Sous Vide Venison

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Enjoy perfectly tender and moist venison with this Sous Vide Venison recipe! It’s cooked to medium-rare and slow cooked in a delicious red wine broth seasoned with fresh thyme and juniper berries! Serve it with your favorite veggies for a delicious family dinner!

As venison is usually a treat in our house, we like to make sure it’s cooked just the way we like it. And what better way to guarantee this than with the sous vide?!

Overhead view of sous vide venison cut into slices on a wooden board.

Venison loin is a lean cut of meat, so it can easily overcook and dry out when using more traditional cooking methods.

It’s also best enjoyed rare or medium-rare, so achieving this can be difficult if you don’t watch your venison carefully.

The controlled temperature of the sous vide water bath takes the guesswork out of cooking venison. Just set the temperature of the water bath, and tender and juicy medium-rare venison couldn’t be easier!

We love to serve venison with creamy garlic mashed potatoes, Instant Pot carrots and Instant Pot Brussels sprouts. It’s simple enough for a weeknight dinner and special enough for date night or a dinner party!

Check out the sous vide venison web story!

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

Other sous vide recipes

What is venison?

The term venison is normally used to refer to deer meat, although it has also been used to refer to large game animals in general.

You will likely not find venison at your local grocery store. If you’re not a hunter, you can find it online, at a specialty store or at your local butcher.

Why this recipe works

As venison is lean, it can easily be overcooked so it’s well suited to the sous vide cooking method. Just by setting the water bath to a specific temperature, you can avoid dried out venison and achieve your desired level of doneness!
Using the sous vide is a hands off way to prepare venison compared to more traditional methods. You don’t need to keep a close eye on it to prevent it from overcooking. And, while it cooks, you have plenty of time to prepare your favorite side dishes.
You don’t need to add a lot of fat to keep this lean cut of meat tender. Just two tablespoons of butter will do the trick. As the venison cooks in a sealed bag, it absorbs its own juices and the flavor of the seasonings so it stays moist and juicy!

Ingredients

The following are some of the key ingredients to make sous vide venison. Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need 1 ½ to 2 pounds of venison loin for this recipe. This is the most tender part of the deer and is our preferred cut of venison to cook.

To make up the cooking liquid, you’ll need red wine, brandy and chicken or beef stock.

For the red wine, I like to use a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. If you’d like to leave out the alcohol, try replacing it with cranberry juice or more broth.

If you don’t have brandy, you can substitute rum, whiskey, more wine, or even apple juice or white grape juice.

For the broth, you can use store-bought or homemade like this crockpot chicken broth or slow cooker beef bone broth.

To season the venison, you’ll need 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and 1 teaspoon of juniper berries (crushed).

Juniper berries are great for flavoring rich cuts of meat. They are seed cones that have a strong pine and spice flavor and look similar to blueberries. If you can’t find any, try substituting with fresh rosemary or caraway seeds.

Step by step instructions

Rub the salt all over the venison loin and place in the fridge, uncovered, overnight or for 8 hours.

Heat a sous vide water bath to 131F degrees.

Place the venison in a vacuum seal bag with all the remaining ingredients (except the avocado oil).

Venison loin and other ingredients sealed in a sealable bag for the sous vide.

Vacuum seal and cook in the water bath for 6 hours.

Side view of venison in a sealed bag in the sous vide water bath.

Remove and take the venison out of the bag, reserving the bag juice.

Simmer the bag juice in a pan (add extra stock if too thin or salty) for 3-5 minutes.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add the avocado oil.

Sear the venison on all sides for about 30 seconds per side, until a brown crust has formed. **Be careful not to sear too long or your venison will overcook!

Remove and let sit for 3-5 minutes (until cool enough to slice).

Slice and serve drizzled with the bag juice.

Expert tips

For the best results, let the salted venison sit in the fridge uncovered overnight. This helps it tenderize and seals in the juices.
Be sure to seal the vacuum seal or ziplock bag properly to remove the air and avoid bacteria entering the bag.
If air gets in the bag while the venison loin is cooking, open the sealable bag or ziplock bag, remove the air and seal it again.
The bag should be fully submerged in the water bath so the venison cooks evenly and safely. To prevent the bag from floating, you can use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight.
For a good crust, once the venison comes out of the water bath, pat it dry with paper towels before searing it.
For searing, make sure you use avocado oil or another oil with a high smoke point.
If the bag juice is too thick or too salty, you can add more broth or even water.
When it comes to broth, I like to use low sodium or homemade broth so I can control the saltiness of the venison. You can always add more salt to taste.

Overhead view of cooked and sliced venison loin on a wooden board.

Common questions

What temperature should you sous vide venison?

For medium-rare venison, you’ll want to set the temperature of your sous vide water bath to 131F degrees. For rare, you should set it to 125F degrees and for medium, anywhere between 135-145F degrees works. I don’t recommend cooking venison above 145F degrees as it will start to dry out.

How long does it take to sous vide venison loin?

At 131F degrees, venison will take about 6 hours to cook in the sous vide water bath.

Do you need to salt the venison and let it sit in the fridge overnight before cooking?

I recommend doing this as this helps tenderize the lean venison and seal in the juices.

Do you need to sear the venison before serving?

Yes, searing it on all sides at the end will help create a delicious brown crust.

Can you sous vide venison from frozen?

If you only have frozen venison, I suggest defrosting it first. This is because we’re salting it and letting it air dry in the fridge overnight.

Can you overcook venison using the sous vide?

It’s difficult to overcook any cut of meat using the sous vide method. If you leave the venison in the water bath a few hours past the recommended cooking time, the venison will start to break down and get mushy.

Close up view of sous vide venison cut into slices on a wooden board.

Make ahead instructions

You can sous vide venison in advance and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

To do this, once the venison comes out of the water bath, immediately chill it in an ice bath to quickly bring down the temperature. Once cooled, keep the bag sealed and store in the fridge.

When ready to enjoy, place the bag in a 131F degree water bath and heat the venison until warmed through. Then, follow the recipe to sear the venison and simmer the bag juice.

What to serve with venison

There are so many delicious side dishes to go with venison. Here are a few to try:

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!