Wild Game Recipes: BBQ Deer Roast

How many ways can you prepare and eat the delicious deer meat you bring home every season? There are lots of ways, but today, we share a favorite barbecue deer roast recipe we found from Backwoods Bound. 

We'll also talk about how to stay safe on a deer hunt so you can enjoy more venison season after season. 

Why We Love Hunting (and Eating) Deer

As responsible hunters, it's crucial to understand why we hunt deer. Aside from the tasty meat that fills our freezers, hunting is an important part of wildlife and land conservation. It's also a long-standing tradition of sustainable food sourcing, started decades (and decades) ago when hunting was the only means of providing meat for families. 

In some parts of the country, deer hunting also helps maintain forests. When an area has too many deer, forests degrade because deer eat leaves, tree saplings, and seedlings. 

So, hunters not only responsibly feed their families but also help protect the lands they hunt. 

Wild Game Recipes: BBQ Deer Roast 

If you hunt deer, you know there's nothing like a tasty barbecue after a long hunt. Next time you have some venison ready to eat, try this easy recipe to change up your typical deer feasts.

Prep time: 5 minutes 

Cook time: 6 hours (in slow cooker)

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless venison roast
• 4 bay leaves
• Liquid smoke
• Water
• 1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

Place the roast in your slow cooker, then add bay leaves and water to cover the meat. Cook on low for six hours (or until tender).

Next, remove the meat and discard the water and bay leaves. Shred the meat and put it back in the slow cooker. Add your barbecue sauce and liquid smoke to taste, then stir everything together. Cook on medium until heated through. Stir occasionally.

Serve your BBQ meat alone or on buns. Enjoy!

Prioritize Safety When Hunting Deer This Season

Before you can enjoy this delicious recipe for deer meat, you have to return safely from the field with your harvested animal. Safety must always be a priority when hunting!

Hunter-Ed wants everyone to stay safe in the field so they can enjoy more hunting seasons and more delicious ways to cook wild game. Through our convenient, online, state-approved courses, hunters learn what to wear in the field to be seen by other hunters, how to avoid target fixation, and how to field dress an animal to bring it home to feed the family. 

So, as you plan your next hunt (and meals), make sure you're safety certified. Find the Hunter-Ed course for your state, take the course and pass your exam, then hunt safely this season!

Originally published December 1, 2015. Content updated October 19, 2023.