Venison is the perhaps the pinnacle of protein when it comes to wild game. Whitetail are harvested more than any other big game species for good reason. The venison provided from them as well as other ungulates is regarded as some of the best wild game meat. With various cuts and purposes, deer is extremely universal and user friendly when it comes to cooking.
An excellent dish for a seasoned hunter all the way to a novice outdoorsman and even the individual that’s incredulous to trying wild game is the taco. Mexican dishes are often very inexpensive to make and offer the opportunity for friendly food with low difficulty to prepare.
You will need:
- Venison football, or a whole cut from the back quarter
- 2 heavy tablespoons of garlic
- 2 heavy tablespoons of red pepper
- 1 heavy tablespoon of ground black pepper
- 1 heavy tablespoon of salt
- Agave chipotle street taco sauce (found at Kroger; other taco sauces that you prefer will work)
- Pack of flour tortillas (Optional: small corn tortillas for taquitos)
- Beef stock
- Small jar of sliced Jalapeños
- Vegetable oil for cooking
- Optional toppings such as cheese, sour cream, peppers, and onions
Starting with the venison cut, the football (tip sirloin) is the select cut for these tacos. Other whole cuts of the back quarter will work as long the tallow and fat is trimmed away. Lather the football cut in salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper. A heavy tablespoon of each seasoning will do. Heat a skillet and enough oil to cover the bottom, then sear the football for a minute on all sides. The objective with this is to caramelize the seasonings into the meat. Remove the football and place into a crockpot. Add a small jar of sliced jalapeños with the juice and cover with beef stock. Add another heavy tablespoon of red pepper and garlic powder into the mix. Click the heat setting on low and check back in six hours.
Time varies on the size of the football; 6-8 hours is typically enough. When the meat is easily separating with a fork you will know it is finished, almost mimicking pulled pork. Remove the cooked football and place in a large bowl or tub. Use two forks and pry the meat apart until it is shredded finely. Drain the juices from the bowl to prevent ruining the taco shells. Warm or pan fry tortilla shells and evenly place the pulled venison into the shell. Liberally cover in agave chipotle sauce (my preferred sauce) or any taco sauce of your choice. Add any other toppings such as cheese, sour cream, and freshly diced peppers and onions. A side option from the taco is the taquito. Fry small corn tortillas in hot oil until crispy. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Place the pulled venison in the shell with agave chipotle sauce or the topping sauce you prefer. Roll tightly and serve.
This dish will feed four hungry hunters, or a full family. I will often make this the morning before a hunt just to return to a hot and delicious meal. The whole meal only costs about ten bucks to make. Price and output ratio is hard to beat with this delicious venison meal!
