Slow cook a ‘wurst’ stew

Venison stew with bratwurst will warm you up

Fall has come to the Carolinas again, and with it comes excellent fishing and hunting. Sportsmen can have their choice of either, from the peaks of the Appalachians to the ocean shore, and all is good. Fishing even extends well beyond the surf breakers to the deep, azure blue of the Gulf Stream.

Deer hunting is a favorite pastime of many Carolina sportsmen. It began in August in several counties in South Carolina and by September had begun in both states. Several mountain regions had to wait a while for their seasons to open, but it is in full swing by now.

November is when many hunters like to begin getting out into the woods. They have numerous reasons. But the most popular are that a lot of hunters fish until we start having a few cold mornings. And waiting until the mosquitoes go away so it’s possible to hunt without bathing in DEET.

This recipe is a great way to add venison to your November menu

When the cooler mornings and late evenings come calling, it tends to get sportsmen other than the hard-core deer hunters more motivated. Many hunters also believe this change in temperatures gets the deer moving more, even though the mid-days are still often pretty warm.

Whatever your passion, be it getting out early in the season chasing a trophy buck in velvet or fishing until the weather cools before heading into the woods, most sportsmen like to eat venison.

This month’s recipe is a venison stew that is shared by occasional contributor Bob Szymakowski of Winston-Salem, N.C. Those of you who have prepared any of the previous recipes shared by him are probably already salivating.

This one is another winner, and if you prepare it once, you’ll prepare it again. This comes just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, and I hope everyone has plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

It’s the ‘Wurst’ venison stew you’ll eat

Recipe by Bob Szymakowski

Regular readers may recall that I have previously dubbed Bob Szymakowski as the best crock-pot cook I have ever met. This recipe will only add to the legend. He also has a way to cook this quicker on the stove top, but using the crock pot is his strong point, and I can’t believe this could be any better simply by preparing it more quickly.

This stew is especially good on those cooler days that come more frequently as Thanksgiving approaches. It makes for an excellent lunch or supper, especially at hunting camp. The crock pot can be left on the serve setting to keep it warm, and your family or hunting buddies can grab a bowl to warm up whenever they return.

There are a couple of steps that make this a little more than the standard crock-pot fare of a set-it-and-forget-it recipe, but I promise it is well worth the little bit of extra effort. The addition of the bratwurst gives it a special little burst of flavor, and finding a piece you didn’t see initially is a delicious surprise.

Get your ingredients together and give this a try. It is one of those recipes you’ll remember. Once it is done and the heat is reduced to the serve setting, it smells so good, it’s difficult to pass by without taking a taste. You might want to put some cups beside the crock pot just for this. It’s that good.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound of ground venison

5 to 6 fresh bratwurst

3 chunk-chopped yellow onions

3 chunk-chopped Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

12-ounce can of lager beer

1 tsp of garlic powder

Oregano, 1 tsp

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 stick of butter

1 pack of sliced white mushrooms

Mixed raw veggies (your choice)

1 large bag of fresh kale (8 ounces)

1 8-ounce can of cream of chicken soup

Two cans of water (use cream of chicken soup can)

12 pepper corns

PREPARATION:

Brown the venison in a cast-iron skillet in the red wine vinegar. Place the browned venison in the crock pot. Add the other ingredients except for the butter and half of the bag of kale. Cook on low for 11/2 hours. Remove the bratwurst and cut into chunks. Add the bratwurst chunks, remainder of kale and butter to the crock pot. Cook on low for another 11/2 hour. If the mixture begins to dry, add a little water. This should produce a brown gravy.

Bob suggests serving the stew in a soup dish with warm, Russian black rye or Jewish rye bread. He said it goes fine with your favorite adult beverage and suggests red wine. I find hot bread pudding to be the ideal dessert to top off this stew.