This authentic German venison goulash (Hirschgulasch) isn't difficult to make at home, it just needs patience. After a cold walk through the Harz forests, you open the door to the smell of red wine, juniper, and cranberry sauce (affiliate link) warming on the stove. That's Hirschgulasch.
Unlike the quick American version made with ground meat and pasta, this traditional German venison goulash uses cubed deer meat that braises low and slow for 3 hours until it's so tender. It falls apart at the touch of your fork, creating a rich, wine-dark sauce that begs to be soaked up with fluffy potato dumplings and balanced with tangy red cabbage.
It is also a popular German Christmas food. If you find duck and goose too fatty but turkey to dry then this is a great alternative. Goulash is very popular in Germany but replacing beef with deer adds a bit of festive flair to this dish.
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What is Venison Goulash?
Venison goulash is Germany's elegant answer to traditional beef goulash: a hearty deer stew that's slow-braised until the meat becomes fall-apart tender. While beef goulash is an everyday comfort food, venison goulash (Hirschgulasch) is what Germans make when they want something a bit more special, particularly during autumn and winter when wild game is at its peak.
In Germany, venison season runs from August to January, which is why you'll find Hirschgulasch on cozy restaurant menus and Sunday dinner tables throughout the colder months. Most German venison comes from sustainable hunting rather than farms. These are wild deer that have fed on forest berries, acorns, and chestnuts, giving the meat a distinctively rich, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with red wine and sweet-tart cranberry sauce (affiliate link).
How do you say venison goulash in German?
The German term is Hirschgulasch (pronounced "HERE-SHHH-GUL-AHSH"). "Hirsch" means deer, and "Gulasch" means goulash. So if you see Hirschgulasch on a menu in Bavaria or Austria, you're in for a treat. This is authentic German game cooking at its finest.
The term venison comes from the Latin word "venatus" which means "to hunt" It is used to describe meat from any kind of meat. Originally it referred to any game meat, but now the use is restricted to game.
Venison has a similar consistency to beef, however, it has a stronger and earthier taste.
Venison meat contains less fat than beef and is high in protein. A further benefit of venison is that it has a high amount of vitamin B, iron, zinc and selenium.
How to make Venison Goulash
Ingredients:
For the detailed instructions and exact measurements, please jump to the printable recipe card
The star of this dish is venison meat cut into 2cm chunks-you can use meat from any kind of deer for this stew. For the vegetables, you'll need onions, carrots cut into chunks, and mushrooms (I used champignons, but any variety works beautifully). The aromatic foundation comes from crushed juniper berries (affiliate link), fresh thyme, bay leaves, and cloves, which give Hirschgulasch its distinctive German forest flavor. For the braising liquid, gather dry red wine, venison stock or beef broth, and a splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar to add depth. You'll also need tomato paste for richness and cranberry sauce (affiliate link) for that signature sweet-tart finish. Finally, clarified butter (or substitute with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus 1 tablespoon butter for the buttery taste) browns the meat perfectly, and salt and pepper season everything to perfection.
Recipe Steps:
Step 1: Brown the Venison Pat the venison chunks completely dry with paper towels, then sear them in clarified butter over medium-high heat until golden brown on all sides. This creates the deep, caramelized flavor that makes goulash special. Remove the meat and set aside while you build the flavor base.
Step 2: Sauté Vegetables & Add Tomato Paste In the same pot, cook the onions, carrots, and mushrooms until the onions turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute until fragrant. Pour in the red wine and stock, scraping up all those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 3: Add Spices, Cranberry Sauce (affiliate link) & Braise Return the browned venison to the pot along with your spice bundle (juniper berries (affiliate link), bay leaves, thyme, cloves), cranberry sauce (affiliate link), and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid, and let it simmer gently on low heat for 2½ to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The venison should become so tender it falls apart at the touch of a fork.
Recipe Variations:
Slow cooker/crock pot venison stew
To make this recipe in a slow cooker (affiliate link) or crockpot (affiliate link), simply follow the recipe until step 5. Then place everything into the slow cooker (affiliate link) and leave to cook for 6-8 hours on slow heat.
Replace Venison with Beef
You can replace the venison with beef in this recipe. The cooking time will reduce to about 1 ½ hours. The flavour will not be the same as venison has a more gamey taste to it.
How to serve?
