Slow Cooker Elk Stew

Serving spoon with meat, potatoes and sauce.

5 from 21 votes

A hearty slow cooker elk stew with tender chunks of meat, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms in a savory, lightly thickened broth. Venison works just as well in place of the elk.

Prep Time30

Cook Time8

Total Time8 30

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crock pot elk stew, elk stew, slow cooker elk stew

Servings: Servings

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

2 pounds elk stew meat
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
4 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large onion chopped
4 large carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound baby potatoes
8 ounces fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoons cornstarch combined with ¼ cup cold water

Instructions

Add the stew meat to a shallow dish or pie plate and toss with the flour.
Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the stew meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper and sear to a rich brown on all sides. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker.
In a large pitcher combine half of the beef stock with the tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over into the slow cooker and add the remaining broth. Stir in the garlic, paprika and dried oregano.
Add the onions, carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker, cover with the lid and set the slow cooker on low and cook for 6 hours.
Remove the cover and add the mushrooms, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed, and cook for an additional 1 hour.
Increase the temperature to high and cook for 15 minutes.
Combine the cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water whisking until smooth. Scoop 1 cup of the stew sauce from the slow cooker and whisk with the cornstarch mixture, then gently stir the mixture into the stew.
Cook for an additional 15 minutes to thicken. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Notes

Sear the elk in batches. Don’t overcrowd the skillet or the meat will steam instead of developing a good brown crust.

Add the mushrooms toward the end of the cooking time so they don’t become overly soft.

For extra-tender game meat: Toss the elk with ½ teaspoon baking soda per pound of meat and let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse well, then pat the meat completely dry before seasoning and searing.

Nutrition