OK folks, here it is: The best recipe for a deer’s front shoulder I’ve yet to find: Venison barbacoa.
This is a classic 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: my venison barbacoa 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…
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.
Venison Barbacoa
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Thanks for all the great recipes Hank!
This one was pretty good but next time I will reduce or even completely omit the cloves. Just too overpowering of a flavor and lingers on the tongue too long in my opinion.
I’ve made this 3 times now and every time hunters and nonhunters alike INHALE it. I usually make two pots, one beef and one venison and always get comments on the venison being better. Works great with shanks, neck, shoulder, and whole muscle roasts (although I’d normally save the roasts for other things).
DO NOT SKIP THE SMOKE unless you just don’t have a way to do it. Completely worth it.
Hank, when using a master stock, are you adding any seasonings or is the master stock already seasoned enough? Onions only? Smaller quantities of seasoning than recipe calls for? Also what ratio of master stock to water/broth?
If you want an easy recipe to wow a crowd with, this is a great one to use.
I made this for my dad using eiders. He’s the type of guy that when presented with wild game says, “it’s not going to kill me, right?” He scarfed this down! This recipe is also my go-to for crane legs. You just have to pick off the meat around the tendons. I use the leftover broth to cook dried black beans. Thanks Hank!
So good and so versatile!
I have a venison ham, which I think is the hind leg, right? The deer was killed by a friend last fall and I’ve just now thawed it out. It’s big – 15lbs with the bone. I’m brining it for 24 hours. You say that the legs should not be bigger than 8lbs, so I’m nervous that this will be tough and gamey. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Anthony: That’s a big ham! You might need to brine it for several days.
I made this a couple of months ago with an elk rump roast that had been hiding in my freezer for longer than I care to admit (mostly because there’s only two of us and the processor made these huge (6 lb) roasts). I’d read the recipe when I got BBM when it was published, then was further inspired by the Netflix Taco Chronicles. I partially thawed and cut in half (made the chipotle jerky with the other half) and prepared in the crockpot, almost exactly to the recipe in BBM. The ultimate set it and forget it crock pot recipe – went out for a hike and came back to the incredible fragrance of the spice combination. All I can say is wow! Tender, perfect level of spice, and wish I’d made this sooner. I still have one more monster roast in the freezer and it’s destined for round 2 of the same preparation.
Killer barbacoa. We liked this so much, I canned a whole sheep from our flock as this barbacoa and we eat it weekly. Great as tacos. Great on rice
Have made this twice now for tacos and tamale filling. I’ve used leg meat so far — cooking time may vary by the muscle used so just keep cooking until its tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork. Turned out wonderfully both times and have shared with others who have also loved this recipe and had success with venison shoulder as well. It’s super easy to make in the crock pot and you can use the braising liquid for the masa in Hank’s venison tamales recipe!
Didn’t have chipotle in adobo, so I tried this with our local Chimayo, and it was delish. Thanks, Hank!
Excellent recipe it doesn’t get much better than this.
I always keep leftovers of this frozen in 1-1.5# packs. Makes great breakfast burritos. Eggs give the venison some much needed richness. I’ve never had a deer “give up” with less than 6 hours in the crockpot though.
This recipe is also great for peccary (javelina) shoulder…whole family loves it!
Thanks Hank. Your recipes have helped my culinary skills shine on several holiday feast, and this venison barbacoa recipe is no different. In fact, this is the best tasting venison I have made to date. The only venison I have ever liked on the same level was the whole smoked venison ham you cooked in Texas last September. I smoked the two deer shoulders for 2 hours in a pellet smoker, then cooked for 10 hours (overnight) at 200 degrees inside the smoker in a pan soaked in the goodness as described above. I cooked overnight because our Christmas eve feast was at noon, and wanted this fresh and ready on time. We served with pasta and a salad. Tortillas and sweet buns were on hand offering a variety of ways to enjoy this delicious meat. Fantastic recipe enjoyed by all, and a new family favorite for sure. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the masses, and allowing mediocre chefs like me appear like skilled kitchen masters.
P.S. I am brining a whole deer ham as we speak in preparation of our new years feast (hoping to recreate the delicious recipe from Gator Season), Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I made this recipe tonight. It was tasty for sure and now I am wondering what you do with the left over broth. I am not one to throw anything away. Any ideas would be great. Thanks.
