Venison Steak Diane Canning Recipe

My Venison Steak Diane canning recipe pairs venison medallions with a savory brandy and beef broth sauce flavored with shallots, garlic, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire. It’s a pressure-canned meal in a jar for hunters and home canners looking for a different way to serve their deer harvest. When I open a quart for dinner, I stir in a little heavy cream and finish the dish with fresh herbs.

(I sometimes use affiliate links in my content. This will not cost you anything but it helps me offset my costs to keep creating new canning recipes. Thank you for your support.)

By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva®
Last updated: November 12, 2026

Key Takeaways

• Cut venison backstrap or tenderloin into medallions and brown them in batches.
• Deglaze the skillet with brandy to bring the browned bits into the sauce.
• Build the sauce with beef broth, tomato paste, sweet onion, shallots, garlic, Dijon, and Worcestershire.
• The recipe makes approximately 4 quarts or 8 pints.
• Stir in heavy whipping cream when you reheat a quart, then finish with fresh parsley, basil, or chives.

Jump to Recipe

From Deer Season to Venison Steak Diane

The words wild game might take you right back to hunting with Dad or making venison jerky with Mom. Or maybe you’ve never cooked deer meat and someone just handed you a package of backstrap. Either way, here’s what I’d make with it.

Deer season is a big deal in Michigan, and plenty of hunters I know put up part of their harvest. One of my favorite ways to enjoy venison is Steak Diane. And yes, I get a kick out of sharing a name with the dish. Give her a go and you’ll see why I keep coming back to that brandy sauce.

What Does Venison Taste Like?

Deer meat has a rich flavor, and how pronounced that flavor tastes can vary from one harvest to the next. If you’re new to cooking venison, start with a cut you know. For this recipe, I reach for backstrap or tenderloin because I can slice either one into medallions that are easy to brown in batches.

If you’re working through several cuts from your deer harvest, save the stew meat for my Red Wine Venison Stew.

What Gives Steak Diane Its Flavor?

It starts with the bits of browned venison that cling to the skillet. Once I brown the last batch, I pour in the brandy and scrape up those drippings. Then the Dijon adds a little bite, the Worcestershire deepens the savory flavor, and the beef broth and tomato paste bring the sauce together.

When I serve the venison, I stir heavy cream into the warm sauce and finish it with whatever fresh herbs I have on hand. Chives are especially good here. I like to spoon the medallions and sauce over mashed potatoes.

Venison Steak Diane Canning Recipe

Melt-in-your-mouth venison medallions are a dream in this delicious recipe. While the onions, Dijon, and Worcestershire give this wild game version a kick, the brandy compliments the venison superbly. As discussed, any cut of meat will tenderize when pressure canning, but there is something to be said for using backstrap or tenderloin. This is also the option  to use tougher cuts of venison like neck meat, as it tenderizes nicely while pressure canning.

Makes about 4 quarts or 8 pints

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 to 5 pounds venison backstrap or tenderloin, cut into 2½-inch medallions
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup brandy
• 1 cup diced sweet onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 quart Beef Broth
• ¾ cup tomato paste (6 ounces)

Instructions

1. In a skillet, starting with 1 tablespoon oil, brown the venison in batches on medium-high heat until all the venison is lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Season each batch with a dash of sea salt and pepper. Remove each batch from the stockpot and place in a bowl. Be sure not to fully cook the meat.
2. Add the brandy to the skillet, and on high heat, deglaze being sure to scrape all the drippings the bottom of the pan.
3. In a large stockpot, add the browned venison and the deglazed drippings from the skillet. Add the onion, garlic, shallots, Worcestershire, and Dijon mustard, mix well. Bring contents to a boil on medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Whisk together the beef stock and tomato paste and add to stockpot. Return to a boil for an additional 5 minutes, mixing well.
4. Using a slotted spoon, fill each hot jar ¾ full of venison. Ladle the hot cooking liquid over the mixture, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add additional liquid if necessary to maintain the 1 inch of headspace.
5. Wipe the rim of each jar with a warm washcloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
6. Place the sealed jars in the pressure canner, lock the pressure canner lid, and bring to a boil on high heat. Let the canner vent for 10 minutes. Close the vent and continue heating to achieve 11 PSI for a dial gauge and 10 PSI for a weighted gauge. Process quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.

Serving Tip: When heating a quart on the stovetop, be sure to add ¼ cup heavy whipping cream and mix well and finish heating through, about 3 minutes. Do not boil the cream. Serve this dish hot and garnish with fresh cut herbs like parsley, basil or diced chives.

---

People Often Ask

---

About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is an internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.