This easy venison pie recipe is richly flavoured with bacon and mushrooms. Wrapped up in crisp and golden shortcrust pastry a slice of this deer pie at suppertime is hard to resist.
A good veggie option to serve for your guests is black lentil & beetroot pie.
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Venison pie with bacon and mushrooms is a delicious and hearty supper dish to bring to the table, especially in the cooler months of the year.
Alongside the headline flavours, there are other goodies nestled inside of that crisp and crumble pastry shell, including red wine, baby onions, thyme and garlic. These ingredients combine to create a sensational pie sure to impress anybody sitting around your dinner table.
The inspiration for this venison pie recipe came about as I was researching recipes from the East Midlands. I came across a little heard of Robin Hood pie featuring venison and redcurrant. As I’m not a huge fan of combining meat with sweet items, I went my own way. So, this venison meat pie may not be Robin Hood pie, but it’s rather tasty all the same.
Why this pie is worth making
Venison usually refers to deer meat in the UK and it is classified as game because, in days gone by, all venison would have been derived from hunted wild deer.
That’s not necessarily the case now. Much of the venison consumed in the UK comes from farmed deer, often imported from other countries, especially New Zealand.
Elsewhere in the world, the term venison can also refer to meat from any large game animal (elk, buffalo, moose, caribou, and antelope or wild boar). So, to be perfectly clear, this venison pie recipe has been devised using deer meat.
Here’s the low-down on venison meat:
- It is dark red in colour and usually quite lean.
- Once cooked, deer meat stays firm but tender and has a distinctive smooth texture.
- Venison from younger deer makes the best option for cooking quickly.
- But for slow cooked venison, older deer will provide the better flavour and withstand the cooking process well, turning meltingly tender in the process.
- A well-stocked butcher is likely to offer venison in a variety of forms including joints, diced meat, minced meat, or sausages.
- Farmed venison typically has a less pronounced gamey flavour than hunted wild deer.
- Wild venison is in season from October to February, but farmed venison is available year-round.
Feeling unsure and a little edgy about how gamey your source of venison might be? Your butcher should be able to fill you in on where it comes from and whether the deer lived wild or was farmed.
If you like the look of this pie, you may also be interested in my steak and stilton pie, my sausage and egg pie or my minced beef and onion pie.
What is venison?
Venison usually refers to deer meat in the UK and it is classified as game because, in days gone by, all venison would have been derived from hunted wild deer.
That’s not necessarily the case now. Much of the venison consumed in the UK comes from farmed deer, often imported from other countries, especially New Zealand.
Elsewhere in the world, the term venison can also refer to meat from any large game animal (elk, buffalo, moose, caribou, and antelope or wild boar). So, to be perfectly clear, this venison pie recipe has been devised using deer meat.
Here’s the low-down on venison meat:
- It is dark red in colour and usually quite lean.
- Once cooked, deer meat stays firm but tender and has a distinctive smooth texture.
- Venison from younger deer makes the best option for cooking quickly.
- But for slow cooked venison, older deer will provide the better flavour and withstand the cooking process well, turning meltingly tender in the process.
- A well-stocked butcher is likely to offer venison in a variety of forms including joints, diced meat, minced meat, or sausages.
- Farmed venison typically has a less pronounced gamey flavour than hunted wild deer.
- Wild venison is in season from October to February, but farmed venison is available year-round.
Feeling unsure and a little edgy about how gamey your source of venison might be? Your butcher should be able to fill you in on where it comes from and whether the deer lived wild or was farmed.
Ingredients notes
Venison: pick up some diced venison at the butchers as this venison pie recipe needs the meat to be slow cooked.
Diced venison is pricier than stewing beef. Expect to pay around £13-£18 per kilo from a butcher. If that’s a little steep for your budget you could swap the venison for stewing beef.
Bacon: smoked bacon is the best option for this venison meat pie. It adds depth of flavour to the final dish.
Mushrooms: go for chestnut mushrooms as they have a better flavour than standard white mushrooms. They also have a firmer texture, again making them ideal in this venison pie recipe.
Pearl onions: these are miniature onions. Feel free to use either tiny shallots or pickling onions. The smaller the better as it’s nice to leave them whole. Larger ones can be halved.
Butter: for the best flavour for your pastry, use real butter.
Plain flour: predominantly used in this recipe for the shortcrust pastry, do not be tempted to use self-raising flour as this has a raising agent added to it. You need plain (all-purpose) flour for pastry.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Venison meat pie is not necessarily the quickest of pies to make as the venison pie filling does need to be slow cooked to render it tender. But the good news is that it is possible to do this in advance, so that when it comes to assembling the pie on the day you intend to serve it, the meat is ready and waiting.