Corinne: I strain it and freeze it, then use it for future rounds of barbacoa over and over again.
Hank— This is a killer recipe that I’m doing for the second time now. This time I was considering throwing it on the big green egg first, maybe with some apple wood. Am I just looking to impart some smoke and bark here, before proceeding with the Dutch oven? i.e., just smoke it for a couple hours but not cook it to temp on the smoker? Thanks for this great recipe.
This was excellent on the first go and making it again this weekend. I used and will be using a few of last years moose roasts (double batch). I added a can of diced tomatoes and some red wine and Dr.Pepper to add some more sweetness to the chipotle’s. cooked low and slow on kamado joe with some cherry wood.
Any difference if I cook on low for a longer period of time vs cooking on high for 3-4 hours?
Josh: Not really.
I own your book Hank, and have three questions, 1) can this be made with roasts off the hind (I have two thawing for dinner for rifle season opener), 2) using your corned venison recipe, can you freeze after corning and before cooking?, and 3) how much head space do you want in your pot when cooking the corned venison, I did one in a pot with about 6 inches of head space and it was amazing, then did one with hardly any head space and it turned into dog treats.
Andrew: You can use hind leg roasts, but I don’t like them as much. Yes, you can freeze the corned venison. And I don’t really know about head space in the pot, but you seem to have answered it through your own experience.
Our family LOVES this recipe and have used it many times over the past few years! I want to make barbacoa tonight but will be in a time crunch. Could this be done in a pressure cooker? If so would you make any adjustments to the liquids?
Alex: I am sure it can, but I have never done it, so you will have to experiment. If it works for you, can you report back with the results? It will help me help others in your situation.
Just did this with the shoulders from a Doe I got on Monday. I’ve made it before, but yessir, you’re right, I smoked them for a few hours first this time. Oh my!
Can you use this recipe with the football roast?
Jon: Yes, but it is better with shoulder.
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!
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!
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.
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.
Made this over the weekend, yet again. Love it. Great use for the front legs, which, compared to the rump, add little meat and lots of rubbery bits to what goes in the grinder. My wife gave it a big thumbs-up, which is not in insignificant endorsement!
Would 2 pounds of venison “rump steaks” work with this recipe? It sounds awesome!
Anthony: Yep, that would work.
Hank,
I had my venison processed professionally and as a result it is all packaged as boneless cuts. What cuts should I try to use for this recipe?
Thanks
Jim: Stew meat would be my first choice.
I’m going through Buck Buck Moose and making one recipe every weekend. I’d make more except for time. Made venison Barbacoa yesterday and it was great.
Question – previous commenter asked about saving stock but I’d like to know in general can this or any left over cooking stock be frozen and will it keep as long as regular bone stock?
Thanks, really enjoying your book!
Carl: I freeze in quart jars, with about 1 inch of headspace so when the stock expands when it freezes the jar will not explode.
I made this for my family and they absolutely loved it! My wife typically does not like venison, but she really likes it when I used this recipe- we ate it on soft shell tacos, with all of the recommended toppings, and fresh salsa, so good!
I saved some for a fishing trip/guys weekend and my friends all loved it, too- super easy recipe, with great results. Thanks Hank!
Hi Hank!
I’ve made this recipe three times now (two times with venison and once with javelina) every time I reserved a portion of the meat for a batch of tamales. Tamales and barbacoa tacos where KILLER every time.
My question is about the reserved cooking liquid from the barbacoa. The second time I made this I figured it might be interesting to freeze the liquid and use it for the next batch of barbacoa. I was inspired by your talks on the “master stock” concept. The only thing I didn’t consider was the fact that the cooking liquid was already well seasoned and when I made the recipe again I seasoned it per the original recipe. Do you think through repeated us of a stock for barbacoa that it will become too seasoned? I’d be interested to hear your thought on this topic. Thanks in advance!
Daniel: No, because you will always need to add more water or basic stock. When I get a master stock that’s super powerful, I end up just adding water to make up the difference in liquid needed.
Made this for the first time tonight. Had a venison roast in the freezer I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with. This recipe is phenomenal! Family loved it. Followed the advice of a couple others and reduced the liquid down by about half in a cast iron skillet (cooked meat in the crock pot). Definitely a keeper!
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years and it never disappoints. Thank you so much!
