Duration
5 to 6 hours
Serves
8 to 10
It can be intimidating to figure out what to do with a butcher paper-wrapped parcel in your freezer simply labeled “roast.” But there’s no need to fret; consider that roast a blank culinary canvas that just needs a little time to achieve perfect fork-tender meat for all your shredded meat recipes.
The honest answer to a good roast is simple. Don't overcook it. This recipe achieves pull-part tender meat that can be used for a ton of different applications like burritos, tacos, BBQ venison sandwiches, venison commercials, soups, casseroles, and so much more.
What you'll find below is a hybrid technique that I like to use. It's not quite dry rack roasting, and it's not quite braising. Essentially, this technique uses both wet and dry heat to brown, caramelize, and tenderize tough cuts of meat from your deer. It just takes the best of both worlds, which is incredibly helpful when cooking a larger, lean piece of meat. Most importantly, though, is to always follow the mantra of low and slow. It seldom fails.
Ingredients
- 1 large roast of venison or a whole small front leg tied (roughly 5 lbs. for this recipe)
- ½ lb. carrots, cut large or whole
- 2 large yellow onions, quartered
- 1 whole bulb of garlic, all cloves crushed
- 4 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
- 2 small leeks, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups game stock
- 1 cup red wine
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 6 sprigs thyme
- Canola oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp. Mixed hard spices such as clove, juniper, and allspice (pickling spice is a good alternative)
Special equipment
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Season the roast with salt. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil to a smoking hot cast iron pan. Sear the roast on all sides until browned to lock in moisture and flavor. Remove the roast and deglaze the pan with red wine, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
- Lay the carrots down in the roasting pan. Place the roast on top of the carrots. Now add the vegetables into the roasting pan around the roast. Pour the deglazing liquid and stock over the roast. You're looking for a quarter of the roast to be covered. Add the hard spices to the pan. Drizzle everything with extra virgin olive oil. Season everything with salt and pepper.
- Cook the roast covered for two hours. Remove the lid and cook uncovered until pull-apart tender. Bast with the juices from the pan every thirty minutes or so. For an extra crispy and dark exterior, run the roast under the broiler for a few minutes.
- When the roast is ready, remove it from the oven and let it rest for at least a half hour to allow it to absorb all of the juices for maximum tenderness. If you have time, allowing it to rest overnight in the fridge to reheat the next day will give you optimal results. I like to shred the meat, give it a rough chop, and mix it with the juices and crushed vegetables from the pan. You could also serve the meat alongside the vegetables with potatoes and turn the pan juices into a gravy fit for any meal.
Note: The roast I made for this recipe was about five pounds and took roughly one hour per pound to cook until it was tender. Pay attention to how the meat feels, as a smaller roast will take less time to cook. Adjust the ingredients and time accordingly if your roast differs in size.
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It can be intimidating to figure out what to do with a butcher paper-wrapped parcel in your freezer simply labeled “roast.” But there’s no need to fret; consider that roast a blank culinary canvas that just needs a little time to achieve perfect fork-tender meat for all your shredded meat recipes.
The honest answer to a good roast is simple. Don't overcook it. This recipe achieves pull-part tender meat that can be used for a ton of different applications like burritos, tacos, BBQ venison sandwiches, venison commercials, soups, casseroles, and so much more.
What you'll find below is a hybrid technique that I like to use. It's not quite dry rack roasting, and it's not quite braising. Essentially, this technique uses both wet and dry heat to brown, caramelize, and tenderize tough cuts of meat from your deer. It just takes the best of both worlds, which is incredibly helpful when cooking a larger, lean piece of meat. Most importantly, though, is to always follow the mantra of low and slow. It seldom fails.
Ingredients
- 1 large roast of venison or a whole small front leg tied (roughly 5 lbs. for this recipe)
- ½ lb. carrots, cut large or whole
- 2 large yellow onions, quartered
- 1 whole bulb of garlic, all cloves crushed
- 4 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
- 2 small leeks, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 2 cups game stock
- 1 cup red wine
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 6 sprigs thyme
- Canola oil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp. Mixed hard spices such as clove, juniper, and allspice (pickling spice is a good alternative)
Special equipment
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Season the roast with salt. Add a few tablespoons of canola oil to a smoking hot cast iron pan. Sear the roast on all sides until browned to lock in moisture and flavor. Remove the roast and deglaze the pan with red wine, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire. Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
- Lay the carrots down in the roasting pan. Place the roast on top of the carrots. Now add the vegetables into the roasting pan around the roast. Pour the deglazing liquid and stock over the roast. You're looking for a quarter of the roast to be covered. Add the hard spices to the pan. Drizzle everything with extra virgin olive oil. Season everything with salt and pepper.
- Cook the roast covered for two hours. Remove the lid and cook uncovered until pull-apart tender. Bast with the juices from the pan every thirty minutes or so. For an extra crispy and dark exterior, run the roast under the broiler for a few minutes.
- When the roast is ready, remove it from the oven and let it rest for at least a half hour to allow it to absorb all of the juices for maximum tenderness. If you have time, allowing it to rest overnight in the fridge to reheat the next day will give you optimal results. I like to shred the meat, give it a rough chop, and mix it with the juices and crushed vegetables from the pan. You could also serve the meat alongside the vegetables with potatoes and turn the pan juices into a gravy fit for any meal.
Note: The roast I made for this recipe was about five pounds and took roughly one hour per pound to cook until it was tender. Pay attention to how the meat feels, as a smaller roast will take less time to cook. Adjust the ingredients and time accordingly if your roast differs in size.