Recipe of the Month

by Duane Radford

Braised Moose Roast

● 5-pound sirloin tip moose roast
● 2 tablespoons butter
● 3 carrots (peeled and chopped)
● 2 stalks celery (diced)
● 3-4 potatoes (peeled and quartered)
● 2 tablespoons prepared garlic
● 1 tablespoon anise seeds
● 1 teaspoon black pepper
● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
● 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
● 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
● 1 tablespoon parsley (dried)
● 2 cups medium/full bodied red wine (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot)
● 28 ounce can whole tomatoes

A recipe for “Slow-Cooked Alberta Bison on the Silk Road” from the Eat Alberta First recipe book by Karen Anderson (2023) is the inspiration for this Braised Moose Roast. The recipe in this cookbook called for cooking a bison roast in a slow cooker. However, my sirloin tip moose roast was too large for my slow cooker. I decided to make a pot roast in an oven, using similar ingredients and seasonings. This recipe works for all manner of venison—deer, elk and moose.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Wash the roast under cold tap water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Melt the butter in an oven roaster, adding the garlic after it melts (stir well). Slowly braise the roast on all sides and ends.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the roaster with a wooden spoon to get the brown bits off the bottom.
6. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes to the oven roaster. Steam the veggies for 10 minutes.
7. Add the anise seeds, black pepper, ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice and parsley. Stir the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
8. Add the canned whole tomatoes and bring to a boil.
9. Put the lid on the roaster after sealing its top with aluminum foil. Cook the roast in your oven for 2 hours. Wild game is lean so it’s best cooked slowly and with moisture.
10. Remove the roast from the roaster and let is set up on a carving board for about 5 minutes before carving it.
11. Scoop the vegetables from the roaster with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl.
12. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to some flour to make a paste, stir well. Add the paste to the sauce in the roaster to make a gravy. Carve the meat and pour gravy over it for added flavour when served.

Enjoy the oven roasted venison and vegetables with a garden salad featuring a home-made vinaigrette dressing with the following ingredients: 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (vary the oil to taste), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste); 1 teaspoon oregano; 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar. If you want to embolden the salad, add some capers and thinly sliced red onion along with Parmesan cheese on the lettuce.