Hank, I just wanted to say thank you! Your website and books are fantastic and have helped me escape the Scandinavian/German flavorless food of the Upper Midwest. This recipe opened my mind to new ideas of what I could do with venison and converted my wife into a hunter. It’s simple and easy to make and full of flavor. WAY better than ground beef & Tone’s taco seasoning!
I used this recipe on two pronghorn roasts. Cooked them for 5-6 hours in the slow cooker then took it out and put it all in the fridge. When I was ready to serve I separated the meat from the liquids. I reheated the meat in a skillet with a little veggie oil and broke the meat up with a wooden spoon. I then reduced the liquids down in a saucepan to make an amazing sauce that I drizzled over the meat and served with tortillas. Fantastic!!
Combined these seasonings with the liquids a little thick like a paste, slathered in on to a shoulder, wrapped in foil, and did it on indirect heat on the grill. Awe-some!
Made this in my Instant Pot. 30 minutes at high pressure with natural release. I reduced the amount of stock by about half since more moisture is retained. It probably could have used a few minutes longer, but still very good.
I’m making an overnight sous vide version of this tonight with 2017’s big doe. Very excited.
If using a neck roast, would you cook it whole or break it down into pieces? Mostly concerned with drying out the meat on the inside if left whole. I’ve been able to avoid this with shoulder roasts but this neck roast is next level. Making this for our Cinco de Mayo party. Thanks Hank!
Todd: Your call. I’d leave it whole to braise, then shred and mix with the sauce and some fresh lard. But you can certainly break it down in the beginning.
Any ideas for using the leftover broth? We froze it the first time we made the recipe and reused it the next time, but there has to be another use. It would be a shame to toss it out. Ideas?
Ryan: I keep some as a “master stock” that I reuse over and over. I do toss some, as I have limited freezer space. You can braise any meat in it, though.
Thanks for the advice, Hank. I’m excited to try it.
I saved a lot of duck legs over the course of the fall/winter. Should I go 3-4lbs instead of 2-3 because of the bones? I’m not quite sure how much I should compensate for that.
Rob: I’d go 4 pounds.
Could you do this in an instant pot in less time pressure cooking and still get the same flavor?
Casey: I have no idea. I generally don’t like pressure cookers, but I bet it would be OK.
Do you have any venison canning recipes. I don’t like the idea of losing all my venison meat if our power ever fails for an extended period of time. Never keep all your eggs in one basket.
I made this once with a bone-in venison roast and it was excellent. I have some boneless skinless Canada goose breasts, do you think those would work as a venison replacement ?
Bryan: No. Breast meat isn’t very good in this. Legs would be what you’d want. Next time, save some!
Agree with the above; go Low & Slow. I had a 2 kg piece of meat and did low in slow cooker for 5-6 hours. Shred and put back in juices while prepping everything else.
Awesome venison recipe. I like intense flavours so I removed the juices to a frying pan and reduced them while I pulled the shoulder meat. This made a sticky sauce that I then mixed through the pulled meat along with some bacon fat. Great result!
Jenna it sounds like you didn’t cook it long enough. I know the recipe calls for 3 hours in the slow cooker but I put it in first thing in the morning and let it cook all day. Venison is very lean and can take a while to start to come apart. Try it again. Trust me you won’t be disappointed. This is my favourite venison recipe and once you get it right you’ll be very impressed!
Not sure how I screwed this one up. I used what I had left which was a bone in neck roast from a young deer and a couple of ham steaks from a 3-5 year old doe. It was hard to shred the meat, it was somewhat chewy and not very flavorful. I used 2 peppers in about 2.5 pounds of meat.
I heard you bring this recipe up on the Hunt Backcountry podcast, really had my mouth watering. I have one question, you mention meat falling off the bone – can you clarify for me if you are leaving the meat on the scapula and putting that in the pot? Are you removing the shank as well or putting the whole leg in there? Guessing when you shred you pull out sinew at that point and don’t try cutting it out before you cook?
Marcus: It works with bone-in or boneless meat, and the sinew melts, so you don’t have to worry about it.
I stumbled across some older antelope roasts in the bottom of the deep freezer this past week and decided to try this recipe out of Buck Buck Moose. Overall I liked it however the vinegar/clove smell while cooking was a bit off putting. The meat didn’t fall apart (probably due to it being speedgoat) so I chopped it and added a little of the cooking mixture back with the meat to moisten. Overall pretty good.
