This is one of the best recipes to use for venison because it’s simple, easy to prepare, and really tasty. It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and unless you make it known, your family won’t have any idea they’re eating wild game. It’s just that good!
If you search for Mississippi Pot Roast recipes online, you’re sure to find tons of them. These recipes have circulated the internet for quite some time now. But very few (if any) show how to make it work for wild game. There are some key cooking techniques you’ll need to apply, and this recipe will show you exactly what to do.
LOOK FOR THE COOKING TECHNIQUE: With any recipe that has wild game in it, you’ll want to incorporate a few cooking techniques to make sure the meat isn’t tough and doesn’t taste gamey. So within any recipe we share on Hunt & Fish Wives, be sure to look for the cooking technique highlighted in the recipe.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
1 Venison Roast (approximately 3-4 lbs)
1 Packet Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Packet Au Jus Mix OR French Onion Soup Mix
½ cup Butter (1 stick)
8 oz Pepperoncini Peppers or Banana Peppers
Juice from the Jar of Peppers (all juice in an 8 oz jar, or ½ of the juice from a 16 oz jar)
1 Onion (small to medium in size), quartered
¾ cup Water
Ingredients Note: Typical Mississippi Pot Roast recipes for beef say you don’t need to add the ¾ water listed here because the recipe makes its own gravy without adding water. However, since the venison is so lean, this extra moisture is needed if serving on mashed potatoes. The water would not be needed if serving on a sandwich, but the extra juice would be helpful if you’re making a French-dip style sandwich.
STEPS & TECHNIQUES:
One quick note when choosing your roast: Since wild game doesn’t come from the grocery store, your roasts won’t have weight labels and can vary in size. You’ll want to use your kitchen scale to select a roast that’s 3-4 lbs, or use your best judgment to select one that’s close. But if your roast is either too big or too small, that’s okay! Just adjust the ingredient quantities a bit so they’re proportionate to the size of your roast.
QUICK TIME-SAVING NOTE: Some recipes you’ll find for Mississippi Pot Roast instruct you to sear the roast as the very first step in order to seal in the juices. But this is an unnecessary step according to America’s Test Kitchen (see Meat Myth #1). There are some wild game recipes where searing is helpful to add flavor, but this isn’t one of them. There will be plenty of flavor without the searing, so save yourself the time!
First, place the roast in a crock pot and top with all remaining ingredients. We’re using a full stick of butter here in order to apply this first wild game cooking technique:
*Cooking Technique #1 – Add Fat
Because venison is so lean, often you’ll need to add fat of some kind in order to increase the moisture content. With a Mississippi Pot Roast, adding a full stick of butter—instead of half a stick as directed in most recipes using beef—not only keeps it juicy, it also adds to the flavor.
Next, cook in a crock pot on low for 10 hours.
*Cooking Technique #2 – Cook Low and Slow
Any time you’re cooking a venison roast, you’ll either want to 1) cook it slowly at a low temperature or 2) apply pressure. When using a slow-cooker, cook on low heat for a minimum of 10 hours … or longer if the roast is larger. Never—I repeat, never—select the “high for 4-6 hours” method. It takes time to break down the muscle fibers in venison, so don’t rush it.
When the cooking process is finished, typically you would leave the roast in the crock pot and simply toss it around with tongs to break it apart. This works for beef, but not so much for wild game. Some of the venison roast will fall apart if you did this, but it really needs some extra help. Don’t skip this next step…
Remove the roast from the crock pot and put it on a large platter. Leave the juice and peppers in the crock pot. With the roast on the platter, look for the direction of the muscle fibers and use a knife to cut against the grain every inch or so.
*Cooking Technique #3 – Break Up the Meat
Wild game can be tough, even if you cook it perfectly. This is especially true if it’s from a larger-bodied or older animal. Breaking up the meat before it’s served makes it easier to chew, and cutting against the grain does the trick. This is where you look for the direction of the muscle fibers and then cut perpendicular to them in order to make the fibers shorter. Let the knife do the work of cutting the muscle fibers instead of your teeth, and the meat won’t be nearly as tough to chew.
Next, pull the cooked onion out of the crock pot and add it to the cut roast. Begin shredding the meat, mushing the onion into the meat while shredding.
*Cooking Technique #4 – Add Onion
Adding a cooked onion to certain wild game recipes can take the flavor of the dish to the next level. Even those who don’t like onion shouldn’t shy away from trying this technique. You’re not able to taste the onion when it’s incorporated into the recipe, but it certainly transforms the flavor of the venison.
Return the shredded meat (including the mushed onion) to the crock pot and toss it in the juices.
Your Mississippi Pot Roast is now ready! Serve over mashed potatoes if desired.
Another option is to serve it on crusty bread and make a French-dip style sandwich. Toast the bread and melt provolone cheese on top. Maybe even add a few jalapenos if you like a little heat.
Serve and Enjoy!
Recipe By: Jackie Bednara
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