Easy Venison Stew in a Camp Dutch Oven

Cooking Venison Stew in a Camp Dutch Oven is the PERFECT meal for the first night of deer camp. Celebrating this year’s hunt with the spoils of last year’s hunt is a time-honored tradition. Similarly, it also goes great with beer and friends.

Stews also fit neatly in the cooking theory that understanding why you’re doing things is more important than the recipe itself. In terms of vegetables and seasonings, add the ingredients that you like. Steps in italics are what you really need to do; the rest of the steps are there for clarity and first-timers.

Gear List

• Cast iron Camp Dutch Oven, at least 10 quart
• Dutch Oven lid lifter
• Large wooden spoon (windshield scraper can be used in a pinch)
• Cutting board
• Knife

Ingredient List

Feeds 4 hungry hunters

• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1 pound of venison roast, cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 large (baseball-size) onions, diced
• 4 potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 large carrots, diced (or 1 cup of baby carrots)
• 1 stalk of celery, diced
• Optional: mushrooms, baby corn, green beans, peas, parsnip, rutabaga
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 bottle of your favorite locally-brewed stout or porter
• Seasoning (salt and pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, etc)

Preparation Instructions

At home

Chop meat and veggies at home for less mess and hassle, but this isn’t necessary.

Fire instructions

If you have a Camp Dutch Oven, you can cook this right in the coals, over briquettes, hanging over the fire, or on a grill over the fire.

Cooking instructions

1. Heat oil over enough coals to hit 350.
2. Brown the meat, onions, and garlic together. Make sure the meat is fully cooked by putting it on first. Cook until the meat is browned and onions are carmelized.
3. Add all the veggies that you want fully cooked. Potatoes, celery, parsnip, etc.
4. Add liquid and most seasonings. Beer and beef bouillon (or skip both and add beef stock) are added, along with most of the seasonings. Save some seasoning for the end of the cook. You could also add cream of mushroom soup right now and it wouldn’t be weird.
5. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for an hour. The venison will need a good long simmer to reduce its toughness, and the potatoes always need more time than you think.
6. Add veggies that you want to be crunchy and the rest of the seasonings. Carrots, pea pods, etc.
7. Simmer for another half hour.
8. Serve and clean up.

Complete your Camp Dutch Oven meal

When we cook with Camp Dutch Ovens, we cook with three at a time: one big oven for the entrée, one medium oven for the side dish, and one small oven for the dessert. This recipe would go great with:

This recipe was created from various recipes from the following books:

• Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101
• The Best Basic and Easy Recipes of Chuck Wagon Cooking