Venison Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

A friend who hunts gave me a whole venison tenderloin. I wanted to make something that I could bring along and reheat so I put in in the slow cooker with ingredients I had handy, and it turned out great.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 4 hr
• Total Time: 4 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 259 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 teaspoon juniper berries
• ¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms
• ¾ cup dry red wine
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage
• 1 teaspoon herb salt
• 1 (2 pound) venison tenderloin
• 2 large shallots, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable broth powder

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place mushrooms in a small heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak mushrooms until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Finely chop mushrooms and add them back to soaking liquid. Set aside.

Step 2

Rinse venison under cold running water. Pat thoroughly with paper towels until dry, then cut into 3/4-inch slices.

Step 3

Melt ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear venison slices in batches making sure meat is not overcrowded in the skillet, until lightly browned on both sides, about 5 to 10 minutes per batch.

Step 4

Transfer seared meat to a large bowl and add mushrooms, soaking liquid, tomatoes, shallots, garlic, vegetable broth powder, bay leaves, herbes de Provence, juniper berries, thyme, sage, balsamic vinegar, red wine, and herb salt. Mix well and transfer to the slow cooker.

Step 5

Cover and cook on Low for 3 hours.

Step 6

Combine a few tablespoons cooking liquid and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to slow cooker and stir well.

Step 7

Cook until sauce has thickened and venison is tender, about 1 more hour, stirring a couple of times. Season with salt and pepper.