Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe
Very few things can compare to a delicious meal that practically cooks itself while you go about life! This recipe is no exception. Simmering in the instant pot, slow cooking all day, developing flavors, and perfectly content to sit alone, this meal is a God-send to busy people everywhere who still want to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Sit back, relax, and take notes because I’m about to tell you how to make the Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe ever!
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Deer steak and gravy is actually my favorite way to eat venison! It’s comforting, rich, and served over fluffy mashed potatoes for the most amazing meal you’ve ever put on the table! There’s a complexity to this dish that is unlike any other because it’s cooked low and slow all day long in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. This means that all of the flavors have plenty of time to develop and deepen. Not only is this type of cooking method the best way to ensure that your dish will be delicious, but it also guarantees that your deer meat will be so tender that it will practically fall apart. (And that’s not a bad thing!)
I know that most people just put everything into the Instant Pot or slow cooker and just let it go, but I have found that my gravy develops the best flavors when I do it this way. I make sure to sear the outside of the meat first. (This ensures that the meat develops a crust but also doesn’t dry out.) Then I take the pan drippings to make gravy in my Instant Pot. This one little extra step of making the gravy before adding the deer steak makes such a HUGE difference that I believe the dish tastes completely different if skipped!
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I want to share another one of my favorite things about this delicious deer steak recipe that makes it a good choice for busy families like mine. I like to make a big batch of steak and gravy so that I can create another beloved dish from my childhood with the leftovers.
This little dish is known as HASH and it’s an old family favorite.
Now, I know that the name “hash” may not sound like much or it might even turn you off because you’ve had a dish with that name that wasn’t very appetizing, but that’s not the case with my family’s Hash recipe. It’s made from leftover pot roast (or deer steak), sliced potatoes, onion, and just a touch of gravy to make a sauce.
It is another great deer steak recipe. It is DIVINE!
So, what I do is make my deer steak and gravy and then set the leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days. This ensures that everyone has a little bit of a break before I reintroduce similar flavors back to dinner too soon. We used to eat a lot of ketchup on top of our Hash as children instead of gravy, so that brings a different element to it as well. And the texture of everything changes.
The deer steak is still super tender but the potatoes are sliced fresh and pushed against the bottom of the cast iron skillet. This creates a nice crispy crust on the potatoes and the onions carmelize a little bit. (It’s almost worth making the steak and gravy just to have it’s spinoff dish – HASH)
Let’s discuss this Instant Pot method. One of the rare qualities of the Instant Pot is that you can use it as a slow cooker (which I do quite often), or you can throw frozen meat into it when you’ve failed to plan ahead. Just put your frozen deer steak in the Instant Pot, make the gravy, and pour on top, along with your slices of onion and seasonings. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 45 minutes and start making your mashed potatoes. You’ll be able to have this meal on the table in an hour and that’s pretty good considering you forgot to thaw the meat!
Let’s take a deeper look at why the world LOVES gravy!
The last thing I want to talk about is an appeal to try wild game. I know that some people are concerned about a gamey flavor when making a wild venison recipe but that’s a fear that I want you to let go of. The right seasoning and cooking methods will yield the best results and will produce flavorful steaks that don’t have an unappealing flavor at all. And the good news is that these few simple ingredients are probably pantry staples that you already use. Garlic powder, Onion powder, and Seasoned Salt is all that you need to make a good venison steak, ground venison recipe, etc… (Personally, I like to use Tony’s Cajun seasoning.)
Tips for the Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe:
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot and you are using a slow cooker (that doesn’t have a saute setting), use a cast iron pan over medium-high heat to sear the seasoned deer steak and to make the gravy. Add it all to the slow cooker and top with chopped onions and cook on low.
- This recipe is just as delicious with beef steak or another cut of meat like a roast. Cooking times and methods won’t vary at all.
