pot and swirl it into the sauce for richness and sheen.
  6. Serve over pasta or white rice along with a sprinkle of the remaining chopped parsley. Serve with hot sauce on the side for added heat.
Notes
Ben likes to add 4-inch sections of venison neck bone to the pot for added flavor, but feel free to omit. Burgundy is the classic wine of choice, but any drinkable dry red wine (Ben uses Chianti) will work. Some like to cook this in the oven, but I like the controlled heat of braising at a simmer on the stovetop burner. Feel free to make your own Cajun roux from scratch with our easy recipe here. Control your thickness by adding more stock if it becomes too much like a heavy gravy; it should be a sauce that coats the back of a spoon. Be sure to try this recipe in a slow cooker with additional cooking time, of course. I can’t resist a touch of Cajun seasoning in this dish but go easy on the spice and heat to let the flavors shine. Pasta is tasty with this dish, but I will say that a mound of Louisiana white rice or even a big scoop of mashed potatoes would be equally delicious.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://acadianatable.com/2018/10/08/venison-bourguignon/