Old Timber Outdoors
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Elk shoulder roast

Dutch Oven Braised Elk Roast with Root Vegetables

A shoulder roast browned, then braised low in red wine and stock until it pulls apart.

Serves
6
Hands-on
40 min
Total
4 hr 35 min
Skill
Some experience

Stove and oven · Dinner

Ingredients

  • 3 lbElk shoulder roast, shoulder roast
  • 3 tbspFlour
  • 2Onions, quartered
  • 4 clovesGarlic, smashed
  • 1 cupRed wine
  • 4Carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1½ lbYukon Gold potatoes, halved, or quartered if large
  • 3 tspSalt, kosher, divided
  • 1 tspBlack pepper, ground
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef or game stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar, to finish

You'll need

Dutch oven, Oven, Stovetop; instant-read thermometer if you have one.

Contains

Gluten.

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 300°F. Pat the roast dry, season it all over with 2¼ tsp of the salt and the pepper, and dust it lightly with the flour, patting off the extra.
  2. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the roast well on all sides, turning only when each side releases, about 10 to 12 minutes in all. Set it on a plate.
  3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until the paste darkens, about 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned bits, and boil until it is reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock, bay leaves and thyme, then return the roast and any juices. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat; add water if it does not.
  5. Cover and braise in the oven 2½ hours, turning the roast once halfway through.
  6. Toss the carrots and potatoes with the remaining ¾ tsp salt, tuck them into the liquid around the roast, cover, and braise until the vegetables are tender and the meat is fork-tender: a fork slides in and the meat pulls apart with little effort, 1 to 1½ hours more. A large or older animal's shoulder can take longer; if it is still firm, keep going.
  7. Rest the roast 15 minutes in the pot with the lid off. Remove the bay leaves, skim off any fat, and stir the vinegar into the liquid. Taste for salt, then slice or pull the meat across the grain and serve with the vegetables and plenty of the liquid.

When it's done: fork-tender

It is done when a fork slides in and the meat pulls apart with little effort. Tough cuts pass 160°F long before they turn tender, so keep going until they do; if it is still firm, it needs more time, not more heat.

If it goes wrong

Still tough
It needs more time, not more heat. Cover and keep braising, checking every 30 minutes.
Dry and stringy even though it is tender
The liquid was too low or the oven too hot. Keep the liquid halfway up, keep it at a bare simmer, and serve the meat in its juices.
Liquid cooking away
The lid is loose. Add stock to keep the liquid about halfway up the roast.
Thin gravy
Simmer the strained liquid uncovered on the stove until it thickens.

Leftovers. Refrigerate within 2 hours. Store the meat in its liquid so it stays moist, and reheat leftovers to 165°F.