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Roast venison with barolo and chocolate sauce

Roast venison with barolo and chocolate sauce

Succulent venison loin wrapped in crisp prosciutto releases savoury juices as it roasts, mingling with coffee-rosemary rub’s deep earthiness. Barolo wine reduces to glossy intensity, dark chocolate melts in silkily, coating tender slices in bittersweet richness. Orange zest lifts every bite—decadent roast for special nights.

Prep: less than 30 mins
Cook: over 2 hours
Serves: Serves 10
Dietary: Egg-free, Nut-free
Jamie Oliver photoBy Jamie Oliver
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes
Original recipe from BBC Saturday Kitchen Live.

 

Nutri-Score D
Roast venison with barolo and chocolate sauce scores Nutri-Score D. Lean venison protein balances against sauce fats from butter, chocolate and roasting. Calculated automatically from ingredients—serves as a guide only.

Equipment

Ingredients

For the barolo chocolate sauce

  • 1kg/2lb 4oz venison bones
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 375ml/13fl oz barolo wine
  • 25g/1oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), broken
  • 25g/1oz unsalted butter
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the roast venison

  • 1 tbsp coffee beans
  • 1 tsp white peppercorns
  • 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 orange, finely grated zest only
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 x 750g/1lb 10oz venison loin fillets, trimmed, room temperature
  • 14 prosciutto slices
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, for drizzling

Customise

  • Swap barolo wine for cheaper red like Chianti in venison chocolate sauce—still luxurious.
  • Use beef bones if venison unavailable for roast venison sauce base.
  • Gluten-free plain flour keeps egg-free nut-free roast venison.
  • 70%+ dark chocolate intensifies barolo chocolate sauce without sweetness overload.

Method

Sauce base (3 hours – do well ahead)

  1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Put the venison bones, chopped red onion, carrot, celery stick and plain flour into a large deep roasting tin. Toss everything together and roast for 1 hour until deeply caramelised. Those sticky browned bits build incredible sauce depth.
  2. Transfer to casserole using tongs. Pour boiling water from the kettle into the roasting tin and scrape up all the sticky goodness from the base. Add this to the casserole along with the barolo wine. Top up with more boiling water to just cover everything. Simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming off fat occasionally and adding more water if needed. This long simmer extracts maximum flavour—perfect do-ahead task.
  3. Strain the sauce. Remove the larger bones, then pour everything through a coarse sieve into a clean saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the sauce reduces to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and set aside. You can make this up to 2 days ahead.

Venison rub and wrap (15 mins – room temp meat)

  1. Make the coffee rub. Crush the coffee beans and white peppercorns to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar. Add the rosemary leaves and pound into the spices. Add the garlic cloves and pound to a rough paste. Stir in the orange zest and balsamic vinegar—the coffee cuts through venison’s richness beautifully.
  2. Prepare the loins. Cut each 750g venison loin in half to give you four pieces total. Rub the coffee paste generously all over the meat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile lay out the prosciutto slices on two large sheets of baking paper, slightly overlapping each slice.
  3. Wrap the venison. Place two pieces of venison on top of the prosciutto (stack thick end against thin end for even thickness). Roll up tightly like a sausage, tucking in the ends. Tie securely with kitchen string at 5cm intervals. Ready for roasting.

Roast and finish (40 mins)

  1. Roast the venison. Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Place the wrapped loins in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. This gives blushing pink, juicy meat. Rest tented with foil for 10 minutes—juices redistribute for perfect slices.
  2. Finish the sauce. Gently reheat the reduced sauce, then whisk in the dark chocolate and butter until completely smooth and glossy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The chocolate adds silkiness without chocolate flavour—just pure luxury.
  3. Serve family style. Remove the string from the rested venison and carve into thick slices. Spoon the hot barolo chocolate sauce over the top. Serve with potato celeriac mash and braised winter greens. Pass extra sauce around the table.

Leftovers make brilliant sandwiches—sauce freezes perfectly too.

Suggested Wine Pairing

Roast venison with barolo chocolate sauce demands bold reds matching gamey venison, coffee rub and balsamic notes.

Barolo (£12 Tesco)—cherry, tar and earth echo the sauce perfectly while cutting richness.

Primitivo (£10 Sainsbury’s)—plum and spice stand up to prosciutto and chocolate depth.

Shiraz (£11 Asda)—blackberry pepper balances orange zest in roast venison.

What can you serve with this

  1. Potato celeriac mash—creamy roots soak up barolo chocolate sauce, contrast lean venison.
  2. Braised winter greens—bitter kale cuts richness of roast venison perfectly.
  3. Roast parsnips—caramel sweetness loves coffee rub and balsamic.
  4. Chestnut puree—nutty earthiness amplifies game flavours.

FAQs for Roast Venison

  • Why chocolate in venison sauce? Adds incredible silkiness and subtle bitterness that loves game and red wine.
  • Can I use other meat? Beef fillet works well—just adjust the coffee rub slightly for balance.
  • How pink is safe for venison? Medium-rare with blushing pink centre—lean meat toughens if overcooked.
  • No venison bones available? Use good beef stock plus roasted vegetables for excellent shortcut sauce.
  • Prosciutto substitute? Streaky bacon rashers add lovely smoke while keeping everything wrapped tight.
  • Can I make everything ahead? Sauce freezes brilliantly up to a month; roast venison same day for juiciest results.
  • Cheaper wine than barolo? Any good drinkable red like merlot or malbec works beautifully.

Nutri-score Health Check

Recipe rates D on Nutri-Score (A healthiest, E least healthy). Automatically calculated from ingredients—lean protein versus rich sauce components. Serves as guide only, not medical advice.

Positive Factors

  • Lean venison delivers high protein, low saturated fat.
  • Sauce vegetables provide fibre and vitamins.
  • Dark chocolate antioxidants, coffee beans polyphenols.

Negative Factors

  • Prosciutto adds processed meat sodium.
  • Sauce butter contributes saturated fats.
  • Barolo wine reduction concentrates calories.

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