Crock Pot Venison Round Roast

This recipe is simple, easy and takes little time to prepare. There follows, however, a digression into a visit to Brown Hollow and a brief description of Thanks giving at my house. If you would like, skip to the recipe.

BROWN HOLLOW, Early Winter
On the drive to Brown Hollow after Thanksgiving, the trees are bare. On the eastern slopes there is a light cover of snow on the forest floor. It is a world of sepias, umbers, some burnt sienna. The sun has burned the snow off the western slopes. Below the grey sky it is a scene worthy of Andrew Wyeth. We had hoped the snow would still be on the ground at Brown Hollow but it was gone when we got to the gate.



I had intended to burn some of the cedars downed during the summer while clearing a glade. Snow on the ground would prevent the fire from spreading into the woods. No chance of the fire spreading on this day: the snow had changed to a cold slow rain with a little ice in it. In spite of the wet, some of the cedar piles, the ones that had gone brown, burned.

Without the hunters of two weeks back, the woods were silent. Maybe it is a derangement to enjoy being out in a cold drizzle with no purpose other than to enjoy the silence of the Ozark winter.



THANKSGIVING, Family & Food
Thanksgiving had been very busy. For the seventeen adults and the children I didn’t count, it was a fine affair. I baked two turkeys following Ann Cori’s baking method. One of the turkeys was a Heritage Red, the other a typical large-breasted turkey. Both were freshly butchered from the Farrar Out Farm. They, along with the ham smoked in the outside smoker, went very quickly. Each of the family units brought side dishes.

My sister said a prayer and my elder son read from Robert Frost. It was a bittersweet time to cherish our loved ones and to reflect on our losses.

I had spent time over three days making a pheasant terrine. The recipe was converted from a duck paté featured in Saveur magazine. Instead of duck I used pheasant breast added a little ground elk, forgot to add the green peppercorns and deliberately omitted the liver. Every step of the way was photographed and the completed product was, in a word, picture perfect. With all of the people there, most of whom are accomplished carnivores, not a single word of praise was uttered about the pate. Less than half of it was eaten. My most-trusted critic, an expert on food, condemned with exceedingly faint praise, “Hardly worth the time it took.”

It will be fine-tuned and perfected. Until then, you won’t be burdened by the recipe.

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CROCK POT VENISON ROUND ROAST

Many of my favorite French recipes involve braising. The meat surrounded by aromatic vegetables emerges tender and succulent in its own sauce. A far less complicated preparation getting a similar result uses a crock pot and works well for people on a tight schedule.

1 venison round roast, 3 to 4 pounds

TIP: If you bone your deer or have it boned for you, use any of these cuts from the hind leg: the sirloin tip, the rump, or the bottom round. If the meat has been 'processed' use any piece marked 'roast'.

½ cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste

4 strips bacon, preferably smoked
2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion
2 cups venison stock (canned beef boullion may be substituted)
1 clove garlic
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1 turnip or rutabaga
4 medium potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

Remove all silver skin and fat from meat and shake in a bag with the flour seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.

Fry bacon until soft. Remove bacon from skillet and, over high heat, brown venison.

Coarsely cut carrots, celery and onion into 2 inch pieces.

Cut bacon strips into ½ inch pieces.

Pour wine into skillet and scrape skillet. Pour into 5-quart crock pot.

Cut turnip into 1 inch pieces.

Place carrots, celery and onion in the crock pot, placing the meat on top and covering with the potatoes and turnip. Add remaining ingredients, pouring on liquid so that all ingredients are covered.

Set the pot on high for 1 hour and reduce to low. Cook for at least 8 hours and up to 10.

Optional: after removing meat and vegetables, the broth may be thickened by whipping in flour or stirring in a starch (arrowroot works fine).

Serve on a platter accompanied by a crusty French bread, have a glass of wine, close your eyes for a moment and you can be in Paris.

~ Enjoy, JW