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VENISON RECIPES Ft. COWAL DEER
Venison at Its Best
Welcome to our venison kitchen – where field meets fork. At Croots Country Store, we believe good food starts with great ingredients, and our wild venison is as local, fresh, and sustainable as it gets. Every cut comes from our own larder at Cowal Deer, carefully prepared to showcase the very best of what nature provides.
Whether you're after a quick midweek meal or a slow-cooked Sunday roast, we’ve gathered a selection of simple, hearty recipes that let the quality of the meat shine through. These dishes are easy to follow and full of flavour, perfect for anyone looking to cook with confidence and eat with joy.
But we don’t just want to share our favourites — we’d love to see yours too. If you’ve got a venison recipe that’s a family favourite or a new discovery, we welcome you to share it with us. Just fill in the recipe submission form on this page, and you might see your dish featured right here.
From burgers and casseroles to haunch roasts and pot pies, this is venison done properly.
Pan-Seared Venison Steak with Garlic Butter
Cut Used: Venison Steak
Difficulty: 2/5
Ingredients:
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2 venison steaks
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Salt and pepper
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1 tbsp oil
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2 garlic cloves (crushed)
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2 tbsp butter
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A few sprigs of rosemary
Method:
Bring steaks to room temperature. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a hot skillet until just smoking. Sear the steaks for 2–3 minutes on each side. Add butter, garlic, and rosemary to the pan and spoon the melted butter over the steaks for 1 minute. Remove from heat and rest for 5–10 minutes.
Venison Mince Bolognese
Cut Used: Venison Mince
Difficulty: 2/5
Ingredients:
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500g venison mince
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1 onion (finely chopped)
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2 garlic cloves (crushed)
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1 can chopped tomatoes
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Mixed herbs
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Olive oil
Method:
Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion and garlic. Add mince and cook until browned. Stir in chopped tomatoes and herbs. Simmer for 30–40 minutes. Serve over pasta.
Roast Venison Haunch with Root Vegetables
Cut Used: Venison Haunch
Difficulty: 3/5
Ingredients:
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1kg venison haunch
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2 carrots, 2 parsnips, 1 onion
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Olive oil
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Salt, pepper, rosemary
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Rub haunch with oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Roast for 50–60 minutes. Roast vegetables separately for 40–45 minutes. Rest meat for 10 minutes before slicing.
Hearty Venison Casserole
Cut Used: Diced Venison
Difficulty: 3/5
Ingredients:
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500g diced venison
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1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 parsnip
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2 garlic cloves
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500ml beef stock
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1 tbsp flour, herbs, oil
Method:
Brown venison, remove. Sauté vegetables, return meat, stir in flour. Add stock and herbs. Simmer or oven cook at 160°C for 1.5–2 hrs.
Classic Venison Stew
Cut Used: Diced Venison
Difficulty: 3/5
Ingredients:
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600g diced venison
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1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks
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2 potatoes
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500ml stock
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2 tbsp tomato purée
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Herbs, oil
Method:
Brown venison and set aside. Sauté vegetables. Add purée, venison, chopped potatoes and stock. Simmer for 2 hours. Season to taste.
Baked Venison Meatballs
Cut Used: Venison Mince
Difficulty: 2/5
Ingredients:
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500g venison mince
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1 egg
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50g breadcrumbs
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1 tsp oregano
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Salt, pepper
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400ml tomato passata
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1 garlic clove
Method:
Mix mince, egg, breadcrumbs, herbs. Form balls, bake at 200°C for 20 minutes. Simmer in tomato sauce with garlic for 10 minutes.
SEND US YOUR VENISON RECIPES
Wild Venison Burger with Star Anise Pickle
By Jarek Krivkow
First, make the cucumber pickle. Put some sugar (100g), white wine vinegar (100ml), and star anise (2 -3) into a pan and bring to the boil.
Then set aside to cool. Slice half a cucumber. Once the solution has cooled, pour it over the sliced cucumber and leave for at least 30 minutes to pickle.
To make the venison burgers, sweat down a diced onion in a pan for a few minutes, then leave to cool.
Add it to a bowl with the venison mince, some salt and pepper, a bit of cumin, and optionally some chopped coriander and/or parsley.
Then melt some butter (about 2-3 tablespoons) and add it to the mix - or grate the butter directly into the bowl. You can add some garlic too.
Mix everything together, form the burgers, and grill them. Serve with red onion, tomatoes, optionally some fried bacon, and cheddar cheese on top.
I also like to use a smoky mayo as a sauce for this - just add plenty of smoked paprika powder (normal paprika works too, but smoked is even better) to mayonnaise and mix well. The one in the photo was also a home made burger bun.