This BBQ venison recipe uses homemade BBQ seasoning, BBQ sauce, and the magic of slow cooking to produce tender and flavorful sliders that the whole family will love. Topped with a crunchy, tangy coleslaw, these sliders are ideal for any day of the week. Whether it's a casual family dinner or a weekend gathering, these BBQ venison sliders are sure to be a hit!
Recipe Highlights
Tender Meat: This recipe takes a tough venison shoulder roast and turns it into succulent, flavorful meat perfect for sandwiches. Slow cooking ensures the venison is incredibly tender and juicy.
Family Favorite: The combination of BBQ venison and coleslaw is a crowd-pleaser, loved by kids and adults alike. Looking for more fun-size sandwiches? Try these elk chopped cheese sliders or elk sliders!
Simple Preparation: With the magic of slow cooking, the recipe requires minimal hands-on time, making it easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- Slider Buns: Sliders are a fun meal for kids and adults alike. But, you can totally make these into full-size BBQ sandwiches with hamburger buns or kaiser rolls instead.
- Venison Shoulder Roast: Since venison is lean with a lack of fat, it's important to choose a cut with a lot of connective tissue for slow cooking. The connective tissue breaks down and keeps the meat moist and tender. I also like to add some pork lard to the braising liquid for extra insurance. Any bone-in venison roast like shoulder, neck, or shanks will work. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the roast. For another tasty venison shoulder recipe, try this venison pozole rojo.
- BBQ Seasoning: I like to use my homemade BBQ seasoning, but you can use your preferred BBQ rub.
- BBQ Sauce: I like to use Kinder's BBQ sauce but you can use your favorite sauce or make your own!
- Coleslaw: This recipe has a tangy coleslaw built-in, but you can use your favorite coleslaw or store-bought coleslaw.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
Crock Pot: Some type of slow cooker is essential for this recipe to braise the meat low and slow. If you prefer, you can use a Dutch oven in a low-temperature oven instead of a crock pot.
How to Make BBQ Venison
Normally I wouldn't slow cook a venison roast without searing it first. However, the BBQ rub used has a good amount of brown sugar in it that can burn easily and shoulder roasts are awkward and difficult to get a good sear.
With all the other flavors in the braising liquid, you can totally skip the searing step. The meat has just a few easy steps, then you can set it and forget it all day!
- Step 1: Rub BBQ seasoning all over the venison shoulder roasts.
- Step 2: Place julienned onion in the bottom of the crock pot.
- Step 3: Place the roasts on top of the onions. Add 1 tablespoon of lard or other cooking fat to the crock pot.
- Step 4: Mix together stock, 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
- Step 5: Pour the mixture over the meat. If the roasts are not mostly covered in liquid, add a little more stock.
- Step 6: Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone and can be shredded easily.
- Step 7: Remove the roasts from the crock pot. Remove the meat from the bones and remove the connective tissue. Shred the meat.
- Step 8: Remove all but 1 cup of cooking liquid from the crockpot. Add the shredded meat back to the crockpot. Add ¾ cup BBQ sauce to the meat. Stir to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Pro Tip
Prepare the meat and braising liquid the night before so all you have to do is pull it out of the fridge and turn the crock pot on!
How to Make Coleslaw
I like to make an extra tangy coleslaw with a little bit of heat to offset the sweetness and richness of the meat. This coleslaw is the perfect topping for BBQ venison sandwiches! Prepare coleslaw at least 2 hours before serving.
- Step 1: Place shredded cabbage and shredded carrots in a colander. Place the colander over a large bowl.
- Step 2: Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the vegetables.
- Step 3: Gently massage the salt into the vegetables. Let the vegetables sit for 15 minutes to allow the salt to pull some moisture from the vegetables.
- Step 4: Rinse the vegetables under cold water. Spread the rinsed vegetables on a clean tea towel and pat dry.
- Step 5: While the vegetables are drying, combine mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, spicy brown mustard, honey, black pepper, remaining salt, and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Step 6: Place vegetables in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Variations
Spicy: Add pickled jalapeños and pepper jack cheese for a spicy kick that complements the smoky BBQ venison. Or add your favorite hot sauce on top for an extra kick.
Hawaiian: Top the venison with a slice of grilled pineapple and swap out the BBQ sauce for teriyaki sauce for a sweet and savory twist. Serve on Hawaiian rolls instead of slider buns.
Smoky Chipotle: Mix chipotle peppers in adobo sauce into the BBQ venison for a smoky, spicy flavor, and top with coleslaw.
BBQ Venison Serving Suggestions
I like to top BBQ venison sandwiches with my favorite BBQ sauce and coleslaw for a tangy crunch. If that's not your jam, you can totally serve the coleslaw on the side or omit it altogether. Or add some quick pickled red onions for a burst of flavor!
These sandwiches go great with fresh corn on the cob, baked beans, or homemade potato chips. They also make great game day fare! No matter how you choose to serve these sandwiches, you're going to love this easy BBQ venison recipe!
