Bison Stew

Name: Bison Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 250 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds bison chuck roast (cut into 1-inch cubes); ¼ cup all-purpose flour; 1 ¼ teaspoons salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 2 cups fresh button mushrooms (cleaned and quartered); 2 cups yellow onions (sliced); 1 tablespoon garlic (minced); 1 cup vegetable broth; ½ cup red wine (or balsamic or red wine vinegar); 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves; fresh thyme leaves (to garnish (optional))

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This bison stew with red wine and mushrooms makes a hearty, low effort weeknight dinner. Preparation time is only 10 minutes, and tossing everything in the slow cooker allows you to go about your day while your meal cooks.

Bison stew with fresh thyme in a light-colored bowl, mashed potatoes and white flowers in the background.

It is a worthy alternative to a classic, beef-based St. Patrick’s day stew, so it is also a great option for any festivities that you may be hosting on that day.

The way the meat is slow cooked until tender turns out similar to my recipe for how to braise beef but the slow cooker makes it even easier!

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Ingredients
How to Make it
Tips & Tweaks
What to Serve with this Stew
Storage
FAQ
📋Recipe

Ingredients

bison chuck roast
all-purpose flour - the flour will help thicken the stew as it cooks in the crock-pot
yellow onions
garlic
vegetable broth
red wine - or you can substitute with balsamic or red wine vinegar if you don’t want to use wine
brown sugar
dried thyme leaves
fresh button mushrooms
Fresh thyme leaves - this is an optional garnish

*Check recipe card for full ingredient amounts.

How to Make it

Make this stew in 4 easy steps using only the slow cooker! No extra pans required.

Mix the cubed bison with the flour, salt and pepper in a slow cooker.
Add the mushrooms, onions, garlic, vegetable broth, red wine, brown sugar and dried thyme. Mix to combine.
Cover with the lid and cook on high heat for 4 hours or until the meat is tender.
Stir before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves and serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Tips & Tweaks

Bison stew with fresh thyme in a light-colored bowl, mashed potatoes and white flowers on the side.

To start, be sure to select a proper bison chuck roast for your dish. Bison is becoming a popular red meat option and is therefore relatively easy to find in most supermarket chains. Sometimes you can find chuck roast already cubed, labeled as ‘stew meat’, or you can simply cut up a chuck roast yourself.

If your local store does not have a bison roast, then you may consider checking out your local farmers' market as there is often at least one vendor that offers bison meat. Some local farmers may even offer a delivery option.

Keep in mind that many market vendors sell meat as frozen, so you may need to incorporate a couple days of thawing time into your meal planning. Thawing the packaged meat in a sink of cold water will help speed things up.

If you wish, you can sauté the mushrooms and onions in butter before adding them to the slow cooker but I personally like to keep this bison recipe quick and easy.

Bison stew and fresh thyme in a light-colored bowl with a fork.

Chuck roast is one of the most favorable cuts for making stew, but you could also get away with a rump roast, cross rib roast or boneless bison short ribs, depending on price and availability. Slow cooking these cuts of bison will almost always yield a tender and tasty meal!

What to Serve with this Stew

Some great sides to serve with this stew include mashed potatoes, rice, green salad and Irish soda bread. A cold glass of Guinness or a Guinness cocktail is also an excellent addition for those that are of age!

Storage

Cover and store any leftover stew in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Stew also freezes well for up to 3 months.

FAQ

What is the best way to cook bison?

It will depend on the cut of bison, but for chuck roast, low and slow is the best way to cook it for tender, juicy results.

How do you make bison meat tender?

For bison cuts that are tougher, you should be braising the meat, which requires cooking it at a lower heat for a longer period of time with some liquid.