Hearty & Delicious Venison Pot Pie

Pot Pie is a classic cozy Fall/ Winter meal and this Venison Pot Pie is a delicious twist using red meat, and rich, cozy flavours. It is an easy meal to make worthy of anything from a weeknight meal to a dinner party!

People are always asking me for different recipes to make with venison stew meat, and this one is a meal that brings stew meat to a whole other level!! With tender slow braised venison, sweet caramelized onions, and a rich broth sauce, this Venison Pot Pie is what warms the soul.

This pot pie looks beautiful, but is also incredibly easy to make. You start by searing the stew meat. Remove that from the pan, and then cook up the vegetables and build the broth. Then, you add the meat back in and slow braise it until fall apart tender for about 3 hours. Once it is all cooked, simply spread the meaty pie filling into a pie dish and top it with a layer of flaky puff pastry! It then bakes just until the pastry is golden and crisp.

I love this Venison Pot Pie because it is an easy meal that looks elevated. It is loaded with protein, making it hearty and filling, perfect after a day of hunting. You can use homemade pastry or store bought to save some time and I promise this pie will turn out beautifully.

Tips for Making Perfect Venison Pot Pie

1. Give the meat mixture ample time to cook. You do not want to rush this. The meat needs time to break down fully so it becomes fall apart tender. Minimum 2.5 hours.
2. As the meat cooks, some of the broth will evaporate. I like to keep an eye on it as it cooks, and add in any more broth needed to keep the meat covered so that it stays nice and juicy.
3. When working with puff pastry (homemade or store bought) you want it to be nice and cold before you bake it. This helps keep it nice and flaky!

Venison Pot Pie Ingredients

Venison Stew Meat– This can be deer, elk, moose, bear or beef. If you do. not have stew meat, you can simply cut a roast into cubes.

Onion– White or yellow onions are best.

Carrots- You want small bite sized pieces.

Garlic– Fresh is always better than pre minced.

Tomato Paste– Helps give a rich flavor to the pie.

Wine– You can use red or white for this recipe. I like a dry white wine.

Broth– Beef broth is ideal. Homemade or store bought.

Worcestershire Sauce– Helps deepen the flavour of the broth.

Rosemary– Fresh is best but dried is okay.

Dried Thyme– Measure carefully as it is very strong.

Bay Leaf- Just one is all you need.

Peas– Frozen peas. If you don’t like peas you can of course omit.

Flour– Just a touch helps thicken the broth for the perfect meat pie texture.

Puff Pastry– Frozen store bought works or you can use my homemade pie crust recipe!

The Steps

Make the Meat Filling

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350F.
2. Take the stew meat and season it generously with salt and pepper all over.
3. Then, heat a dutch oven over high heat with a couple tbsp of ghee, oil or tallow.
4. Once the pot is nice and hot, add in the stew meat and sear for a minute or so on each side. Remove the meat from the pot.
5. Next, turn the heat down to medium and add in the diced onion, carrots and garlic, Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
6. Then, add in the wine and deglaze the pan. Let the wine cook down for a couple minutes.
7. Stir in the tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.
8. Once combined, add the meat back to the pot along with the flour and stir to combine.
9. Pour 2 cups of broth over the meat, place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 2-3 hours.
10. After about 2 hours I like to check on the meat, and if the meat isn’t all covered in liquid anymore, add in another 1/2-1 cup of broth. The meat will be done when the mixture is nice and thick, and the meat is fall apart tender with a fork.
11. About half an hour before the meat is done, add the 1/4 cup of butter and thinly sliced onions to a skillet over low heat. Let these slowly caramelize, stirring occasionally. This will take about 30 minutes to develop a nice rich sweet flavor. Do not turn up the heat and try to rush it.
12. Season the caramelized onions with some salt and pepper, then stir them into the cooked meat mixture, along with the frozen peas.

Shape the Pie & Bake

1. Spread the meat filling evenly into a pie dish or casserole dish.
2. Then, roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Take a sharp knife or pizza cutter and cut the pastry into 1 1/2-2 inch wide squares.
3. Take the squares of pastry and layer them over the meat filling, overlapping them slightly so there is no meat peaking through.
4. Finally, take the egg and milk mixture and brush it over top of the pastry, making sure it is fully coated.

1. Bake the pie back in the oven at 400F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.
2. Allow the pie to set for 5-10 minutes before serving warm. Enjoy!

If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or a recipe review below!

Looking for more cozy meals to make with your Venison?

https://cmbarndominium.com/shredded-venison-tortilla-soup/

https://cmbarndominium.com/french-onion-venison-meatballs-gnocchi/

https://cmbarndominium.com/mini-venison-meatballs-and-gnocchi/