​​​WISCONSIN BOWHUNTERS ASSOCIATION

WILD GAME RECIPES

By Ruth Albrecht

We all have that favorite wild game recipe that we just love to make and eat! Whether it might be a stew, chili, sausage, jerky etc., here is your chance to share and see that recipe featured in our magazine. In each issue we will feature one proven and tested wild game recipe. So, send me your recipe with a little history/story about it to 6906soarhellenbrand@gmail.com.

With so many avid bowhunters around, who does not like a good roast?  This recipe is simple enough and you only need one pan. I acquired this family favorite from my mother-in-law over 40 years ago and it was always one of her favorites too. So, here is how I make my favorite venison roast…

​

Featured Recipe

​

Red Wine-Braised Venison Shanks

Rajanne Tourtillott

Roche-A-Cri Bowman

This recipe is a great way to utilize the shank instead of adding it to the grind pile, it's an underutilized cut of meat that offers rich flavors when slowly cooked whole. I enjoy cooking Osso Buco but when I am in a time crunch or do not have a means of cutting the shanks this is my preferred method of cooking them. And it’s always a hit for a crowd too, just double the recipe and utilize two Dutch ovens.

Yield: 4+

​

      Ingredients 

 2 hindquarter shanks from a deer

Cooking oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups dry red wine, plus extra if needed

4 cups venison or beef stock, plus extra if needed

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

1-2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

​

      Directions 

Keep shanks from a deer whole, cut the meat to the bone two times. Season the shanks generously with salt and pepper. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Heat a large Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle enough cooking oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan and brown the shanks on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of oil if needed and sauté the yellow onions. Once they begin to brown and soften, add the carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Cook for a few additional minutes, then stir in the tomato paste. Once incorporated, sprinkle in the flour and mix.

Deglaze with red wine and stock then return the shanks to the pot. The braising liquid should come a third to halfway up the pot. If it doesn’t, add more stock or wine.

Drop in the fresh herbs and cover the Dutch oven with a lid. Transfer to the oven.

Cook for 4 to 6 hours, or until the shanks are fork tender.

When the meat is tender, pull the pot from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before shredding with a fork. Serve with vegetables and stock. If there is too much liquid, reduce on the stove while shanks rest.

Serve over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta. And enjoy!