Venison Round Steak Vegetable Barley Soup 

Fall has settled in up here in northern Minnesota, and it is officially my favorite time of year! As much as I love being at our family cabin and out on our boat in the summer, fall and winter are the seasons I have the time to do activities I love: baking, crocheting, snowshoeing, bonfires, skiing, sledding, skating, snowmobiling, walking on crunchy leaves, ice fishing, and hunting. It is also time to break out the cozy, warming, and comforting recipes! 

Fall is hunting season in our area, and we still have venison from last season’s hunt to use up before refilling our freezer. I am always finding new ways to use deer meat in place of beef cuts in our recipes, and our whole family really enjoys it! We had a particularly chilly and rainy day last week, so I decided soup and homemade bread were in order. While digging in our freezer, I realized we still had quite a bit of venison round steak cuts to use up, so I decided to thaw a couple of packages of those to use in some soup. (You could substitute beef or chicken easily in this recipe if that is your preference!) All I needed was some broth, barley, and vegetables, and dinner ingredients were assembled. 

How to Make Venison Vegetable Barley Soup 

Gather your ingredients: bottom round steak, frozen or fresh vegetables, barley, and broth – and don’t forget the herbs and spices. You can customize this recipe a few different ways: use a different steak cut or ground meat; use any vegetables you have in your fridge or freezer; use your preferred type of broth. There are so many possibilities! I used our venison bottom round steak, organic pearl barley from Azure Standard, organic beef broth and homemade turkey broth; frozen green beans from our garden and frozen peas and carrots; onions, garlic, and seasonings from our garden. 

Thaw your meat and marinate in your preferred marinade (optional step, but I always marinate venison before cooking – see Easy Venison Marinades: Enhance Your Wild Game Cooking for details) for at least an hour, up to 12 hours. When ready to cook, heat about two tablespoons of avocado oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Cut up the venison in bit-sized pieces and add to your pot. Sprinkle meat with ¼ cup of flour, one teaspoon garlic powder, one teaspoon onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to medium, and cook while stirring occasionally until all sides are browed. Add about 6 cups of broth, stirring and scraping the meat from the bottom of the pot. Add in minced garlic and onions, three cups of vegetables (if using fresh, you will need to sauté them a bit first), two teaspoons each of dried oregano and dried thyme, and one teaspoon dried parsley. Pour in one cup of pearl barley. Sprinkle salt and pepper (or any other desired seasonings) to taste. Stir together, and cook to a simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and barley is cooked. Serve with rolls or bread. 

Can I Make Venison Vegetable Barley Soup in a Slow Cooker? 

Yes! Sauté the venison as stated, then add to your slow cooker (or sauté in the slow cooker if you have that function). Follow the directions as stated above. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Can I Freeze Venison Vegetable Barley Soup? 

No, I do not recommend freezing this soup. I tried freezing a barley soup once, and the texture and consistency of the barley grains was basically dissolved mush. If you would like to make this soup as a freezer meal, you could cook as directed, but leave out the barley until you are ready to thaw, heat, and serve it. Cook it separately, then add to your soup while it heats up.  

Venison Vegetable Barley Soup 

Serves 4-6 people 

Ingredients 

• 2 lbs. Venison bottom round steak 

• 2 Tbsp Avocado oil 

• ¼ cup All-purpose flour 

• 1 tsp garlic powder 

• 1 tsp onion powder 

• Salt and Pepper 

• 6 cups of beef broth 

• 1 small onion, diced 

• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced 

• 3 cups frozen vegetables

• 2 tsp Oregano, dried 

• 2 tsp Thyme, dried 

• 1 tsp Parsley, dried 

• 1 cup Pearl Barley 

Directions 

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a soup pot. 

2. Cut venison into bite-sized pieces; add to pot. Turn heat down to medium. 

3. Pour broth into pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot. 

4. Add in minced onion and garlic. 

5. Add in frozen vegetables. 

6. Sprinkle the oregano, thyme, and parsley into the soup. 

7. Add the pearl barley to the pot. 

8. Salt and pepper to taste. 

9. Stir the soup mixture and heat to a simmer. Simmer on the stove for 35-45 minutes, until vegetables are soft and barley is cooked. 

10. Serve with your favorite bread and enjoy!