Crockpot Venison Beef and Broccoli

Venison Beef and Broccoli
Crockpot venison beef and broccoli is an easy slow cooker meal with an asian flare.
Crockpot venison beef and broccoli is an easy slow cooker meal with an asian flare.

Ok, there is no beef in this venison beef and broccoli. But “venison and broccoli” just doesn’t conjure up the same pretty picture in our minds that we always see in the menus of the local chinese restaurants.

This recipe pulls off those same flavors, with minimal prep – and because it’s cooked in the crockpot, the hardest part of this meal is making the rice. Unless you are one of those people who buy the pre-cooked rice packets from the store…

This is a half day slow cooker recipe. Going longer will only hurt the dish from a presentation perspective – those nice slices of venison WILL eventually break down. You want to keep the cook time down to a point where the meat is tender yet it still holds together. Otherwise you will have more of a “venison gravy and broccoli”.

The Cut:

Because this is a slow cooker recipe, you can use slices from any roast of venison that you like. Keep in mind that if you use anything from the front half (shoulder or neck), it will have more gristle and be tougher –  it won’t be as pretty, and will take a little longer to cook – but just as tasty. I like to use slices from rear quarter roasts: top round, bottom round, or eye of round. These three muscles make up the hamstring of the deer, the rear of the rear quarter so to speak. I normally freeze them all separately. I used a bottom round in today’s meal, which was close to three pounds. I only needed half for this recipe, so I had enough left over to grind for some burgers for later in the week. Bonus!

Also on Venison Thursday:  Asian Style Venison Meatballs
Your venison will get better (prettier) slices if it's partially frozen when you go to cut it.
Your venison will get better (prettier) slices if it’s partially frozen when you go to cut it.

The Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs venison, in quarter inch slices
  • 1 cup of beef stock or broth
  • 2/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • crushed red pepper flakes – to taste
  • 4 cups of broccoli
  • 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons of water

The Process:

Spray the inside of the crockpot with a no-stick spray or vegetable oil. Add everything BUT the broccoli, cornstarch and water. For the pepper flakes, I like a few good shakes to give it a little heat.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. When the venison is tender but not falling apart, mix the cornstarch and water, and stir into the pot. Cover and cook another 20 minutes. Get your rice, or noodles going!

Separately cook the broccoli (microwave or stovetop) so it’s tender. Stir the cooked, drained broccoli into the crockpot and serve!

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