01 Sear the meat on all sides First in order is searing the meat on all sides in a large skillet. Use a fat with a high smoke point like duck fat, avocado oil or clarified butter/ghee to fry in. This adds both flavor and texture.
02 Add plenty of aromatics and seasoning I love a blend of plenty of onions, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Worchestershire sauce and tomato paste are also added for depth of flavor. Ingredients can be simple but also impactful and majorly flavorful. You won’t need canned soup or seasoning packets here.
03 Acid is important This is one of my most talked-about tips, but adding acid to a venison dish is very important for balancing out the rich flavor. Here, I like to use balsamic vinegar.
04 Use quality or homemade stock My venison stock recipe is perfect for use here. If you don’t have homemade, choose a good quality beef stock or bone broth. This adds a rich silky texture to the finished gravy.
05 Layer the carrots and potatoes on top so they don't get soggy I like to pile the potatoes and carrots on top of the roast so they steam in the slow cooker and don’t overcook. It works perfectly, even for such a long cook time. Don't forget the gravy!!!
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. Heat the oil/fat in a large skillet over medium-medium high heat and sear the roast on all sides until brown.
Once seared all over, remove the roast from the skillet and place it in the bottom of a slow cooker. 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.
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. 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.