Moose Stew With Vegetables

Published: January 20, 2019 Updated: October 3, 2019 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 54 Comments

Looking for an easy, tasty Instant Pot® stew recipe? You got it with this moose stew! It’s loaded with chunks of moose, lots of vegetables and it’s all bathed in a rich, savoury gravy. Served with a hunk of bread, it makes for one hearty, satisfying dinner.

Close-up of a bowl of moose stew with a slice of bread and spoon dunked into it.

I was lucky enough to get my little hands on a roast of moose meat from my parents so I figured what better way to use it than in a comforting stew. And it just so happened that hubby gave me an Instant Pot for Christmas so it was like the stars aligned!

Of course, you could totally make this moose stew in the oven or slow cooker, but it will take hours longer. Not a big deal, but if you are wanting to enjoy this sooner, the Instant Pot certainly helps.

You don’t see a whole lot of traditional Newfoundland recipes on here, but I do share the occasional one because they are super delicious! And moose stew is definitely popular around here. It’s not something that you would find in local restaurants or anything. It’s typically made at home when moose meat is accessible.

I didn’t grow up eating moose and, honestly, don’t eat it a lot now (because it’s not something that one could normally buy in the grocery alongside beef or pork).

As a child, I didn’t go for it because it was different. Ya know, kinda like a kid that won’t eat broccoli because it’s green or something. Funny how we get over that, isn’t it? When it’s available these days, it’s definitely a real treat.

This moose stew is one of those recipes that when you taste test it straight from the pot you end up doing a little kitchen dance.

Is that just me?

Ingredients for a vegetable and moose stew recipe.

What Is Moose Meat? What Does Moose Meat Taste Like?

Moose is a large member of the deer family. Though moose can be found throughout Newfoundland & Labrador, moose aren’t native to Newfoundland. They were introduced here in the late 1800’s and now they run wild throughout the province.

The texture of moose meat is similar to that of beef, though it’s leaner. If you enjoy beef and other gamier meats like deer (venison), then you will probably enjoy moose meat as well.

Of course, moose meat was used in this Instant Pot stew, but you could easily substitute with beef if you can’t access moose meat where you are.

How To Make Stew Using Moose Meat

Making this Instant Pot moose stew is simple! It requires some pantry staples and some moose meat, of course.

This one is nice and rustic and is delicious for a weekend dinner or special enough for entertaining family and friends. Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics to make this stew:

Brown the seasoned meat chunks in batches.
Cook onion and garlic along with salt, pepper and herbs.
Stir in tomato paste and deglaze with wine.
Place the remainder of ingredients into the pot with stock (except balsamic vinegar, peas and cornstarch slurry) and cook.
Add the balsamic vinegar and peas.
Mix in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the stew.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Overhead shot of a bowl of moose stew with a spoon dunked into it.

Tips and Variations for Making This Moose Stew

After trimming the moose roast, I had about 1.5 pounds of meat.
Cut the veggies into large chunks. This works best for stew and for the Instant Pot. As everything is pressure cooked, you need larger chunks so your veggies don’t go to mush.
I used red wine to deglaze, but if you’d rather just use stock, that’s okay too.
Unsalted beef stock was used. If you use anything otherwise, you may have to use less salt than what’s suggested in the recipe.
To thicken the stew, I used a cornstarch slurry at the end. I used 4 tablespoons of cornstarch and 4 tablespoons of cold water. Use anywhere from 2 to 4 tablespoons of cornstarch with equal parts cold water, depending on how thick you want the stew.
Don’t have Herbes de Provence? Use an equal mixture of dried thyme and rosemary.
Don’t have moose meat? No worries! Make this recipe using beef or venison.

Close-up of a spoonful of moose stew from a bowl.

What To Serve With Stew

Of course, this moose stew is a meal all in itself, but in my opinion you’ve got to serve with a big hunk of homemade bread for dunking. Soak up all that goodness, ya know?

If you want to make it an even more substantial meal, a side salad also works.

Spoonful of moose stew with steam coming off, held above a bowl.

More Comfort Food Recipes

If you try this easy moose stew recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!