The Best Venison Gravy You Will Ever Eat – Courtesy of My Hubby!

Venison steaks are slowly cooked in a crock pot for five hours with my hubby’s secret ingredient until they are perfectly tender. This creamy gravy is perfect over mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles and will quickly become a favorite fall comfort food!

It’s no secret in my house that my husband is the better cook. 

I very rarely cook a meal by myself.  It is something that we do together, almost every night.  Or, maybe I should say, he allows me in the kitchen with him while he is cooking. 

Sometimes he even tolerates me.  🤣 😂

There are very few things that he makes that I really don’t care for (his chili is one – it’s usually too spicy for me.) 

But I do like his venison steak and gravy.

It’s weird, I know.  I’m not a huge meat eater.  And I never used to really even like deer meat. 

But my husband can make it taste so un-deer-like! 😆

You’d hardly know you were eating deer! 

He makes hamburger out of it, too, and has used it in both hot dishes, spaghetti, and burritos.  Who knew?!?

He makes his own venison jerky, venison snack sticks, venison summer sausage, and breakfast sausage as well!  Oh, and deer brats!

The boys literally fight over their dad’s venison. Seriously.  Like, we must hide it deep in the freezer, or they will eat it all up before summer hits.

And if there is only one package left, well, watch out!  They get protective…. 🤣😂

What does dinner time look like in a large family?

via GIPHY

Dad yells from the top of the stairs,

“COME AND EAT!!  IF YOU DARE!”

I’m really not sure why he always says, ‘if you dare’.  It’s been a long-standing joke, and I’m sure it’s a play on words from some show.  It usually is, with my husband.

All the boys (except one) come barreling into the kitchen.

The big boys know to wait until I’ve served the three little ones, so they just hang out in the kitchen and talk while we serve plates.

The little guys do one of two things:  fight over who sits where or repeatedly try to get under our feet.  🤷🏻‍♀️ 

They all three talk (or complain) nonstop, as loudly as they can, because they know everyone else is fighting for our attention as well.

When the three little ones are finally served and quietly munching, Connor beats cheeks to the food – trying to get there before Carson does. 

He does a quick assessment of the meat situation. 

When Carson finally meanders in, Connor instructs him on how many slices of meat he can have and when (right away, after everyone gets theirs, or for seconds….). 🤣 😂

Carson has historically not been big on vegetables and potatoes (although he is growing up now….). So, he used to stock up on just meat and bread. 

I made meatballs the other night.  

Forty-four meatballs, to be exact. 

And Connor quickly announced that that was four meatballs per person. 😱

Dang!  And I thought I made a lot….

“Have some potatoes with that!”, he yells at his brother, as Carson walks to the table with only meat and bread on his plate.  🤣😂

Carson sighs and goes back to the kitchen.  He puts a tiny little dab of potato on his plate.

And all is right in the world.

You can bet there’s a fight over the meat

But, the other day, there was sheer panic. 

My husband made venison steak and gravy.

He filled the crock pot with steak.

And just like with my meatballs, he thought he had made enough.  But meat shrinks when you cook it.  So that full crock pot had half the amount in it after it cooked.

And the steak was floating in gravy, so Connor had no way of knowing how much deer meat was actually in the pot.

“HAVE A LOT OF POTATOES WITH THAT!”, he yells.  🤣😂

No biggie.  I wasn’t fond of it anyway (or so I thought…). 

And my husband figured the littlest three wouldn’t like it.

See, he hasn’t made deer steak and gravy in a very long time.  So, we really didn’t know who liked it and who didn’t.

Toots had five helpings.  😱

But the twins didn’t really care for it.  And, to my surprise, I absolutely loved it. 

It tasted so much better than I ever remembered it tasting!

Sadly, there were no leftovers that night.  But I suspect it’s safe to say, he’ll be making that one again!

I’m excited to share his recipe with you, but, like all really good cooks, my husband’s a “dumper and pourer”. 

He measures nothing!  So, when I asked him to write down his recipe, I didn’t get a lot!  😂🤣

He does most of his cooking ‘to taste’, so I hope you can do that!

The amounts listed are strictly estimates – he had no idea how much he was really putting in. 

Experiment with it until you find it to taste the way you like it.

How do you cook venison so that it is tender?

In my experience, deer is usually a tougher, dryer meat. That’s one reason I don’t (usually) like it as much.

It also has a gamier taste.

But my hubby (and my boys!) all cook it very slowly, at a low temp, and that helps to tenderize the meat. 

If you cook it on medium heat, it won’t be as tender.

This recipe calls for five hours in the crock pot on low.  That makes the deer meat nice and tender.

But, for some recipes, it’s best to cook the venison on low for 6-9 hours, or until it falls apart.  This will ensure the meat is tender.

Another thing you can do, if you are a hunter, is hang your meat.

Milos Cihelka, a lifelong bow hunter and gold medal chef, told the Detroit Free Press that he usually hangs his deer carcass for two weeks.

When an animal is butchered, he said, rigor mortis sets in.  The muscles get very stiff during this time, resulting in tough meat.

But if you hang the meat, for at least 72 hours, with the skin on, that gives the body time to relax.  The muscles and tendons can relax. And the animal’s natural enzymes will break down the connective tissues.

This allows the meat to soften and results in a more mellow flavor (so, less gamey). 