Anything that soaks up sauce goes well with venison goulash. Perfect side dishes for this stew are:
- Semmelknödel (German bread dumplings)
- German potato dumplings (kartoffelklöße/knödel)
- German spätzle
- Noodles
Vegetable side dishes that go well with venison include:
- German red cabbage
- Butter vegetables
- Braised cabbage
- Boiled broccoli or cauliflower
Storage Instructions
Like many stews, this dish might taste even better the next day, when the flavours have time to infuse. The goulash will stay good in the fridge for up to four days when kept in an airtight container. Simply reheat in the stove or microwave.
If you want to freeze this deer stew, it will stay good for up to three months.
More Goulash Recipes?
More Delicious German Main Courses
- Königsberger Klopse
- Käsespätzle- German cheese spätzle
- Frikadellen - German Meatballs
- Wiener Schnitzel
- Turkey Schnitzel
- Chanterelle Pasta
Have you made this recipe?
I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a rating and comment below.
You'll help fellow readers enjoy it too and help me spread the word about German cuisine. - Marita x
Recipe
Flavourful Venison Goulash (Hirschgulasch)
Equipment
- a large pot at least 5 l
Ingredients
For the Stew
- 1 kg (2 lb) venison meat cut into 2 cm (¾-inch) chunks
- 3 tablespoon clarified butter if that is not available use 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon butter for the buttery taste
- 200 g (7 oz) onions
- 200 g (7 oz) carrots
- 200 g (7 oz) mushrooms I use champignons (button mushrooms), but any variety works
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
Spices
- 6 juniper berries
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- Fresh thyme sprigs can be replaced with 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Liquids
- 200 ml (1 cup) dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar can be replaced with balsamic vinegar
- 500 ml (2 cups) venison stock/broth if not available then replace with beef stock /broth
- 4 tablespoons cranberry sauce (affiliate link) more for serving
Instructions
- Pat the venison chunks completely dry with paper towels (this helps them brown properly). Finely slice the onions and roughly chop the carrots and mushrooms into similar-sized pieces.
- Crush the juniper berries (affiliate link) using a pestle and mortar or the back of a heavy spoon. Bundle them with the thyme, cloves, and bay leaves in a spice bag or loose tea bag for easy removal later. (You can also add them loose and fish them out before serving.)
- Heat the clarified butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, brown the venison on all sides for about 2 minutes total. Don't overcrowd the pan! Remove the browned meat to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Sauté until the onions begin to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute until fragrant. Pour in the red wine and stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Return the venison to the pot along with the spice bundle, cranberry sauce (affiliate link), and vinegar. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to low.
- Let the goulash cook gently for 2½ to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The venison should become so tender it nearly falls apart when pressed with a fork. Check the liquid level periodically-if it's reducing too quickly, add a splash of stock or water.
- After 3 hours, taste and adjust seasoning. If the sauce is too thin, mix 2 tablespoons cornflour with 2 tablespoons cold water to make a slurry. Stir it into the goulash and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. If it's too thick, simply add more broth.
- Remove the spice bundle. Serve the venison goulash in deep bowls with extra cranberry sauce (affiliate link) on the side.
To make vension stew in a slow cooker / crockpot
- Follow steps 1-4 on the stovetop to brown the meat and build the flavor base. Transfer everything to your slow cooker (affiliate link), cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the venison is fall-apart tender.
Notes
Side dishes
- Semmelknodel (German Bread Dumplings)
- German Potato Dumplings ( Kartoffelklöße/knödel)
- German Spätzle
- Noodles
- German red cabbage
- Butter vegetables
- braised cabbage
- boiled broccoli or cauliflower
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
I buy game meat rarely because I don't really know what to make with it. Your goulash is a perfect idea, and I would love it with potato dumplings!
Joanna says
Sounds absolutely delicious especially this time of the year. I love the addition of juniper berries. They must make the stew super flavorful!
Jeannie says
I never tried this recipe before but some family members likes venison and we will give this a try.
nancy says
i never cooked deer before this looks very interesting!
Giangi Townsend says
Absolutely love this recipe! I miss my mom making it and each time I travel to Germany, without fail I always order it if on the menu.
Thank you for sharing it .
Frau Dietz (Eating Wiesbaden) says
I bet the cranberry sauce was delicious with it... I'm having it with EVERYTHING at the moment!
Ginger says
Looking delish - never heard of it before! Hope you get your kitchen soon, perhaps Santa will help 😉