- For perfect venison steak every time, make sure that the connective tissues have been removed from the meat. Our deer processors do a great job of cleaning the meat and returning tender venison steaks to us so that we don’t have to use a meat mallet to pound it before cooking.
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Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of Tony’s seasoning
- 3/4 cup of olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of beef powder
- 8 cups water
- 2 tablespoons of onion powder
- 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
- Dash of black pepper
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 5 lbs. of deer round steak
Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe Instructions:
- First, season both sides of your steak with Tony’s, garlic powder, and onion powder. (I like to do this in the Instant Pot lid. There’s no reason to dirty any more dishes.)
- Then, pour 1/4 cup of oil into the instant pot with the sauté setting on.
- Next, place the seasoned steak in a single layer on the bottom of the instant pot and brown.
- When the first side has a nice sear, turn the steak over and brown the other side.
- Take the steak out of the instant pot and add another batch of steak to the instant pot to brown. Add more oil if needed. (1/4 cup)
- Once all the steak has been browned, place the meat in a dish and set aside.
- Then, add your chopped onion to the instant pot and scrape up all of the brown bits off the bottom with the onion. Cook until just soft.
- Then, remove the onion from the instant pot and place it in the dish with the browned steak.
- Add 1/4 cup of oil to the instant pot.
- Next, add 4 tablespoons of flour to the oil and stir.
- Cook the flour and oil mixture (roux) until it becomes dark. (This doesn’t take a long time so don’t walk away.)
- Add 8 cups of water to the roux and stir.
- After the water has been incorporated into the roux, add the cream of mushroom soup.
- Then, add back all of your browned steak and onions.
- Sprinkle beef powder into your mixture and stir.
- Finally, put the lid on the instant pot and set it for a cook time of 6-8 hours. (the longer the better)
- After cooking all day, it’s time to taste your seasonings, add the pepper and anything else that it may need, and enjoy it with your favorite sides!
Storage for the Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe:
- Store leftover steak and gravy in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What are the Macros for the Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe?
Makes 13 servings (Nutritional information below is for 1 serving = 1 cup of gravy/meat)
- Calories – 437
- Protein – 57 grams
- Carbs – 6.7 grams (net)
- Fat – 18.5 grams
Check out some of my other deer recipes!
Instant Pot Venison (deer) Chili
Deer Steak wrapped in Bacon with cream cheese
Perfectly Pan-Fried Deer Steak
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Best Venison (Deer) Steak and Gravy Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons of Tony’s seasoning
- 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of beef powder
- 2 tablespoons of onion powder
- 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
- 8 cups water
- Dash of black pepper
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 4 lbs of deer round steak
Instructions
- First, season both sides of your steak with Tony’s, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Then, pour 1/4 cup of oil into the instant pot with the sauté setting on.
- Next, place the seasoned steak in a single layer on the bottom of the instant pot and brown.
- When the first side has a nice sear, turn the steak over and brown the other side.
- Take the steak out of the instant pot and add another batch of steak to the instant pot to brown. Add more oil if needed. (1/4 cup)
- Once all the steak has been browned, place the meat in the lid of the Instant Pot.
- Then, add your chopped onion to the instant pot and scrape up all of the brown bits off the bottom with the onion. Cook until just soft.
- Then, remove the onion from the instant pot and place it in the lid with the browned steak.
- Add 1/4 cup of oil to the instant pot.
- Next, add 4 tablespoons of flour to the oil and stir.
- Cook the flour and oil mixture (roux) until it becomes dark. (This doesn’t take a long time so don’t walk away.)
- Add 8 cups of water to the roux and stir.
- After the water has been incorporated into the roux, add the cream of mushroom soup.
- Then, add back all of your browned steak and onions.
- Sprinkle beef powder into your mixture and stir.
- Finally, put the lid on the instant pot and set it for a cook time of 6-8 hours. (the longer the better)
- After cooking all day, it’s time to taste your seasonings, add the pepper and anything else that it may need, and enjoy it with your favorite sides!