Depending on the outdoor temperature, you may want to let your deer hang for at least 72 hours, and for up to 2 weeks.  You don’t want the carcass to freeze, but you don’t want it too hot either.  Cihelka recommends about 40℉.

What vegetables go well with venison?

Mashed potatoes go great with brown gravy, of course.  You can also serve the gravy over wide egg noodles.

But as far as veggies go, nearly anything goes well with venison. 

I’d serve a bright green or orange veggie – something crunchy.  We love boiling carrots and melting cheese over them, but for this recipe, I’d oven-roast the carrots.  Maybe toss in some red peppers, olive oil, and parmesan.

Oven-roasted broccoli, green beans, or asparagus would be great as well.

Anything to really balance out the creamy brown gravy and mashed potatoes.

You could also serve stuffing as a side.  My boys love Stove Top.  😊

Easy Peasy.

Venison gravy ingredients

For this absolutely delicious steak and brown gravy recipe, you will need:

¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce           

¼ Cup Barbeque Sauce                                        

¼ Cup of Juice from a Jar of Green Olives

1 Shot of Extra Dry Vermouth

1 – 2 Tablespoons Beef Bullion                                

1 Tablespoon Minced garlic

One Medium Onion, Peeled and Chopped

3 – 4 Cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup

Venison Steak or Venison Roast                                

Salt and Pepper, to Taste 

The juice from the green olives is my husband’s secret ingredient!  😂🤣  He puts it in everything he cooks – even his baked potatoes!!

I HATE green olives, but I love when he cooks with the juice!  So weird, right?!?

How to make venison gravy using a venison roast or venison steaks

This venison gravy needs to cook on low for at least five hours, so prep accordingly.  It’s a great recipe to make on a cool fall day or a cold winter day.  Talk about nice, warm comfort food! 

And it makes your house smell great, too!

To prepare your venison, slice your steak to about ½ inch thick if it isn’t sliced already.  Salt and pepper each slice to your liking.

Mix ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, ¼ cup barbeque sauce, ¼ cup of juice from a green olive jar, 1 shot of extra dry vermouth, the chopped onion, 1 – 2 tablespoons of beef bullion, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in a medium bowl. 

Place the steaks in a crock pot.  It doesn’t matter how many venison steaks you have.  Just fill the crock pot as full as you can, or with whatever venison steaks you have.

You can also use venison roast.

Pour the mixture over the venison steaks and add just enough water to cover the meat in the crock pot.

Cover and cook on low in this beef broth for at least four hours.

Then, slowly stir in 3 to 4 cans of cream of mushroom soup, depending on how thick you like your brown gravy, and continue cooking for at least one more hour, so that the gravy thickens.

Serve the venison gravy over mashed potatoes or wide egg noodles, with a side of vegetables.  You can also serve homemade bread or some stuffing. 

I usually try to serve bread of some sort at every meal, because it stretches the food budget.  😉  Bread is cheap, and the boys can fill up on it, especially when we don’t cook enough meat… 🤦🏻‍♀️

I know this recipe isn’t exactly precise, so if you have any questions or comments, please post them below!  I will get my husband to answer any and all questions.  😉  

Serve immediately and enjoy!

At the end of the day…

At the end of the day, momma, it isn’t about the food we serve.  Well, I mean, if you asked my boys, they’d say it is DEFINITELY about the food we serve.  🤣😂

But when you think back to some of the best memories in your childhood, with those you love, it isn’t about the food at all.

It’s maybe grandma’s soft sugar cookies.  Or mom’s homemade wheat bread that tastes a little bit nutty.

Maybe it’s potato club, blood sausage, or homemade apple sauce.

Whatever it is, when you really think about that food from your childhood, you are remembering the person who made it.

You see your grandma, standing in the kitchen, manually mixing that dough. She smiles down at you, as you dance around the kitchen, “helping”.  She doesn’t care that you are more of a hinder than a helper.

You both are just happy to be together.

And that’s what our dinners are all about.

The memories we make together.

I originally published this post in 2018, momma.  Connor was 17, Carson was 14, Little Toots was 6, and the twins were 4.  😆 Life has calmed down A LOT since then. 

It was fun – and surprising – to read what our dinners used to be like, as I updated this post today.  😆

Carson now has some potatoes – and tons of them – with everything he eats.  He also actually enjoys veggies as well.

 But Connor still takes stock of what is available and tells Carson to “have some potatoes with that” 😆 just because it’s a habit.  And funny.

And we all love it.

Ah, the memories.  🥰

It’s time for you to go make your own, momma!  Give this venison gravy recipe a try! And pop back here and let me know in the comments below how it went for you!! Did your kids like it just as much as mine do?

Our favorite venison recipes

Homemade Smoked Venison Sausage

Venison Summer Sausage

Venison Snack Sticks

Orsimer Venison

Connor’s Backstrap

Meet the cook

Meet my husband, Scott!  He is the go-to cook in our family. 

Our favorites:  ANYTHING he grills (although his grilled potatoes and veggies are to-die-for) and his HuHot. 

Scott is the proud father of six mischievous boys, one daughter-in-law, one (hopefully someday! 🤞🏻) daughter-in-law, one sweet little grandson, and one German Shepherd pup.

He is a certified welder and pipe fitter at Crystal Sugar, but when he’s not maintaining the plant, you can find him maintaining his home! (Which, if you ask him, he does waaaay too much of!)

His hobbies include hunting, fishing, woodworking, and snowmobiling, but his all-time favorite is just hanging out with his wife and family.

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