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🍲 Classic Game Goulash

Slowly braised, with red wine and mushrooms: this is how even game from the haunch or shoulder turns meltingly tender. A foolproof braise for cold days – works with roe deer, red deer or wild boar.

Serves: 4 Time: approx. 2.5 hrs Difficulty: Easy

For goulash, use the haunch or shoulder – not the saddle or fillet. Prime cuts are seared briefly and served pink; for goulash you need marbled meat with long fibres that breaks down and turns tender as it braises.

Ingredients

Meat & marinade (optional)

For the goulash

Method

  1. Marinade (optional): Let the meat cubes steep in red wine with juniper and bay in the fridge for 12–24 hrs. This makes the meat more tender. Then take them out, pat them thoroughly dry and strain the marinade through a sieve – it goes into the pot later.
  2. Sear hard: Heat the clarified butter in a braising pot until very hot. Brown the meat in batches hard all over (not too much at once, or it steams instead of browning). Remove the browned meat and set aside.
  3. Onions & tomato paste: Reduce the heat, sweat the onions in the same pot until translucent (3–4 min.), add the garlic briefly. Add the tomato paste and roast it for 1–2 minutes, then dust with flour and stir in.
  4. Deglaze: Deglaze with red wine (and the strained marinade), loosening the residue from the bottom. Pour in the game stock and return the meat to the pot. Add the juniper and bay.
  5. Braise: Bring to the boil, then put the lid on and let it simmer gently over the lowest heat for 1.5–2 hours (just small bubbles). Alternatively in the oven at 150 °C – the even heat gives the best result.
  6. Add the mushrooms: After about 1.5 hrs, sear the mushrooms hard in a separate pan and add them to the goulash. Braise for a further 15–20 minutes. (Sear them separately so they don't water down the sauce.)
  7. Season: Once the meat is tender, season with salt and pepper. 1 tsp of lingonberries or redcurrant jelly adds sweetness and acidity = depth. Reduce a too-thin sauce uncovered, loosen a too-thick one with a little broth.
For wild boar goulash: prepare it the same way, but be sure to cook it thoroughly (core at least 70 °C). Wild boar is never served pink. Only use meat with a documented trichinella test.

Sides & tips

Goes well with: spätzle, potato or bread dumplings, plus red cabbage or savoy cabbage and a dollop of lingonberries.

Even better the next day: Overnight the flavours develop fully. Goulash keeps chilled for 3–4 days and can be frozen in portions (approx. 3 months).

Good wine matters. The red wine reduces, its flavour stays – use one you would actually drink.

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