Slow Cooker Venison Roast
, Updated Aug 31, 2026
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Slow Cooker Venison Roast – making venison roast in the crock pot is SO easy! Simply season and sear your deer meat and cook with vegetables in a rich red wine gravy. You will be rewarded with meltingly tender venison a few hours later.
Make sure to check out my Venison Stew recipe!
Cooking venison can be a bit intimidating, but I am here to tell you it could not be easier! This slow cooker venison roast recipe is fuss-free and easy.
This recipe is best suited for venison cuts that require long and slow cooking to tenderize. Let’s take a look!
Neck Fillet — this is the perfect choice for long and slow cooking. Sear in a hot skillet, add braising liquid and your favorite ingredients and slow cook until the connective tissue melts and the meat is fall-apart tender.
Shoulder is another good choice, whether it is bone-in or boneless. Cuts from the hindquarters are best served rare (as in my Air Fryer Venison Roast) but they can be cooked in a slow cooker in a pinch.
Venison roast in the crock pot is a no-brainer then. It’s much more inexpensive to run than the oven and perfectly suited to the long cooking time.
How to Make Slow Cooker Venison Roast
Take the meat out of the fridge for 20 minutes to bring to room temperature. Season liberally with salt and pepper and mixed herbs.
Heat oil in a skillet and sear the venison on all sides over high heat. This will take a good ten minutes or so – you need to allow the meat to get a good sear until it releases off the pan easily.
Combine the beef stock, tomato paste, redcurrant jelly, Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar and red wine in your slow cooker. Stir in the onion, juniper berries and bay leaves. Add the venison (and any pan juices) and carrots, cover and cook on the LOW setting for 8-9 hours or until the meat is tender.
Take the meat out of the slow cooker and shred or slice. Bring the braising liquid to a simmer and stir in some cornstarch slurry (or a little xanthan gum). Cook until the gravy thickens. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Serve the roasted venison over a bed of mashed potatoes with the carrots and plenty of gravy. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
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Slow Cooker Venison Roast
Ingredients
For the Roast
- 3 pounds (1350g) venison roast (neck / shoulder)
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp mixed Italian herbs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240ml) hot beef broth or stock from a cube
- ½ cup (120ml) red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste tomato purée
- 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 onion , sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp juniper berries
- 5 carrots , peeled and cubed
To thicken gravy
- 1 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Take the meat out of the fridge for 20 minutes to bring to room temperature. Pat the joint dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and pepper and mixed herbs.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and sear the venison on all sides over high heat. This will take a good ten minutes or so – you need to allow the meat to get a good sear until it releases off the pan easily. Set aside.
- Combine the beef stock, tomato paste, redcurrant jelly, Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar and red wine in your slow cooker. Stir in the onion, juniper berries and bay leaves.
- Add the venison (and any pan juices) and carrots, cover and cook on the LOW setting for 8-9 hours or until the meat is tender.
- Take the meat out of the slow cooker and shred or slice. Bring the braising liquid to a simmer (in the crockpot or a saucepan) and stir in the cornstarch slurry (or a little xanthan gum) to thicken the gravy.
- Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes with the carrots and gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
This was awesome! Used an elk roast, seared in bacon fat, followed everything else in recipe. 5 stars 🌟
Wonderful to hear!!
absolutely delicious