You could even make a double batch (if you have a spare casserole dish) and freeze some for a later date.
Anyway, that note aside, let’s set about making this wonderful deer pie. There are three stages:
- Cook the meat
- Make the pastry (do this as the pie filling cooks)
- Assemble and bake
Here are the details.
Make the slow cooked venison pie filling
- Preheat the oven to 150C/ 300F/ GM 2. Divide the 60g of butter into 4.
- Cut the venison into small chunks and toss in the flour.
- Peel the onions and wipe the mushrooms clean. Chop larger vegetables in half.
- Melt ¼ of the butter in a casserole dish over a high heat and tip in ⅓ of the meat. Brown it all over, then remove it with a slotted spoon.
- Repeat the above step twice more to brown all of the venison meat.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pan and cook the bacon in it. Stir frequently, until browned & crispy. Remove it from the pan.
- Pour the red wine into the pan to de-glaze it.
- Add the venison, bacon, onion, mushrooms, salt, pepper, minced garlic, bay leaves and thyme along with the stock. Scrape in any leftover flour from the bowl the venison meat was tossed in. Stir.
- Bring the contents of the casserole pot up to simmering point then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ hours, then stir and cook for a further 1½ hours. the meat should be nicely tender now.
- When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and spoon the pie filling into a large sieve suspended over a bowl to catch the gravy. Set aside to cool completely.
Make the shortcrust pastry
- Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir.
- Cube the butter, add it to the bowl and rub it into the flour using the tips of your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add half the water and stir with a blunt knife, until the dough just comes together, adding more water, little by little, as necessary. Aim for a soft, but not sticky dough.
- Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball and tip it onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly until smooth. Split it in half and form into two discs. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Assemble and bake the venison and mushroom pie
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4 and slide a flat baking sheet into the oven as it heats up.
- Roll out one disc of pastry on a lightly floured worktop to approximately 2-3mm thick. Use it to line the base of your pie tin.
- Spoon the slow cooked venison pie filling into the pie dish and then dribble 1-2 tablespoons of the gravy over the meat.
- Roll out the remaining pastry and use it to top the pie, lightly brushing the edge of the pastry base with water before laying the top sheet of pastry onto it. Press the edge of the pastry to seal the pie and trim the excess pastry with a blunt knife.
- Turn up the sides and crimp.
- Re-roll any off-cuts of pastry and use to decorate the pie (e.g. leaves, lettering etc…). Use a sharp knife to make a small cross in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape during cooking.
- Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and bake for around 50 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
Expert tips
Top Tip: Don’t skimp on the time allowed to cook the diced venison – it will take several hours to become gorgeously tender.
- Ensure that the venison pie filling is cold before assembling the pie. If it is hot, or even warm, the pastry will melt during assembly of the pie.
- Make it quick and easy by using pre-made pastry from the supermarket.
- For variation swap shortcrust pastry for puff pastry.
- Get ahead: make the filling for this venison and mushroom pie the day before it is needed, then cool it and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble and bake the pie. Alternatively, freeze the filling once cooked if necessary.
- Pop a baking sheet into the oven as it warms up and place the pie tin directly onto it. This helps to ensure the base of the pie is nicely cooked.
- Likewise, use a metal pie tin rather than a glass dish as the heat distributes better on the metal, leading to a better bake and less chance of a pie with a soggy bottom.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, I’m afraid you do. Diced venison needs to be slow cooked to turn it deliciously soft and tender. Whatever you do, please do not skimp on the cooking of the meat.
Go for it. I’m a die-hard lover of shortcrust pastry for meat pies, but it’s okay to have a differing opinion on this.
And if making pastry is not your forte feel free to use ready-to-roll pastry.
Yes, you can. The filling can be frozen as soon it has been cooked and cooled, but it is also possible to freeze the venison pie itself. Just bake as instructed, then let cool completely before wrapping and placing in the freezer for up to 8 weeks (don’t forget to label and date it).
Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours then heat through in the oven at 150C/ 300F/ GM 2 for around 30 minutes until piping hot throughout. Cover the top loosely with foil if you think the pastry might burn.
Venison has 50% less fat than beef and it is richer in protein. It is also high in nutrients like B vitamins, iron and phosphorus. So yes, venison is a pretty steady option.
However, do remember that a pastry pie is never going to legitimately class as healthy food. The pastry is laden with butter.
