Deer meat, also called venison, is so lean that it can, despite your best efforts, easily become dry. It can also carry a wild, “gamy” taste that may cause you to think twice before serving it as a family meal. One way to counteract both of these potential problems is to cook deer meat in your crockpot, using a flavorful onion soup mix as a seasoning ingredient. Careful attention to additional crockpot ingredients can preserve the health benefits of this low-fat meat while making it more palatable.

Trim away every bit of visible fat from the deer meat. This is one of the most important steps you can take to reduce or eliminate the gamy taste deer meat can have, as fat is a major source of the taste.

Cut the deer meat according to how you intend to use it. Deer meat with onion soup mix is good whether you leave the meat whole and prepare it as a venison roast, slice it, or cut it into strips or cubes for stew or soup.

Add the meat, whole or cut up, to your crockpot. A 3-lb. venison roast will fit nicely in an average size 5-qt. crockpot, as will 1-1/2 to 2 lbs. of sliced or cubed meat for soup or stew.

Add vegetables. Vary the size and cut of vegetables according to whether you are preparing a roast or liquid-based soup or stew. For a roast, consider leaving potatoes and baby carrots whole, cutting onions into quarters, and chopping celery. Chop the vegetables you add to soups and stews, leaving stew vegetables on the larger side while chopping soup vegetables smaller.

Mix a package of onion soup mix with water or beef broth and pour it into the crockpot. Start with about 1 cup of liquid for a roast and 2 to 2-1/2 cups for soup or stew. As the meat cooks, add additional liquid according to your preference.

Set your crockpot to a low heat setting and let it cook a minimum of five to six hours. Cook it all day if you can.

Transfer a roast from the crockpot to a serving platter by placing a large spatula underneath the roast and a fork on top to steady it. Let the roast sit for about five minutes before cutting.