In previous blogs, I’ve shared how I am learning to cook venison in the Instant Pot. As cooler temperatures have arrived, I transitioned a favorite “comfort food” recipe for Cubed Venison Stew to an Instant Pot recipe. A recipe that once took all afternoon to simmer was cooked and ready to eat in under an hour (prep time approximately another 15 minutes). If you don’t have an Instant Pot I’ve also included stove top directions. If you like stewed beef and rice, you will LOVE this recipe for venison.

Savory Cubed Venison Stew: An Instant Pot Recipe

Ingredients:

Herb mayonnaise:
Mix together in a separate bowl:
1 ½ cups Mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning blend

Seasoned Flour:
Mix together in a separate bowl:
2 cups all purpose flour with the following herbs: ½ tsp. garlic, ½ tsp. thyme, ½ tsp. basil, ½ tsp. oregano (OR 1 ½  – 2  tsp. Italian seasoning blend + the garlic), and salt and pepper to taste.

Stew Mixture:
2 lbs. venison roast cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 celery sticks roughly chopped/sliced
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
¾ stick butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Set the Instant Pot to sauté function, add canola oil.
2. Mix Italian herb blend into the mayonnaise to make an herb mayonnaise. Dredge the cubed venison in the seasoned flour.
3. Place venison into the Instant Pot. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and celery. Let the floured venison brown just slightly. It’s better to err on being barely brown than to be overly brown and crispy. Stir occasionally.
4. Add the remaining ingredients.
5. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Use the manual setting timed to 40 minutes with natural pressure release.
6. Enjoy over  rice (which can also be cooked in the Instant Pot!).

This can be cooked on the stove top. Follow the same steps but use a large pot. Sauté/brown the meat and vegetables on a medium high temperature. Add the remaining ingredients. After heating thoroughly (but not boiling), turn the heat to low. It will take up to 3 hours for it to tenderize, stir occasionally and watch your water/liquid levels. If it starts to become dry, add more water and stir. Hint: for the stove top cooking method it is better if your meat is in smaller ¾ inch cubes.

Using an Instant Pot to cook venison is a natural fit for busy cooks. Why? Because an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker cooks food faster and under pressure which can turn a tough cut of meat into a cut of meat so tender Grandpa can eat it with his dentures (out)!

Want to know more about the benefits of pressure cooking foods? There’s tons of info online including instructional YouTube videos and a Facebook page for sharing and talking about cooking with the Instant Pot. Here’s a link to an article that explains why pressure cooking in these new, modern, “not scary” electric pressure cookers makes so much sense. Take some time to learn and join me on this new cooking adventure!

I hope you enjoy this venison recipe as much as my family did! I’ll be sharing more recipes with you soon!

Tracy