What to serve with venison and mushroom pie
Choices, choices. Here are my favourite ideas:
- Creamy mashed potatoes and tenderstem broccoli.
- A few new potatoes and peas.
- Roasted root vegetables including carrots, parsnips and beetroot.
- Buttered spring greens.
Variations
A classic pairing with venison is redcurrant. As I’m not too keen on mixing fruit and meat, it’s not the way I took my venison pie recipe. Should you fancy it, however, try mixing in a tablespoon or two of redcurrant jelly into the hot stock prior to cooking in the oven.
You could alternatively add in a tablespoon of juniper berries before slow cooking the venison pie filling (a great suggestion from my local butcher).
Forgo the pastry and turn it into a potato-topped venison pie like my Nottinghamshire steak and stilton pie. You could call it a chunky venison cottage pie if you do, but I draw the line at calling it venison shepherd’s pie as that one does require lamb, not venison – the clue is in the name there.
More pie recipes
Have you made this venison pie recipe? I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a recipe rating and/or comment to let me know how you got along. I always love hearing from readers.
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📖 Recipe
Venison Pie with Mushrooms and Bacon
Equipment
- 1 20cm pie tin
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
- 350 g Plain flour (all purpose)
- 175 g Butter chilled
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 120 ml Water ice-cold
For the slow cooked venison pie filling
- 900 g Venison stewing meat
- 250 g Chestnut mushrooms
- 150 g Pearl onions or shallots
- 100 g Smoked bacon diced
- 60 g Butter
- 100 ml Red wine
- 500 ml Beef stock
- 2 Garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 Bay leafs
- 2 tablespoons Plain flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- Fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
Make the slow cooked venison pie filling.
- Preheat the oven to 150C/ 300F/ GM 2. Divide the 60g of butter into 4.
- Cut the venison into small chunks and toss in the flour.
- Peel the onions and wipe the mushrooms clean. Chop larger vegetables in half.
- Melt ¼ of the butter in a casserole dish over a high heat and tip in ⅓ of the meat. Brown it all over, then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Repeat the above step twice more, using another ¼ of the butter and ⅓ of the meat each time until it is all browned.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add in the bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until browned & crispy. Remove it from the pan.
- Pour the red wine into the pan. It will bubble and reduce, but stir it to deglaze the pan.
- Add the venison, bacon, onion, mushrooms, salt, pepper, minced garlic, bay leaves and thyme along with the stock. Scrape in any leftover flour from the bowl the venison meat was toss in. Stir.
- Bring the contents of the casserole pot up to simmering point then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1½ hours, then stir and cook for a further 1½ hours. Test the venison at this point. It should be nicely tender. If not, cook for an extra 30 minutes.
- When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and spoon the pie filling into a large sieve suspended over a bowl to catch the gravy. Set aside to cool completely. (Once cold either use to fill the pie or refrigerate until ready to proceed.
Make the shortcrust pastry
- Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir briefly.
- Cube the butter, add it to the bowl and rub it into the flour using the tips of your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add half the water and stir with a blunt knife, until the dough just comes together, adding more water, little by little, as necessary. Aim for a soft, but not sticky dough. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Split it in half and form into two discs. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Assemble and bake the venison pie
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4 and slide a flat baking sheet into the oven as it heats up.
- Roll out one disc of pastry on a lightly floured worktop until approximately 2-3mm thick. Use it to line the base of your pie tin.
- Spoon the slow cooked venison into the pie dish and then dribble 1-2 tablespoons of the gravy over the meat.
- Roll out the remaining pastry and use to top the pie, lightly brushing the edge of the pastry base with water before laying the top sheet of pastry onto it. Press the edge of the pastry to seal the pie and trim the excess pastry with a blunt knife. Turn up the sides and crimp.
- Re-roll any off-cuts of pastry and use to decorate the pie (e.g. leaves, lettering etc…). Use a sharp knife to make a small cross in the centre of the pie to allow steam to escape during cooking.
- Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and bake for around 50 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
- Serve with a drizzle of the reserved gravy (warmed up).
Bradford
Quite possibly one of the best pies I have ever made an eaten. It sounded too simple, but it was so delicious. I substituted the thyme for juniper (I think juniper and venison is heaven).
I also thickened up the left over liquid with cornflour and it made an amazing gravy.
Jane Saunders
Thanks so much for your kind comment – I pulled the last pieces out of the freezer for last Friday for dinner before going on a long journey and it hit the spot! Glad you got on well with the swap to juniper. Always a great idea.