Roast Venison Haunch Recipe with Cooking Times per Kg

Roast venison haunch is a boned, rolled back leg of deer rubbed with juniper and pepper, then topped with streaky bacon and served with quince. So a 2kg joint feeds at least 8 people at about 440 calories a serving, and I allow just over 2 hours for medium-rare.

It starts with 20 minutes at 220°C, then roasts at a lower heat for set minutes per 500g, depending on how pink you like it. And quince cheese goes into the reduced gravy at the very end, which gives the pan juices a fruity sweetness.

Venison has very little fat, which is why six stretched rashers of streaky bacon go over the top before it roasts. Then the joint rests under foil while the gravy and quinces cook, so the juices settle back into the meat before you carve.

Roast Venison Haunch Recipe with Cooking Times per Kg

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Roasting Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time:1 hour 40 minutesRest time: 15 minutesTotal time:2 hours 10 minutesServings:8 servingsCalories:440 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

A juniper and peppercorn crust goes on first, then bacon over the top for a hot start before the oven drops to finish it gently. While it rests, wine, stock and membrillo make a glossy gravy, and poached quince wedges are fried in butter with sage. And it’s adapted from Meat Feasts by Si King and Dave Myers.

Ingredients

For the venison

• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp flaked sea salt, plus extra to season
• 2kg venison haunch, boned and rolled
• 6 thick slices of unsmoked streaky bacon, stretched

For the quinces (optional)

• 2 quinces, peeled and cut into wedges
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 15g butter
• a few sage leaves

For the gravy

• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 100ml white wine
• 200ml beef or chicken stock
• 15g quince cheese (membrillo)
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Poach the quinces: If you’re using fresh quinces, simmer the wedges with the lemon juice and honey in just enough water to cover for 25 to 30 minutes. Once tender, strain them, keeping the syrupy liquid, and set both aside.
2. Season the venison: Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7, then crush the juniper berries and peppercorns and mix with ½ teaspoon of salt. Rub the mixture all over the venison.
3. Roast: Lay the stretched bacon over the top of the joint and roast it in a tin for 20 minutes. Then lower the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3 and roast for 10 minutes per 500g for rare, 12 for medium-rare or 15 for medium.
4. Rest: Lift the venison out of the tin, cover it with foil and leave it to rest. Meanwhile, pour the juices from the tin into a jug and keep them for the gravy.
5. Make the gravy: Set the tin over a medium heat, stir in the flour and scrape up the browned bits, then add the wine and bubble until halved. Tip it into a small pan with the tin and resting juices, the stock and a ladle of quince syrup if you have it. Then simmer until syrupy, stir in the quince cheese and season with salt and pepper.
6. Fry the quinces and serve: If using quinces, fry the wedges in the butter with black pepper and the sage until golden and crisp at the edges. Then carve the venison and serve with the quinces and gravy.

FAQs

How long do you roast a venison haunch per kg?

After the first 20 minutes at 220°C, allow 20 minutes per kilo for rare, 24 for medium-rare and 30 for medium at 160°C. So a 2kg joint needs 60, 68 or 80 minutes in total, while a 1.5kg joint needs 50, 56 or 65.

And a haunch is so lean that I’d pick the shorter time if unsure, since a few extra minutes take it from rosy to dry.

What part of the deer is the haunch?

The haunch is simply the back leg, the same part a leg of lamb comes from. So ask your butcher to bone and roll it for you, because a rolled joint is far easier to carve into neat slices.

Can you roast a venison haunch on the bone?

You can, but the timings on this page are for a boned and rolled joint, and I don’t have reliable bone-in timings to give you. So I’d have the butcher take the bone out, and keep it for a future batch of stock.

How much venison haunch per person?

A 2kg boned joint feeds at least 8, which works out at about 250g of raw meat each. And alongside it I’d serve creamy dauphinoise potatoes, scaled up by half for 8, plus red cabbage braised in cider.

Can you slow cook venison haunch?

I wouldn’t slow cook a whole haunch, since such lean meat is at its best roasted pink. But leg or shoulder cut into chunks is different, and this venison and ale cobbler braises a kilo of it for nearly two hours.