Venison-French Dip Sandwich

I know that not everyone eats deer and elk meat but where I am from most of us do.  In fact I cook with it at least once a week (if we are lucky enough to draw tags and get one).  As a young stay at home mom with a limited budget and a freezer full of meat I needed to find a lot of ways to cook venison, it was a necessity!

In honor of the recent hunting season and the fact that I have some in the freezer...I will be posting a few recipes with venison for those out there who want to try making it someway other than fried (although it is amazing).  I like cooking with deer/elk meat for a number of reasons, first of all it is in the freezer (no shopping needed), it is a VERY lean meat and if cooked correctly it is scrumptious.

My first recipe is a crock pot French Dip.  It is so stinking easy!  The thing I love the most about it (other than the fact that it is ready when you walk in the door after a long day) is that the leftovers can be made into wonderful Second Time Around recipes.  Just wait and tune in to see what I make with the extra meat!!

For this recipe I used a Hind Quarter Roast.  It is going to cook all day and so it will be tender...I promise you!!  Now for the hard part (sarcasm).  Take the roast and season the outside with a liberal amount of kosher salt and pepper, be sure to really rub it into the meat.  After you have it seasoned you could brown it on the stove or do like I do and just pop it in the crock pot.  Browning it will give another layer of flavor but lets be honest at 7:00 in the morning between running one child to school and drying my hair...I don't have time.  It will taste great either way.  Then to the crock pot I add a package of Onion Soup Mix and a 32 oz. box of beef broth, set the crock pot on low and walk away...all day. 

When you get home the house will smell wonderful and dinner is nearly ready.  To serve I preheat the oven to 375° and use two forks to shred the meat...

Once the meat is ready I then open my rolls on a cookie sheet.  I spread a thin layer of mayonaise on one side of the bun and sprinkle it with garlic salt.  To the other side of the bun I add a generous amount of meat and a slice cheese (I used provolone but you can use whatever your family likes).

Now it is time to pop it into the oven.  This won't take a lot of time, we are just melting cheese and toasting bread here, so be sure to keep an eye on it.  Remove sandwiches from oven when ready, cut in half and serve with some of the au ju remaining in the crock pot for dip.  Raise your sandwich, toast to your family and eat!

See I told you that was easy and I promise you that it will be a go to meal.  One could definitely substitute a beef roast in place of the deer/elk.  Just remember the best is yet to come...don't forget to store the leftover meat because the Second Time Around recipe is even better than the first.  Sweet dishes-J