Easy stew recipe with moose or beef meat

I got a piece of frozen meat from my mom. She rents out the hunting rights on her property every year and therefore receives a lot of meat.
“Perhaps you can do something with it,” she said doubtfully. When I had thawed and inspected it, I understood why.

It consisted mostly of bones.

I suspect that it was a piece of the ribs, probably from a moose, that nobody wanted. But throwing it away was out of the question ( remember that I’m a fundamentalist about avoiding food waste).
I cut off as much meat as possible from the bones. It was not that bad. If I made a stew, it was at least enough for a meal for the whole family.
I was about to throw away the bones when I realized that I had a small treasure in my hands. I mean, why not add the bones to the pot and let them boil together with all the other ingredients. You can make stock from bones, so whats the difference. I might not have to add any stock at all. This was something I just had to try. So I invented my own easy stew recipe.

I started by browning the meat in batches in a skillet. After that, it was time for the onion. Finally, I put the bones in the skillet. I remember that I have read that you should always sear the bones before you boil them when making stock.

Mushrooms are a must in a stew like this, and I always fry them quickly on high heat to get that nice dark, almost burnt color on the edges.
I put everything into a pot together with some red wine, sour cream, juniper berries, thyme, and soy sauce. Finally, I added some blackcurrant jelly. Replace it with Worcestershire sauce if you prefer that.

Now, this is important. The trick with a top-notch stew is to let it boil on low heat for a looooong time. My stew simmered for almost 3 hours until the meat was tender. But meat from moose can be quite tough sometimes. If you choose beef instead, you can probably reduce the cooking time.
But it’s not just about getting the meat tender. The ingredients need time to release all their flavors so they can infuse the meat and the sauce into a mouthwatering delicious mix in the pot.

Did I have to add any stock you may wonder? Yes, a little. The taste was quite good, but I felt it needed an extra oomph. So I added half a tablespoon of liquid meat extract. That was enough.
This stew is very rewarding to cook. The workload is low, and the result is just mouthwatering great.
And you don’t need to use meat moose like me. Beef will do just fine.
Just make sure you try to find some meat on the bone. And that goes for all kind of meat. Most of the times it’s more inexpensive, and it tastes more. I mean, which are the best parts of the chicken. Legs and drumsticks, of course.

Easy stew recipe with moose meat

This stew is very easy to make. All you need is some patience while it cooks slowly. It will make the meat tender and flavors will be released into a wonderful sauce with a deep taste of red wine, juniper, thyme, and mushrooms.

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Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/5 lb beef anything with bone. I used short ribs from moose.
• 1 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 20 juniper berries
• 1 teaspoon thyme dried or 4 - 5 twigs of fresh.
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/5 cup black currant jelly or 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
• 2 yellow onion chopped in big pieces
• 1/2 lb mushroom
• 1/2 tablespoon liquid meat extract if needed

Instructions

 

• Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into 1"/ 2.5 cm chunks and brown them in batches in a skillet with butter. Transfer them to a pot.
• Saute the onion for a minute and transfer to the pot.
• Cut the mushrooms into thick slices and sear them with butter on high heat until they have got a nice brown color. Transfer to the pot.
• Sear small bones in the skillet for a couple of minutes. If you have bigger bones you can roast them in the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to the pot.
• Crush the juniper berries and add them to the pot.
• Add all remaining ingredients and bring to boil. reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least 1 1/2 hour, or until the meat is tender. Add some beef stock if necessary. All ingredients should be almost covered with liquid.
• Thicken the sauce with wheat flour if you prefer it more like a gravy sauce.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!