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Big Game · Compatible large game

Juniper-Braised Game & Savory Mushrooms

Garden & Game kitchen collection · Serves 6

Prep:
25 min
Cook:
180 min

Prepared recipe · kitchen testing pending. Cooking times are estimates; follow the method and check doneness with a thermometer.

A slow mushroom braise for working cuts, with a restrained juniper note and carrots added late.

Engraved serving suggestion for Juniper-Braised Game & Savory Mushrooms
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Compatible species and required cuts

Use these cuts: shoulder, roast, stew-meat.

Whitetail: Use trimmed boneless meat; keep backstrap/tenderloin out of long-braise recipes.

Elk: Large muscles must be portioned to the stated cube or steak dimensions rather than cooked as an entire backstrap.

Sika Deer: Use weighed boneless portions rather than animal or roast counts. Trim silver skin.

Mule Deer: Trim silver skin and use the specified tender or working cut; a hind-leg roast is not a quick-cooking steak.

Axis Deer: Weigh after trimming; small backstraps can be portioned across several animals to reach the recipe weight.

Moose: Remove connective seams and cut large muscles to the stated size; an older shoulder may need additional covered cooking.

Caribou: Use weighed trimmed portions and the specified cut; check braising liquid regularly because the meat is lean.

Pronghorn: Use trimmed lean meat and measured added fat; do not substitute a whole leg for the stated cubes.

Bison: Use shoulder/chuck for braises and ground bison for ground recipes; the lean meat benefits from the measured oil.

Nilgai: Use boneless shoulder/roast cubes for slow cooking; allow additional time for an older animal and keep liquid halfway up the meat.

Mountain Goat: Remove tough connective seams; use shoulder for long cooking and inspect tenderness rather than relying on the nominal time.

Bighorn Sheep: Use clean, trimmed shoulder or leg meat as specified; reserve tender loin for another preparation.

Ingredients

2 lb trimmed boneless shoulder or roast, in 1 1/2-inch cubes 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 8 oz mushrooms, quartered 2 carrots, in 1-inch pieces 2 garlic cloves, chopped 4 crushed culinary juniper berries 1 tbsp tomato paste 3 cups unsalted beef stock 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method

Heat oven to 325°F. Pat meat dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat in three batches for 5 minutes per batch; set aside. Cook onion and mushrooms in the pot over medium heat for 8 minutes. Add garlic, juniper and tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add stock, scraping the bottom, then return meat. Liquid should reach halfway to two-thirds up the meat. Cover and braise 2–3 hours, checking liquid every 45 minutes and adding water in 1/2-cup increments if needed. Add carrots for the last 45 minutes. Cook until every checked meat piece is at least 165°F and a fork passes through easily; older shoulder can take longer. Remove meat and vegetables. Simmer sauce uncovered 10 minutes if thin, then return them. Pick out any large juniper fragments before serving. Use purchased culinary juniper, not unidentified foraged berries. Allergens: Check packaged ingredients for allergens.
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Food handling and leftovers

Use safely handled, properly chilled ingredients. Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat food. Refrigerate cooked food promptly and reheat leftovers to 165°F. Follow the FoodSafety.gov temperature chart and CDC guidance for wild game.