Susan's Recipes

Belgian style Venison Braise

Serve with parslied new potatoes or buttered noodles, a green salad, and beer. Serves six.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds of venison rump roast
  • 3 tablespoons rendered pork fat, chicken fat, or olive oil
  • 6 cups of thinly sliced onions (about 1 & 1/2 pounds)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 1 cup double strength beef stock
  • 2 to 3 cups of a Pilsner type beer (light - preferably German, or made following German purity laws for beer)
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • Bouquet garni made of 6 parsley sprigs, 2 bay leaves, several fresh sprigs of thyme all tied up with a string
  • 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch blended in 2 tablespoons wine vinegar

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut the venison into slices about 2 inches wide, 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Dry the meat on paper towels. Melt a thin layer of fat in a skillet until it is almost smoking hot. Brown the venison pieces a few at a time quickly and then set aside.
  2. Reduce the heat and add the onions. Add more fat if necessary and very lightly brown the onions for about 10 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning and scorching. Take off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic.
  3. In an oven proof casserole, arrange 1/2 of the meat slices. Spread half of the onions over the meat. Repeat with the rest of the meat and onions.
  4. Heat the stock in the pan in which you browned the meat, scraping up all the little brown bits. Pour this over the meat and onions. Add enough beer to just barely cover the meat and onion mix. Stir in the brown sugar. Bury the bouquet garni in the venison slices.
  5. Bring the casserole to a simmer on the range top. Cover the casserole and place in the oven. You want the oven to gently simmer the braise for 2 & 1/2 hours. This may require adjusting the heat of the oven. At the end of the cooking period, the venison should be fork tender.
  6. Take casserole from oven, remove the bouquet garni. Pour the cooking liquid into a sauce pan. Defat it. Whisk the flour and vinegar mix into the cooking liquid and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens. There should be about 2 cups of sauce. Taste for seasoning and correct at this point.
  7. Pour the sauce over the meat and simmer for five minutes. Either serve from the casserole or plate the meat in the center of a large, heated platter. Surround with either parslied new potatoes or buttered noodles. Pour the sauce over the meat. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

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