Wild Game Slow Cooker Stew

By: Sam Kohler

Stews are a staple comfort food that can be found in a variety of forms around the world. This being the case, there is no end to the combination of ingredients you can put into a stew and for every recipe there is always a wealth of different ingredients you can use or substitute for another ingredient you don’t have in your pantry. This being said, the recipe I am showing today is a traditional wild game stew that is perfect for any hunting camp or family dinner. All the ingredients are super approachable and the flavors you will get from this stew are very natural and authentic to the traditional beef stews we all grew up with. Furthermore, the beauty of this recipe is not only that you can substitute or add any ingredient you would want to this stew, but also that you can make it and then forget about it for a afternoon hunt or an afternoon of festivities as the slow cooker will do all the work for you once the ingredients are all inside. 

Serving Size: 6 Servings

Ingredients: 

•  2-3 1lb Packs of Gamekeeper Butchery Bison, Elk, or Venison Stew Meat
• 3 Stalks of Celery; Diced 
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion; Diced
• 2 Large Carrots; Peeled and Diced
• 1 Shallot; Diced
• 1 Cup of Red Wine; Cabernet Sauvignon 
• 4 Cups of Beef Bone Broth 
• 1 Tbsp Dried Thyme
• 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 Tbsp Dried Parsley
• 1 Tbsp Beef Bouillon 
• 2 Tbsp Worchestire 
• 2 Cups Green Beans; Halved
• 18 oz of Baby Dutch Potatoes, Quartered
• 1 Cup of Mushrooms; Halved
•  1 Tbsp Cornstarch 
• Salt 
• Pepper 
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder 
• 2 Bay Leaves; Fresh or Dried

Instructions: 

1. Take your stew meat and pat it dry with a paper towel so that there is no excess water on the meat. 
2. Cover the meat with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder so that there is a light covering on all the meat pieces and then let the seasoning sit on the stew meat for 10-15 minutes. 
3. Put two tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan or cast-iron skillet and set the temperature to medium-high. Place your stew meat into the pan and sear the stew meat chunks until a nice brown crust is formed. 
4. Remove the stew meat after 3-4 minutes and then set the meat aside. 
5. Deglaze the pan with ~⅛ cup of beef bone broth and then add your carrot, onion, shallot, and celery to the pan. 
6. Once the vegetables begin to become translucent, add your cup of red wine, worcestershire, and bouillon seasoning to the pan and mix thoroughly. Let this liquid cook down to half of the original amount, taking roughly 5 minutes. 
7. Place all your vegetables, deglazing liquid, and meat into your slow cooker and let it cook for 3.5 hours on high temperature. Add your dry thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley to the stew at this time. 
8. After 3.5 hours give the stew a good mix and then add in your potatoes, mushrooms, and green beans and let the stew continue to cook for another hour. 
9. After 4.5 hours of total cooking time remove about ½ cup of stew liquid and mix in 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to create a slurry. Slowly add in your slurry to your stew and continually mix the stew so that the slurry is evenly mixed in. (For a thicker stew add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and for a more runny consistency add in only 1 tablespoon.) 
10. After 10 minutes the stew will have thickened up and it is time to enjoy!