Dutch Oven Venison and Root Vegetables
A whole tenderloin with potatoes and vegetables braised in canned soup. The hunting camp dinner for feeding a crew.
- calories
- 1300
- weight
- 28 oz
- cal / oz
- 46
- protein
- 45 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 480 min
- total time
- 500 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Real dishes
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Venison tenderloin | 1 whole (2.5–3 lbs) | trim away the thin silver membrane; beef tenderloin works if venison is unavailable |
|---|---|---|
| Red-skinned potatoes | 5 lbs | leave whole or halve if very large; they'll soften into the braising liquid |
| Baby carrots | 1 large bag (1.5–2 lbs) | |
| Vidalia or sweet onion | 1 large | quarter it |
| Green bell peppers | 2 medium | chop into rough chunks |
| Canned cream of mushroom soup | 2 cans (10.5 oz each) | undiluted; pour straight from the can |
| Canned cream of celery soup | 2 cans (10.5 oz each) | undiluted; pour straight from the can |
| Oil or cooking spray | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Oil the inside of a 6-quart Dutch oven or larger.
- Place the whole tenderloin flat on the bottom.
- Arrange the potatoes, carrots, onion quarters, and pepper chunks around and over the loin.
- Pour both cans of mushroom soup over everything, then both cans of celery soup. Do not add water.
- Cover the pot with its lid.
- Set the Dutch oven on a grate over a fire so that coals can be positioned underneath and piled on top of the lid. Aim for low, indirect heat from all sides—imagine a 200°F oven.
- Cook for 8 hours. Rotate the pot and lid every 1 to 2 hours to ensure even heating. Stir the vegetables and turn the meat once or twice.
- The tenderloin is done when it shreds easily with a fork. The potatoes should collapse completely.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper before serving.
The long braise at low heat is the entire point of this recipe. It transforms a whole tenderloin into meat so tender that a fork shreds it, and the canned soups provide salt, fat, and body without any advance work. The vegetables absorb the braising liquid as the potatoes soften and thicken everything into a stew. The reason this works over a campfire is that the Dutch oven, with coals underneath and on the lid, gives you the low, even heat of an oven. You are not trying to boil or brown—you are gently braising. Rotate the pot every couple of hours so nothing scorches on one side.
After eight hours of patient tending, you have a complete one-pot dinner that tastes like it required real skill when it actually required only time, coals, and the will to not mess with it. The crew eats well and asks for this recipe again next year.
Packing
Pack the trimmed tenderloin and vegetables in a cooler with ice. The canned soups stay in your vehicle or in the cooler. You need a fire ring, grate, and Dutch oven with a fitting lid for this to work.
Variations
- Substitute beef chuck roast, beef stew meat, or even a whole chicken for venison.
- Add beef broth or water if the pot looks too dry after 4 hours, though the canned soup should provide enough liquid.
- Stir in fresh spinach or other hardy greens in the final hour.
- Use wild garlic or camp herbs if you have them.
https://www.huntingpa.com/threads/tenderloin-recipe.11760