Hearty Venison Barley Stew

November 16, 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

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Hearty Venison Barley Stew
(also great with Duck)

I have always struggled to find the perfect recipe to use up venison from the fall or for our home raised duck breast. That was until this Hearty Venison Barley Stew. It is the perfect stew to make on those cold fall or winter days. It is thick, filled with veggies, and delicious. Add in some crusty bread or a dinner roll and you have yourself the perfect winter meal. We typically do not have leftovers from this meal.

A fun added addition to this meal is pearl onions. I have to admit that I never cooked with them until this recipe. My husband says it well, “They are like a little onion explosion in your mouth” and he is right! If you are looking for a little “explosion” they are great to throw in the pot the last 10 minutes. If you don’t have these on hand, you certainly can use chopped onions instead and add them with the celery and carrots.

This recipe does take a few hours to make. I prefer cooking it in my Lodge Enamel Cast Iron Pot. It keeps the heat nice and even and doesn’t scorch. Definitely one of my favorite pots!

If you are tired of making the same old venison steaks, try this delicious Hearty Venison Barley Stew.

Ingredients for Hearty Venison Barley Stew

For the Meat Marinade
3 Tablespoons oil
6 Cups trimmed venison or duck, cup into 1/2 inch cubes
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Stew Base
8 Cups Beef Broth or venison broth
1 14 oz can or a pint of diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 Bay Leaf
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
5-12 whole peppercorns (we love adding these to our stews)

For the Stew
1/2 cup pearled barley
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots
8-10 cloves of minced garlic
1- 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 cups frozen or fresh-cut green beans, stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
10 oz bag of frozen pearled onions
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Start by Marinating Your Venison or Chosen Meat

Cut up your venison steaks, duck breast, or chosen meat into 1/2-inch cubes. I never measure this out. It is approximately 4-6 cups of meat. If you’re new to venison, make sure you cut off the silver lining and fat.

In a gallon storage bag add 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 Tablespoons Worceshire Sauce, 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Close the top and mix the ingredients together.

Add the meat into the gallon storage bag, close it up nice and tight, and mix together well.

Move the marinating meat bag into the refrigerator for 1 hour or more. You can let this marinate overnight and I have also let it marinate for only 15 minutes and it still turns out great. Yes, I may be a procrastinator or maybe a throw it together at the last minute kinda cook. Either way, it turns out good.

2) Brown the marinated venison meat

Once the meat has marinated, it is time to fry it up. Heat up the dutch oven over medium-high heat and then dump your gallon storage bag out into a pot and start to brown the venison meat. Stirring frequently.

When it starts to look nice and brown, gather your ingredients for a nice long simmer.

I think this is the MOST IMPORTANT PART! So often we are making quick meals and miss the slow-cooked broth-making process.

Start to Make a Base For Your Hearty Venison Barley Stew

After your meat is browned, add 1-14 ounce can (or a pint) of diced tomatoes and 8 cups of beef broth or game stock. Scrape off the sides as you stir.

I would have preferred to have homemade venison bone broth, but we use that stuff up as fast as we make it. This year we made venison bone broth with great success. There are SO many benefits to making bone broth. Some of the benefits of homemade bone broth include joint health, heart health, insomnia, and an immune boost too. You can read more about the benefits here. If you are interested in making your own check out this recipe from Back Country Hunters.

Add in a bay leaf, 1 Tablespoon parsley or Italian seasonings, and some peppercorns.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours – 2 hours. This really sets the tone for a nice broth. Yum!

While the broth simmers start to chop the veggies

Chop up approximately 2 cups of celery and 2 cups of carrots. If you are using fresh garlic, you will want to dice 8-10 cloves. Me, I am a cheater and use the pre-minced kind. We use garlic up SO fast that I find it hard to always be chopping it up. Plus, I have never grown garlic yet. We have some planted for a spring crop. Maybe then I will stop being a garlic cheater.

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Add Celery, Carrots, Garlic, and Barley to the Pot

After the broth has been simmering for 2 hours, you will add the chopped celery, carrots, 8-10 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup of pearled barley.

If you are not using pearl onions, this is when you should dice a large white onion and add it into the broth with the other veggies.

Give it a stir and then let it simmer for an additional 25 minutes covered.

Add in the last few ingredients to really make it great!

Once the carrots and celery have simmered for 25 minutes, they should be sort of soft. Here you will want to add in the tomato paste to thicken this up real pretty and then adding your last few veggies to make this a beautiful veggie-filled hearty stew.

What is the trick to a nice hearty stew? Tomato paste! If you don’t have all day to let a good stew simmer on the stovetop uncovered, tomato paste will thicken it up in 10 minutes.

Open the can of tomato paste and scrape it out into your stew. Stir the tomato paste into your hot stew until it is incorporated and you can not see any clumps of it.

Add in 2 cups of frozen green beans and a bag of frozen pearl onions. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

That’s it. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Time to warm up with this Hearty Vension Barley Stew

Look at how HEARTY and full of veggies this Venison Stew is! Yum! This stew really lends itself to be adapted; sometimes we add corn, skip the beans, or use two types of meat. Once you try it you will see how it can easily be changed to fit your tastebuds or match what’s in your pantry.

Serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls and you have a meal that will warm you up and the whole family will love.

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