Slow Cooker Venison Roast

Ingredients

3-4 lb venison roast

1 ½ tsp. Salt, divided

1 Tbsp high heat tolerant cooking fat (duck fat, avocado oil,

clarified butter/ghee)

1 ½ cups venison stock or beef stock

2 Tbsp. Tomato pasteurization

1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

1 ½ tsp. Wochestershire sauce

1 tsp. Dried thyme

1 tsp. Dried parsley

1 tsp. Pepper

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 large yellow onion, cut into large pieces

1 lb. Baby yellow potatoes

4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 Tbsp. Tapioca starch, arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Remove your roast from the packaging and dry thoroughly with a paper towel to remove any liquid or old blood. Then, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the salt all over the meat. 

2. Heat the oil/fat in a large skillet over medium-medium high heat and sear the roast on all sides until brown. If you go to flip the meat and it's sticking to the pan, it's not ready to be flipped. When a sear forms, it will release from the skillet. 

3. Once seared all over, remove the roast from the skillet and place it in the bottom of a slow cooker. 

4. Pour in the stock or add frozen stock to the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, add the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, thyme, parsley, pepper, half of the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Rub that all over the meat the best you can. 

5. Then, add the onions, carrots and potatoes on top. Sprinkle on the remaining salt and garlic. 

6. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8-9 hours, or until falling-apart tender.

7. When you're ready to serve, remove the meat and shred it on a board. Toss the veggies in the juice and move them to a platter to add with the pulled venison roast. You can halve the potatoes if you like. 

8. If you want gravy, mix the cornstarch (or tapioca or arrowroot powder) with a bit of the strained pot drippings to make a slurry. Then, add the rest of the drippings and the slurry to a small saucepan and reduce over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. 

To sear the roast, I substituted coconut oil. For the rub, I mixed all ingredients together, substituting Better Than Bouillon roasted beef base for beef stock (using less water than called for) and added several drops of Liquid Smoke, 1 tsp. Sriracha sauce and a few pinches of cayenne pepper. I poured the mixture over the seared roast, turning it over to make sure the entire surface was covered with the mixture in a large roasting pan. I also added a bay leaf to the sauce after pouring.

Rather than just yellow baby potatoes, I used an American blend with three types of potatoes. The dish was topped with three sprigs of fresh rosemary. The covered roasting pan went into the over at 250 degrees for roughly 7 hours.