Braised shoulder of venison stuffed with black pudding and haggis

This braised shoulder of venison recipe uses roe, but if you use a larger shoulder from fallow or red, increase the stuffing, cooking time and liquid. (Find a recipe for slow cooked venison shoulder here.)

Braised shoulder of venison stuffed with black pudding and haggis

Ingredients

• 1 roe shoulder
• 100g Cumberland sausage meat
• 50g black pudding
• 150g haggis
• 150g butter
• 250g caul fat
• 2 medium onions, finely sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 500ml venison or chicken stock
• 330ml Guinness (or beer of your choice)

Method

1. Using a boning knife, take the roe shoulder and, starting from the underside, open-bone it to remove the shoulder blade and the next bone, leaving the shank bone intact. Then French trim the meat and cut (saw) off the end of the shank bone. Open out the area where the bone has been removed to make a large pocket for the stuffing.
2. Place the sausage meat, black pudding and haggis in a bowl, and mix together well. Then push the stuffing into the cavity you have made.
3. Melt 100g of butter. Run the caul fat under some water to loosen it up, then take a sheet that’s large enough to cover the shoulder and dip it into melted butter. Wrap it around the shoulder to cover it completely and keep the stuffing in place. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
4. Place the last 50g of butter in a saucepan and sweat off the onions and garlic until they are soft. Add the stock and beer to the onions and bring to the boil.
5. Place the shoulder on an ovenproof dish, then pour in the stock and beer. Cover the dish and turn the oven down to 170°C/gas mark 3.
6. Place the shoulder in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Uncover the meat, turn up the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and cook for a further hour. Once fully cooked, remove the joint to rest. If necessary, reduce the cooking liquid by half to give a rich, loose sauce.

The idea behind the braised shoulder of venison dish

It’s coming up to that time of year when the nights are finally getting shorter and the days are becoming longer. The weather is changing as we leave winter behind and enter spring, the season of life. With this seasonal change also comes a change in what and how we eat. Venison is one of those meats that can make this adjustment well — from hearty stews to lighter braises and from winter roasts to grills and barbecues. Although there is no set way to eat venison, some dishes just seem to fit the time of year. This recipe has very few ingredients and uses a cut that would normally be used for dicing or mincing — the shoulder. This can be a tough piece of meat, but as a joint it is suited to slow cooking, which melts the connective tissue in the meat. This gives it flavour and stops it from going dry.  (Read which species gives the most delicious venison?)