Slow Cooker Venison Cacciatore

Venison Mushroom Cacciatore is slow-cooked perfectly and will taste very much like beef stew.

My husband loves hunting in the woods in Upstate New York.

When he came back to Florida from the New York woods of Rome New York in the fall of 2015, I was eager to learn how to prepare venison all different ways.

This flavorful cacciatore was a big hit!

I have had a ball making my venison Italian style all winter long all different ways.

The meat is tender, melt in your mouth delicious.

If you already love venison try my fried venison steaks, they're totally addicting!

Don't forget you can use beef, chicken, pork or whatever meat you like, but it sure is fabulous if you happen to have deer meat on hand!

Easy to make in a slow cooker, you will be amazed it's really deer meat and not beef!

this is a plate of venison cacciatore with peppers and grated cheese. The peppers are red and green

Deer Meat

Venison is one of the healthiest sustainable foods in the world, and it's much leaner than beef.

Deer eat healthy herbs, grasses, acorns, berries, and nuts and exempt from harmful antibiotics and hormones, its meat is lower in fat and cholesterol and is higher in vitamin B6, B12, and Omega 3 fatty acids.

If you haven't tried venison stew or any kind of wild game, this recipe is a great place to start!

this is a slow cooker with venison, peppers and mushrooms in it

Tips:

Soak meat in marinades containing wine or vinegar with the heavier flavors of soy or garlic.
Serve the meat with sweet or spicy sauces as condiments to temper the wild taste.
Trim fat from game meats to remove a major source of the wild flavor.
Soak the meat in salted water, milk, buttermilk or vinegar to remove blood from the flesh

this is a crockpot full of venison with peppers and mushrooms the slow cooker is lined with slow cooking bags for easy clean up

Ingredients to make Slow Cooker Venison Cacciatore

sliced mushrooms
Venison Stew Meat
Whole Canned Plum Tomatoes
canned diced tomatoes
garlic
granulated garlic
sugar
olive oil
salt pepper
Italian peppers or bell peppers
cayenne pepper
Cabernet wine or more if you like
Options: cooked pasta, rice, hard-crusted bread when serving
Garnish: Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese, red pepper flakes

Cooking Deer Meat Tips

Here are some specific cooking tips

Do not overcook. The longer you cook red deer, the more it is likely to become dry.
Frying/browning should be done very quickly – do not overcook. Again, let rest, covered before serving.
When broiling and grilling, you should cook to no more than rare or at the most, medium-rare.
When you need to serve to someone who prefers well-done, marinating the meat in your favorite sauce will help keep the meat tender.
Adding moisture when grilling quality red deer is not necessary. But, you may wish to spread a small amount of butter or cooking oil onto the surface prior to cooking.
After broiling or grilling let the meat stand for about 8 minutes before serving so that the flavorful juices can accumulate.
Stews and pot roasts should be cooked very slowly and at low-temperature settings. Crockpots are great.
Slow-cooked oven roasts have a tendency to become dry when roasting. Frequent basting is the method I use to retain its moisture. Another method is to keep the roast covered with foil. Flavors can be added to the roast by injecting it with liquids such as wine, fruit juices, light cooking oil, melted butter, or a marinade and allowed to set in the refrigerator for several hours.
Cutting is easier if steak is slightly frozen when cutting it up for stews, cutlets or venison tenders.

Serving Suggestions

Venison alone as a stew is just plain delicious.

You can top this with grated cheese, and red pepper flakes for a little heat!

We love ours over hard-crusted bread or served with pasta, rice and even a baked potato with this poured over it.

Whatever your family prefers, this stew tastes great.

The peppers make it flavorful and nothing beats a slow cooker, instant pot or even pressure cooker method.

They all can be used, the stovetop is fine too just slow and low simmer!

Other Recipes We Love:

Venison Slow Cooker Chili
Venison Fried Rice
Venison Pot Pie

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Not A Meat Lover?

Even if you're not a venison lover, you can substitute any meat for this cacciatore.

Venison cacciatore is seasonal, I get that, if you don't have any to cook, just use beef, lamb, even cubed chicken breast.

Honestly, this recipe is versatile and perfect for anything you add to it, and if your all vegetarian, no problem substitute more mushrooms and
lots of peppers or whatever vegetables you prefer, and you will have a delicious vegetarian cacciatore, it's that simple!