If you have hunters in your family, you’ve probably already found some great recipes for venison. I put this one together for my family who does not like the flavor of venison much. We’re not avid hunters either but we are given venison and sometimes my husband gets a deer.
Unlike beef, venison has little fat. So most packers add some beef tallow to ground venison. Venison is also good with some sweetening added. In this recipe I add brown sugar, but you could use Rapidura or molasses. You can also use this recipe with ground turkey or beef. The added bonus is that this is a crockpot recipe!
If you cook this on the stove, you will need to add extra water, about 2 cups or so, and then cook the mixture until most of the water is cooked out.

You will need:

2 lbs ground venison
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups tomato catsup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 medium onion, diced
1 small red/green pepper, diced (optional, I don’t use it)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 to 2 tsp hickory smoke powder OR 1/2 to 1 tsp liquid smoke (to your taste)

Turn the slow cooker on HIGH. Add the meat and break it up with a large spoon or fork.
Add all in other ingredients. Stir well. After 15 minutes, turn the cooker on LOW.
Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Taste for seasonings. Adjust if needed.

Serve with buns or use rice or noodles!