OK folks, here it is: The best recipe for a deer’s front shoulder I’ve yet to find.
Mexican barbacoa, a mildly spicy, long-braised variant on barbecue works perfectly with the tough, sinewy front legs on a deer, or really any animal. Historically I’ve mostly used front legs for stew and for grinding, but this is even better. The meat cooks very slowly, and all that connective tissue dissolves into the broth and makes everything richer and just a little slick. Keeps your lips shiny.
Barbacoa, if you’ve never had it, is more warming than picante. Yes, there are chipotles in adobo in it, which can be bought in every Latin market I’ve ever been in, but not so many that your head blows off. The cloves are a stronger element, as are the cumin and bay.
If you want to test this recipe before making it, go to your nearest Chipotle restaurant and try their barbacoa: this recipe is virtually identical.
Serve it in tacos, burritos or over rice. And be sure to have at least a few of the traditional accompaniments, like cilantro, crumbled queso seco cheese, chopped onions, sour cream, fresh or pickled chiles, avocados — basically anything that works well on a taco.
You can buy chipotles in adobo in many supermarkets, and definitely in Latin markets or online. Oh, and read closely: My barbacoa recipe calls for 2 to 4 chiles in adobo, not cans of chiles en adobo! Many have made that mistake to their peril…
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Still not convinced? Well, barbacoa may well be in the Top 5 Easiest Recipes on this website. It’s literally a crockpot-it-and-go dish. Minimal chopping, and the only thing you need to do as a cook is to shred the meat.
Want to up your barbacoa game even more? Smoke your venison neck, shanks or shoulder first. Real simple, just salt it well let it sit overnight, then smoke it for a few hours at about 200°F. Then proceed with the recipe. You’re welcome. No, seriously, doing this makes your barbacoa smack-yo-momma-in-the-face good!
Stupid crazy easy. Try it and you will not be sad. If you want a hot-weather variant of this recipe, try my Venison Yucatan.
One more thing: This stuff reheats beautifully, so make a big batch.
- 2 to 3 pounds venison, from the shoulder or legs
- 2 to 4 chipotles in adobo, canned
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ cup lime juice
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- 1 quart beef or venison stock
- 1/4 cup lard or vegetable oil
- Smoked salt (optional)
- Cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocados and hot sauce for garnish
- Put everything in a slow cooker or Dutch oven and cook, covered, until the meat falls off the bone, which will be between 2 hours (for many domestic meats and young deer) and 6 hours if you have a very old animal. If you use a slow cooker, set it to “high.” If you use a regular pot, put it into the oven set to 300°F.
- Pull all the meat from the bones and shred with forks or your fingers. Stir in the lard and as much smoked salt as you want. You want the lard or oil to coat the shreds of meat. Pour over some of the juices from the pot and put the meat in a pan for the table. Serve with tacos, in a burrito or on a bun.
Have lots of accompaniments for your barbacoa: It's a base for a meal, the do-it-yourself construction of your tacos is more than half the fun!
More Venison Recipes
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We make this probably at least once a month. It’s a great meal to make during the week since you can start it in the morning and have it ready by the time you get home from work. It also makes a ton of leftovers, so we can have multiple meals from one batch (burrito bowls, quesadillas, breakfast hash). We’ve recently started to put one full can of adobe peppers in and have really enjoyed it.
The only thing I do differently is smoke the venison (I usually use the neck roast) for 2 or 3 hours before I crock it. Gives a nice little hint of smoke in the final product.
Alright! I finally got this thing nailed…even with a major snafu. I am the one that didn’t read properly and added 2 cans of chipotle in adobe….I realized my mistake 2 hours in and fished them out. I slow cooked cooked it for 7 hours on high, and it’s pretty incredible. I had written earlier than mine was pretty tasteless, and I’m certain it was because I only cooked it for 3 hours. So glad I tried it again…it’s on the spicy side but damn good! Thanks again Hank!
Cooked this slow in a diesel stove on my fishing vessel, ate, kept cooking. it got better the longer it cooked. Great use of a shoulder. I’ll never separate those muscles again. Every shoulder will be for barbacoa from now on! Thanks Hank!