Lancashire Hotpot Recipe - Venison Hotpot | Hank Shaw (2024)

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5 from 7 votes

By Hank Shaw

December 26, 2022

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If there’s a simpler, more rustic meat-and-potatoes dish than Lancashire hotpot, I’m not sure what it is. My rendition is a venison hotpot, but the traditional dish uses mutton or lamb. Easy, classic, cold-weather comfort food.

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe - Venison Hotpot | Hank Shaw (2)

Lancashire hotpot has its origins nearly 200 years ago as a dish of poor textile workers who would put this on the hob before work, eating it when they came home. It is best slow cooked, and since the recipe is so simple, technique matters here, similar to beer braised short ribs.

Poor technique and you will have gross cafeteria food. Do it right and you will be amazed at how something so simple can taste so good.

What is Lancashire Hotpot?

Dumb question for Britons, since this is a classic there. But for Americans, Lancashire hotpot is a one-pot stew of sorts that is made in layers of meat, onions and potatoes, flavored very simply with stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and maybe a little dried herb.

It’s how you make it that matters.

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe - Venison Hotpot | Hank Shaw (3)

Ingredients

The meat in Lancashire hotpot is normally lamb these days, but that’s a poor choice in my opinion, although lamb neck is OK. Mutton is better, and venison better still. Why? A venison hotpot mimics the flavor and toughness of mutton, which can be fiendishly hard to find now.

You will see various cuts used, from loin cutlets to my favorite, neck meat. You want a tough cut to stand up to long cooking, and it’s the long cooking that transforms this into a lovely meal.

The meat is either sliced into slabs of about 1/2 inch thick, or chunked. You salt it, dust in flour and brown before stewing.

Ditto for the kidneys. The wha?! Yep, Lancashire hotpot often has kidneys in it, and this is an excellent use of venison kidneys — along with that other British classic, steak and kidney pie, which has similar flavors to Lancashire hotpot. (Deviled kidneys are lovely, too.)

You can skip kidneys if you want to, but I like them as an additional knob of goodness in the hotpot.

Onions are the standard yellow storage onion, and potatoes can suit your fancy. I prefer waxy yellow potatoes like Yukon gold, but either these or floury russets will do fine. The main difference is that waxy potatoes will hold their shape better, while floury ones will dissolve and make the underlying stew richer.

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe - Venison Hotpot | Hank Shaw (4)

Making Lancashire Hotpot

It is very important with a stew this simple that you take your time and do each step with care.

Salt the meat well. Flour it, shaking off excess. Brown it really well over medium-high heat. This step is important, and takes a while, so don’t rush it.

Same for the onions, which need to be not quite caramelized, but definitely browned well.

The potatoes should be cut by hand if you are making a venison hotpot because venison takes longer to cook than lamb, so you will need more time in the oven, Thin, mandoline-cut potatoes will break up under such long cooking.

I advocate an “herb of the day,” in this case thyme, savory, rosemary, sage or lovage. Choose only one. Remember, Lancashire hotpot is a simple dish.

Once all your browning is done, you can either cook the hotpot in a Dutch oven as I do, or move everything to a slow cooker.

What to Serve Alongside?

Hotpot is a simple dish, but it is rich. I prefer a simple salad of bitter greens alongside, and/or pickles. Something bright to wake things up on a cold night.

Once made, Lancashire hotpot will keep in the fridge for a week. I’ve not tried freezing it.

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe - Venison Hotpot | Hank Shaw (5)

Other British Classics

Other than the aforementioned steak and kidney pie and deviled kidneys, you might also like these other classics:

  • Cottage pie with venison. A simple stew topped with mashed potatoes.
  • Mince and tatties, a Scots favorite.
  • Venison Scotch broth, made with shanks and lots of vegetables.
  • Fish pie with leeks. Very similar to shepherd’s pie, but with fresh and smoked fish.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me athuntgathercook.

5 from 7 votes

Lancashire Hotpot

This rendition is made with venison, but lamb or mutton also work well. If you are using lamb, cut the cooking time down by 1 hour. If the potatoes on top get too brown for your liking, cover the pot.

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Course: lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 pounds venison, mutton or lamb neck, boneless
  • 3 to 5 venison or lamb kidneys, cleaned (optional)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Flour for dusting
  • 1/4 cup lard, bacon fat, butter or oil, divided
  • 3 cups sliced onions
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme or savory
  • 2 cups beef or venison stock
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (see below)
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  • Slice the neck meat into slabs about 1/2 inch thick, then again into big chunks. Cut the kidneys into pieces about the size of the last digit of your thumb. Salt all the meat, then dust it in flour.

  • Heat half the lard, bacon fat or other cooking out in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the kidneys well, stirring once in a while. Remove and set aside. Brown the rest of the meat in batches. Do not crowd the pan, and take your time on this. You want a really nice browning. Add more fat as you go if you need to so nothing blackens. This process can take 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the meat as it browns.

  • Add all the onions to the pot and stir well. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits. Brown the onions well, salting them as they cook. As they cook, preheat the oven to 325°F. When the onions are done, turn off the heat on the stovetop.

  • Remove most of the onions, leaving a thin layer. Add a layer of venison and kidneys, then some sliced potatoes (use the knobby ends here), a little dried thyme and a splash of Worcestershire. Top with more onions and repeat with another layer. Add enough stock to come about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the stew. Grind some pepper over everything, then top with the remaining slices of potato to form something of a top or lid.

