Slow-cooked venison neck stew

The neck section of a deer, which holds a great deal of meat, bone and marrow, is generally discarded as it’s not considered as a choice piece of meat. Some combine it with other cuts, mix in various herbs and spices, and turn it into burgers or sausages. Particularly when considering how difficult it can be for a hunter to bag a deer, you want to make the most of the available meat.

There is nothing wrong with the neck section, especially so if it’s a young stag or hind to cook up into a hearty meal. Having successfully harvested a young stag, I tried a piece of the neck section with part of the bone to cook a stew with herbs, seasoning and vegetables. I cooked it over a low heat for approximately 3 hours until the meat started to fall off the bone.

I was pleasantly surprised and glad I gave it a go. The hot stew was flavoursome and the tender meat enjoyable.

Duration: 3 hours 20 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

These may be added, or subtracted, to preference.

• Piece of venison neck section with bone for 2-3 serves
• 3 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small chilli or pinch of chilli flakes
• Handful chopped parsley
• Bouquet of herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or one cut peeled tomato
• Good splash of olive or vegetable oil.

Method

1. Place the meat portion with the neck bone on its own in a suitable pot to brown off over a moderate heat to seal the meat. Once browned off, remove the meat, lower the heat and coat the base of the pot with a good dollop of oil.
2. Add two gloves of garlic and one onion finely chopped, a pinch of chilli flakes or a chopped small hot chilli, some chopped parsley, a tablespoon of tomato paste or one chopped tomato, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Add chopped celery and carrots, season with pepper and salt, and stir for another couple of minutes.
4. With the fragrant aroma of the herbs and spices, add the meat back into the pot together with a bouquet of herbs and cover with water.
5. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for approx. 3 hours or until the meat is three quarters cooked.
6. Add the chopped potatoes and sample the water for further seasoning, periodically checking the water level.

Alternatively, and in accordance with the cooking procedures, a slow cooker for 4-6 hours (high) or 8-12 hours (low) may be preferred. It can be set and left without the need to constantly check on things.

Properly cooked, the meat will fall or peel off the bone. A further example of how to make the most of harvested game! Many delicacy dishes of today were once peasant dishes, where the people made do with what they had. It is not uncommon for some cultures to still use nearly every part of a wild or livestock animal.