Recipe: Venison Pot Roast

There are few people that don’t appreciate the flavor, texture and comfort of a good pot roast. They are easy to prepare and can be done at home on the stove, in camp on your favorite Camp Chef stove, or even over a fire. The important things to remember are to brown the meat first to add flavor, then simmer on low heat for a long period to tenderize, maintain moisture and add more layers of flavor.

Even if you have limited cooking skills, a pot roast is easy to learn how to prepare and cook. A mirepoix, made with onion, carrot, and celery, is used to provide flavor and seasoning to the meat and gravy.

Lots of roasts are done in an oven, but a Dutch oven or pot with a good sealing lid on a stovetop or camp stove helps lock in moisture and tenderize the long-grain cuts of meat.

Ingredients
• 2 to 3-pound deer, moose, elk or bison roast (round, cross-rib, or sirloin tip roast)
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil or lard, reserving 1 Tbsp
• 3 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
• 3 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 6 large cloves garlic, cut into slivers
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• ½ cup red wine
• ½ cup beef broth
• 2 bay leaves

Directions
1. In a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander and rosemary together, then add the garlic and work it in (or purchase ground coriander, where ¾ tsp ground = 1 tsp whole).

2. Season the roast with salt and pepper, and rub the spice mixture over and into it.

3. In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, or pot with lid, heat 2 Tbsp of oil to medium-high and brown the roast on all sides, being careful not to burn the coriander seeds.

4. While the roast is browning, make the mirepoix by roughly chopping the onion into large chunks, and chopping the carrots and celery into 3-inch pieces.

5. Once browned, remove the roast from the pan, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil and stir in the onion, carrots and celery. Sautée the vegetables for about 10 minutes until the onions become translucent.

6. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan by scraping all the caramelized bits off the bottom. Add beef broth and bay leaves.

7. Put the roast back into the pot and nestle it on top of the vegetables, cover with a lid and braise on the stovetop for about 2 hours at a simmer.

8. When the roast is done, remove it and let it rest under tented foil while you make the gravy.

9. To make the gravy, strain out all the solids and return the leftover liquid to the pot. Gravy can be left as is or can be thickened with flour or corn starch.

10. To thicken with flour or corn starch, shake ¼ cup of flour/starch and ½ cup of the liquid in a container, whisk this into the pot, and simmer until thickened.

11. Remove roast from foil and slice for serving.