  • Brush the potatoes with melted butter and bake uncovered for 3 hours if using venison or mutton, or 90 minutes to 2 hours if using lamb neck. After about 2 hours, you might need to put a lid on the pot to prevent the potatoes from burning. When the meat is tender, serve in bowls with a crisp salad, pickles and some malty beer.

Notes

If you are using kidneys, I have instructions on cleaning kidneys here.

If you are using venison, slice the potatoes about 1/8-inch thick. If you are using lamb, make them thinner, like thick potato chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 208mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 1246mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 437IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
British, Featured, Recipe, Venison, Wild Game

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Lancashire Hotpot Recipe - Venison Hotpot | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

What is the top layer of a Lancashire hotpot? ›

Anthony Burgess wrote, 'Hot pot, or Lancashire hot pot, is made in this way. An earthenware dish, a layer of trimmed lamb chops, a layer of sliced onions, a layer of sliced potatoes, then continue the layers till you reach the top. Add seasoned stock. On top put mushrooms or more potato slices to brown.

What is the difference between Lancashire hotpot and Irish stew? ›

An Irish stew has pieces of potato IN it. In a Lancashire hotpot, the potato is sliced and placed on top. Irish stew is also normally cooked as a stew, that is to say on the hob (stove), while a Lancashire hotpot is cooked as a casserole in the oven.

Why is it called Lancashire Hotpot? ›

Hotpot became associated with Lancashire. In the OCF the food historian Roy Shipperbottom writes: It may be that local cheap coal (used in locally made kitchen ranges) and the fact that the potato came early into use in Lancashire combined to make this dish popular.

Which kinds of vegetables are mainly used for cooking Lancashire hotpot? ›

There are a few variations out there: some made without stock, some with carrots, some with oysters and/or kidneys. However, nearly every recipe does agree that this is a dish made with lamb, butter, onions and layers of potatoes.

What broth is good for hotpot? ›

Chicken broth – We like to use chicken broth for it's light taste. You can also add beef or pork bone broth for extra creaminess.

What to cook first in hotpot? ›

Put meat or fish balls into the hotpot first.

These will take around 5 minutes total to cook, so give them a head start before adding other ingredients. The balls should puff up and float once they're finished cooking. Always use caution when adding food to the hotpot because the broth could splash and cause burns.

Why is it called hobo stew? ›

Mulligan stew, also known as hobo stew, is a type of stew said to have been prepared by American hobos in camps in the early 1900s.

Can you use any meat in hotpot? ›

My parents prefer leaner cuts of meat like beef flank and lean pork chops, but you can also opt for more fatty cuts like beef brisket, ribeye, and etc. There's really no wrong way to go. My parents' criteria: For all types of meat - try to find meat that has less (or none) water pooling around in the packaging.

What is the difference between scouse and Lancashire hotpot? ›

Guardian food writer Felicity Cloake describes scouse as being similar to Irish stew, or Lancashire hotpot, though generally using beef rather than lamb as the meat. While ingredients can vary, those essential are potatoes, carrots, onion and chunks of meat, with beef favoured over lamb.

Why is hotpot unhealthy? ›

Beware of saturated fats in hot pot broth

The base soup, which already contains salt, is made more flavourful by adding slices of marinated pork, chicken, beef and organ meats such as liver, pork kidney, beef tripe. All of those are high in saturated fats.

What do you drink with Lancashire hotpot? ›

Lancashire Hotpot is actually quite light-weight for a meat-dish; try it with a lightly oaked, wine like an Italian Chardonnay or similar dry white wine from South-West of France.

Why do Chinese people like hotpot? ›

The importance of hot pot is in part due to its consistent warmth, as it's kept simmering throughout the entire meal. Additionally, eating hot pot is not only a lunch or dinner; it often also serves as a social event. Because hot pot is served in the center of the table, people congregate around it.

What beef is good for hotpot? ›

Fat and marbling is key for hot pot meat. For beef, use sliced ribeye steak, brisket, or beef belly for that balance of lean and fat. Leaner cuts like sirloin or eye of round can also work, although diners should take extra care not to overcook them.

What stuff to add to hotpot? ›

Hot Pot Ingredient List. Hearty and leafy, look for greens that retain texture after cooking like bok choy, watercress, snow pea leaves, Napa cabbage, Chinese spinach, gai lan and green onions. Look for daikon, carrots, small potatoes and either cut into cubes or thinly sliced.

What do you eat with hotpot? ›

Dipping Ingredients:

As for the hot pot ingredients themselves, restaurants will usually offer a good mixture of thin-sliced meats—from pork belly to lamb shoulder to filet mignon—meatballs, vegetables, noodles, fish balls, dumplings, and rice cakes that you can order a la carte.

What are the levels of hotpot? ›

Honeypot interaction levels

Honeypot systems can also be categorized in terms of the interactions involved between the decoy technology and the cybercriminals: low, medium and high interactions.

What is the foam in hotpot? ›

When soups and stocks are about to boil, proteins start to congeal and create foams that rise to the surface. It's usually whitish or brownish and you need to remove the form as quickly as possible before it boils and mixes up the scum with the soup/stock.

What does a hotpot consist of? ›

Hot pot is considered a main course and is usually served without rice or noodles on the side. Hot pots can be prepared and eaten at home or in a restaurant. Typical hot pot ingredients include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, vermicelli, sliced potatoes, bean products, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood.

What are the features of hotpot? ›

Hotpot, also known as steamboat or soup food, is a communal dining experience where diners cook thinly sliced meat, seafood, vegetables, and other ingredients in a simmering pot of flavored broth at the table. Once cooked, these ingredients are dipped in various sauces before being eaten.

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