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Cooks are always looking for something different to do with their venison. Grilled steaks, deer burger chili, jerky, and summer sausage tend to get slightly dull after several years. So when Host Tim Farmer presented his French-inspired, spicy-sweet venison stew on a winter showing of “Kentucky Afield” television, the response was overwhelming. More than 200 viewers e-mailed the show requesting the recipe.
Unfortunately, Farmer is an intuitive cook who measures his ingredients in dashes and handfuls, which makes duplicating his recipe difficult for viewers. Farmer recently sat down with Kentucky Afield magazine and carefully measured the ingredients so that everyone could enjoy the same stew that brought so many smiles to guests on the show.
The farmer’s recipe is a carefully crafted mélange of spices. They provide a background flavor without overwhelming the dish with any one ingredient. He prefers to cut larger 2-inch cubes of venison and slow-cook the meat for hours for maximum tenderness.
There’s a secret ingredient absent from most stews: red currant jelly. Farmer learned the secret from a French chef who happened to be visiting his daughter, Farmer’s neighbor at the time. “He was a chef on a French polar expedition in the 1950s,” Farmer said. “He told his wife that he’d be gone three months, and he was gone three years.”
Farmer experimented with his stew recipe for over a decade before settling on the final version. If you’re cleaning out your freezer this spring, try this recipe. You won’t be disappointed.
Pour all liquid ingredients into a slow cooker. Add bouillon cubes, salt, Creole seasoning, and black pepper, stirring until dissolved. Next, add vegetables and venison. Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until tender. Mix seasoned flour with ¼ cups of water until dissolved a few minutes before serving. Pour into stew and cook until desired thickness results. Feeds four average people or two hungry deer hunters.
Print Recipe
This recipe for grilled, bacon-wrapped backstraps uses a butter-based basting sauce to add charring and rich flavor to the outside of the venison. Creator Tim Farmer finishes the dish with a French-inspired reduction sauce.
Click here for the full recipe.
Basically, this consists of a venison burger placed atop layers of vegetables, wrapped in aluminum foil then put onto the coals. The foil serves as both the cooking pot and the plate. When it cooks, the juices from the meat soak into the vegetables and give them a good flavor. You can season it with seasoned salt and black pepper, or a sprinkle of Old Bay, or even some Cajun seasoning – whatever you like.