FAQ
Venison roasts should be cooked low and slow with a braising liquid to break down the connective tissue and tenderize the meat.
If venison is cooked in a moist environment like braising in a crock pot, it will get more tender the longer it cooks. If it is being cooked with dry heat like grilling, it will not get more tender the longer it cooks.
For grilling, venison steak like backstrap, tenderloin, or sirloin are great. To make shredded venison BBQ, bone-in cuts like shoulder roasts or shanks work well.
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Thank you!
Annie
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📖 Recipe
BBQ Venison Sliders with Tangy Coleslaw
Equipment
Ingredients
Meat:
- 2 venison bone-in shoulder blade roasts
- 3 tablespoon homemade BBQ seasoning (or your favorite BBQ rub)
- 1 medium yellow onion, julienned
- 1 tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)
- 3 cups stock (wild game, beef, etc.)
- 2 ¼ cups BBQ sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Coleslaw:
- 5 cups green cabbage, shredded (about ½ medium cabbage)
- 1 cup carrots, shredded (about 3 medium carrots)
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
Other Ingredients:
- 20 slider buns
- BBQ sauce (optional, for serving)
Instructions
Meat:
- Rub BBQ seasoning all over the venison shoulder roasts.
- Place julienned onion in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the roasts on top of the onions. Add 1 tablespoon of lard or other cooking fat to the crock pot.
- Mix together stock, 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Pour the mixture over the meat. If the roasts are not mostly covered in liquid, add a little more stock.
- Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone and can be shredded easily.
- Remove the roasts from the crock pot. Remove the meat from the bones and remove the connective tissue. Shred the meat.
- Remove all but 1 cup of cooking liquid from the crockpot. Add the shredded meat back to the crockpot. Add ¾ cup BBQ sauce to the meat. Stir to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Coleslaw:
- Prepare coleslaw at least 2 hours before serving.
- Place shredded cabbage and shredded carrots in a colander. Place the colander over a large bowl. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the vegetables. Gently massage the salt into the vegetables. Let the vegetables sit for 15 minutes to allow the salt to pull some moisture from the vegetables.
- Rinse the vegetables under cold water. Spread the rinsed vegetables on a clean tea towel and pat dry.
- While the vegetables are drying, combine mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, spicy brown mustard, honey, black pepper, remaining salt, and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Place vegetables in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembly:
- Place shredded venison on the bottom half of the slider buns. Drizzle BBQ sauce over the top. Top with coleslaw and the top bun. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Sliders are a fun meal for kids and adults alike. But, you can totally make these into full-size BBQ sandwiches with hamburger buns or kaiser rolls instead.
- Since venison is lean with a lack of fat, it's important to choose a cut with a lot of connective tissue for slow cooking. The connective tissue breaks down and keeps the meat moist and tender. I also like to add some pork lard to the braising liquid for extra insurance. Any bone-in venison roast like shoulder, neck, or shanks will work. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the roast.
- You can prepare the meat and braising liquid the night before so all you have to do is pull it out of the fridge and turn the crock pot on!
Adrienne says
This was delicious and the slaw adds the perfect creamy and crunchy touch! We loved them!
Annie Weisz says
Thank you! So glad you loved the recipe!
Anonymous says
Amazing dinner idea! Came together perfectly and the slaw was crisp and refreshing.
Annie Weisz says
So glad you loved it! Thanks so much!
Sandy Waite says
These were so good, especially in this heatwave and not feeling like doing much "hot" cooking. The venison was really flavorful and the crunch of the slaw was a perfect pairing. Side note- if you make bread & butter pickles, those are like the cherry on top of the sundae. So yummy! And there's plenty leftover, too, that I put in
freezer containers for future quick meals. Thank you for another winner!
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much, Sandy! I agree, homemade pickles are an excellent addition. And I love this meal for the freezer too!
Katie says
I made this for dinner tonight. It was shot! The coleslaw is a MUST. absolutely delicious.
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much, Katie! So glad you loved the recipe!
Chantelle G. says
Delicious recipe! My family loved it, I also used your homemade BBQ seasoning recipe for the venison. I will be making this again!
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much, Chantelle! I'm glad you made the BBQ seasoning too. I use it so much in the summer!
Jane Inniger says
Absolutely the best recipe I have made in a long time! Outstanding! I would compare it to a high end restaurant sandwich! Don’t skip out on the coleslaw. It’s a game changer for these sliders! What if you don’t have venison? Pork or beef would work great too I’m sure. Can’t wait to eat again!!! So so good! I’ve already shared the recipe with people!!!
Annie Weisz says
Thanks so much for the rave review, Jane! I agree, the coleslaw really makes the sandwich pop. And you can definitely use pork or beef instead of venison!
Austin Kirchhoff says
Would you suggest changing anything if I only have shoulder roasts without the bone?
Thanks!
Annie Weisz says
It might take a little less time to cook a boneless roast. I would check it after 6 hours and see if it's tender!
Anonymous says
Thank you!!