Slow Cooked Deer Shoulder, Senegalese Style
User Reviews
4.8
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
5 hrs
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Total Time
5 hrs 20 mins
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Servings
8 people
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Calories
203 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
African
Slow Cooked Deer Shoulder, Senegalese Style
Description
This recipe begins by preparing a roasting pan layered with sliced onion, whole garlic cloves, and dried thyme, all moistened with broth. The venison shoulder is pierced and stuffed with garlic batons, then coated with palm or peanut oil, salted, and thoroughly rubbed with a mustard and spice blend of cumin, black pepper, and Dijon mustard for an aromatic crust. The shoulder is wrapped tightly in foil and slow-roasted at 200°F until the meat is tender enough to lift from the bone, which can take 3 to 10 hours depending on the age of the deer.
The tamarind kani sauce prepared alongside combines peanut oil, onion, garlic, plum tomatoes, chopped habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, bay leaf, tamarind paste, and seasoning like fish sauce and optional sugar for balance. It is cooked down to a flavorful, spicy-sour sauce that complements the rich venison.
Serving this hearty, slow-cooked meat with the tangy and piquant sauce reflects a Senegalese influence, offering a complex layering of flavors from the slow roast and spicy-sour sauce. The long cooking time breaks down the shoulder to tender, flavorful meat ideal for a devoted meal.
Adjust the roasting time and temperature based on the age and toughness of the deer shoulder, increasing heat slightly to 225°F if the meat is older to ensure tenderness.
Ingredients
FOR THE POT
- 1 onion large, sliced thinly root to tip
- 1 head garlic cloves peeled but whole
- 2 teaspoons thyme dried
- 1 1/2 cups broth any kind, or stock
FOR THE DEER SHOULDER
- 1 venison shoulder
- 4 cloves garlic cut into little batons
- 3 tablespoons palm oil melted, or peanut oil
- salt
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons cumin ground
- 2 tablespoons black pepper or selim pepper, freshly ground
TAMARIND KANI SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 onion small, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 6 plum tomato or paste tomatoes, chopped
- 1 or 2 habanero pepper or Scotch bonnet peppers, chopped
- 1 bay leaf crumbled
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste some brands still have seeds in them, seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce Vietnamese or Thai
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
PREPPING THE ROASTING PAN
- Line a roasting pan with lots of foil, overlapping so it's reasonably watertight. You will need to completely wrap the deer shoulder, so have enough foil to do that.
- Scatter the sliced onion and garlic cloves in the pan, then sprinkle with the thyme. Pour in the stock.
PREPPING THE POT ROAST
- Using a thin knife, stab the venison in various places and shove the batons of garlic inside. Coat the whole deer shoulder with the oil. Salt it well. Mix the mustard, cumin and black pepper together and smear this all over the deer shoulder, getting it into every crevice.
- Seal up the shoulder and set in a 200F oven. Roast until tender, which should take at least 3 hours, and as many as 10. With normal deer, start checking after about 5 hours. You want the meat to lift off the bone easily.
TAMARIND KANI SAUCE
- If you're making the sauce, do this while the venison cooks. Heat the peanut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chopped onion until translucent, but not browned, about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and chopped habanero chiles and cook another minute.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients, mix well and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and puree in a blender. The sauce should be thick like ketchup.
TO SERVE
- To serve, give everyone some deer shoulder with some of the juices from the pot, stewed onions and garlic, and serve with the tamarind kani sauce on the side. Crusty bread, rice or sweet potato-plantain fritters are a good accompaniment.
Notes
- Roast time can vary from 3 to 10 hours; start checking tenderness at 5 hours for average venison.
- If deer meat is older or tougher, raise oven temperature to 225°F to help tenderize.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 203 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 203kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 14g | 5% |
| Protein | 16g | 32% |
| Fat | 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 41mg | 14% |
| Sodium | 529mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 506mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 469IU | 9% |
| Vitamin C | 16mg | 18% |
| Calcium | 66mg | 7% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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