This Venison French Dip is the perfect way to utilize an underappreciated cut of meat.

Living in Texas comes with a lot of exotic animals. You can go on a nice little drive through the hill country and see a variety of African and Asian animals behind their high game fences. A quintessential Texas exotic is Axis deer. Axis deer were first introduced to Texas in 1932. Some ended up escaping and today the populations are estimated to be around 25,000+ free ranging and 100,000+ behind game fences in the state according to the Exotic Wildlife Association in the state of Texas.

Because of their high numbers Axis deer can be seen as nuisances in some locations. I was offered a cull doe for this very reason, to which I happily accepted! I was given a full gutted axis doe and my husband, and I broke it down and processed it ourselves. I had been wanting to make a Venison French Dip out of shanks for a while and this was my chance!!

The shank on a deer is often thrown away or ground up. This is an easy way to save that meat and tenderize it to scrumdiddlyumptious perfection.

While there is a little work involved before the meat can be left in the crockpot, this recipe is very straightforward and easy. Plus, your whole family will love it! Even your pickiest eater… mine sure did!

By cooking the shank low and slow, the connective tissue, fascia, and collagen are able to breakdown, adding a silkiness to the recipe. Aiding this process are the juices from the meat and additional liquid ingredients that help keep the meat moist.

A good French dip is always a go to pick at any restaurant for me. Being able to incorporate it with a meat cut that is often set aside is fulfilling (and delicious). I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did!

P.S. In un-French dip like fashion, but typical Sophie fashion, in order to bring up the heat, I added pepper relish. It was freaking great.