Today, my dogs are eating venison. It sounds like a luxury, right? And it is, for them. But not in the way you might think. This is venison taken from bones that would otherwise have been discarded. Their luxury is another man’s waste.

In the traditional game season, when restaurants are serving dishes of wild boar and venison, these bones are relatively easy to come by, either free or at a relatively low price point. Venison broth is an absolute favourite, for use in stews and sloppy Joes, or a ladleful to add depth to a simple chicken meal and even, if any meat can be rescued from appreciative dogs who know how to get their way, for use in venison and mushroom treats!

Nutritional aspects

Venison broth combines collagen-rich joints and connective tissue with any residual meat left on the bones. Slow cooking converts collagen into gelatin, supplying collagen-associated amino acids, particularly glycine and proline, which contribute to the normal maintenance of connective tissues. A 2024 analysis of deer-bone extract identified 16 amino acids, with glycine, alanine and proline present in the greatest amounts. Residual meat broadens the amino-acid profile further and adds flavour.

Venison meat itself is relatively lean, but the broth may not be. Red-deer marrow contains substantial fat, with oleic acid identified as the predominant fatty acid in one study, although both total fat and fatty-acid composition varied considerably between animals. This means the richness of the finished broth will depend heavily on the bones and tissues used.

Venison also adds a less mainstream animal source to the rotation. In one direct comparison, red-deer meat contained considerably less crude fat than beef and a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including substantially more omega-3. However, this is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), like the omega-3 found in seeds and nuts, which requires conversion to EPA and DHA. As canine bodies are not terribly efficient at this conversion, they still need the omega-3 found in marine sources.

Tips:

  • Preparation: Like beef, venison requires a long simmer.
  • Fat: The meat may be lean, but marrow fat can be substantial and varies considerably between animals (see photo below).
  • Best use: Introducing a less common animal source and making economical use of valuable bones and trimmings.
  • Limitation: Direct research into venison broth is limited and the finished richness is difficult to predict.

For more information, see the broths comparison post.

*****

Ingredients

Deer bones (here, roe deer)
Apple cider vinegar
Water

Method

     

Put bones in slow cooker, leave enough room to the top. Add water to cover and a dash of apple cider vinegar.

Leave in the slow cooker for around 12 hours on low. Turn the cooker off, if possible leave bones in cooker until cool.

     

The residual meat should fall off the bones. Like this!

     

This recipe gave me 1.2 kg of meat and some connective tissue, which will be eaten and used in this week’s treats recipe. While still warm/tepid, this broth can be ladled over a chicken meal for added yum factor.

   

It also gave me almost 6 litres of broth, which is now being used (above) for a chicken and vegetable recipe.

This photo is also a useful end-point for the venison broth: a set, gelatin-rich base with some residual meat, ready to become the cooking liquid for the next meal rather than always a finished product in isolation. It also demonstrates the practical point that venison broth can be quite rich, despite the leanness of the meat.

*****

IN THE BOWL

     

 

References:

[1] Steiner-Bogdaszewska, Ż., Tajchman, K., Domaradzki, P., & Florek, M. (2022). Composition of Fatty Acids in Bone Marrow of Red Deer from Various Ecosystems and Different Categories. Molecules, 27(8), 2511. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27082511

[2] Bureš D, Bartoň L, Kotrba R, Hakl J. Quality attributes and composition of meat from red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama) and Aberdeen Angus and Holstein cattle (Bos taurus). J Sci Food Agric. 2015 Aug 30;95(11):2299-306. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.6950. Epub 2014 Nov 10. PMID: 25298298.

[3] Li Y, Ma J, Jiang Y, Xing Y, He Z, Chen W, Zhao Y, Geng J, Zong Y, Du R. Quantitative Analysis of Deer Bone Hydroethanolic Extract Using Label-Free Proteomics: Investigating Its Safety and Promoting Effect on Mouse Embryonic Osteoblastic Progenitor Cell Proliferation. Nutrients. 2024 Nov 6;16(22):3807. doi: 10.3390/nu16223807. PMID: 39599594; PMCID: PMC11597076.

 

Important Considerations:

  • Always consult your veterinarian before making any significant dietary changes, particularly where there are pre-existing health conditions or dietary restrictions.
  • If you are feeding commercial food, check the label for ingredients before giving more. Excessive intake of any foods can have adverse effects.
  • Ensure (where possible) that you use high-quality, organic products specifically formulated for pets (or better still, human grade ingredients) to avoid any potential adverse effects.
  • Introduce new foods gradually to avoid adverse effects such as gastrointestinal upset or diarrhoea.
  • I provide nutritional information purely as a helpful guide. Nutritional information on ingredients is obtained from the US Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central site (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html) and any nutritional information provided in recipes is based on an online calculator: calories and other information will vary based on brands, ingredients and other factors.
  • Check nutrient levels and recommendations for your dog’s weight, age and activity. For example, this nutritional guideline produced by FEDIAF.
  • I am not a professional canine nutritionist, but supporting research is cited.
  • The recipes shared were created by me and tested in my kitchen – and tasted and approved by our doggy friends!