I’ve never had anyone tell me my food was awesome…..until I made this! This will be my go-to party-meal for the foreseeable future.
This is THE best venison recipe for a party! Everyone loves tacos. And for those who think they don’t like venison, they are free to load up on more of the other ingredients without being rude.
I add beef lard to the crock pot at the beginning and it works great.
Great tasting and easy to throw together.
Howdy, Hank! Had all the boys over for a game dinner in February and rather than using up my valuable backstraps on that bunch of stinky, old duck hunters, I used a “lesser” cut and made the Barbacoa from your new cookbook. As I sometimes do, I tweaked it a bit (added a dash of cinnamon to the mix). Wow! What a fantastic recipe! Such great flavors. And the juice! Oh the juice! I could just sit down and drink a bucket of that juice. I thought I was making enough to ensure leftovers, but those guys kept going back until it was gone. Definitely a keeper.
I’m based in Brooklyn, NY – and my father-in-law from Wisconsin keeps my freezer stocked with venison. I’ve been playing around with a few different recipes…and have had some successes and some fails…but I’m often wishing for a more tender result. But this one….This one! I’ve got a new guru in you Mr. Shaw.
I have made this recipe twice and every time it comes out better. I’m making it again but instead of using back strap I’m using a deer neck. I usually cook mine for 10+ hours in a crock pot. Makes the meat even more tender and the juices stay in. I don’t use all the ingredients but I do use all the veggies and then some. Thank you for your recipe.
Thanks Hank-
For roasts you stated to chunk and braise – should I sear the meat at all or just put it in the crock pot at the same time as the add’l ingredients mentioned above?
Brent: I don’t sear the meat in this recipe, but it won’t hurt it if you do.
Looks good Hank – why not add lard in before you start the slow cooker though? First-timer w/ venison roasts – thanks for the recipe!
Brent: Because you won’t get a nice coating on the shredded meat if you do it that way.
Hank, I used an older deer shoulder, probably 5-6 pounds. Missed the part where you specified 2-3 pounds. Should I have doubled the amount for each ingredient? The meat doesn’t seem to be as flavorful as the first time I made it.
Taylor: Oops! Yep, you needed more flavorings for more meat.
My club in Benicia is full of Northern Shovelers. I normally pass them up, but would this be a good recipe for bay area spoonies?
Alec: If you skin them, sure. But I prefer leg meat of bird for this recipe. Better for snow geese or Canadas.
Been learning from and loving your book and blog recipes for a while Hank – thanks from everyone who benefits at our table! Question on cook times for anyone – the recipe suggests 2 hrs on high but I am used to 5-6 hour venison stews on low. Any observations on time/temp combos and how they impact texture and tenderness?
Brian: It’s hard to recommend something that distinct, as slow cookers are all different. I’d go with what you know.
We had this tonight and it was delicious. The shank I used was 3 pounds with bone. It definitely could have used a longer time frame, but after 3 hours most of it was very tender. The rest is still in the crock pot. The flavor is delicious.
Just put this on to cook. Sooo excited!
Wow I can’t wait to try this one out, I’ve got two fresh deer chopped up and ready to rock!
Fantastic recipe!! I’ve done this for New Year’s Eve parties and work potlucks. Even folks that are not familiar with venison were coming back for seconds!! Word of warning to any nursing mothers eating this, unless JR like his breakfast picante style, you may want to wait. (My friend’s wife loved it, nursing baby…not so much!)
The larder is empty, so I plan to make this with beef in preparation for a camping trip. What is the appropriate beef cut for this?
Made this with a venison whole neck roast today. It came out really good. I went to the local Mexican store and got some corn tortillas. I chopped some fresh red onions, cilantro, and limes. Great recipe…thanks Hank.
Any tips on how to cook this in a crockpot using a roast or flank? Seem to have a lot of them in the freezer but I’m afraid they’ll turn to leather in the crockpot.
Cube first? Low for longer?
Brad: Yep, cut into large chunks and braise in the crockpot until the meat shreds easily, about 5 to 8 hours.
Hi Hank,
I’ve made this dish 3 times now. It’s absolutely delicious! I’ve been adding duck fat to the meat after shredding it. I was wondering if I can use cleaned bacon fat (strained and boiled with water to remove the solids and salt). I hate throwing out the fat, so wasteful.
Christine
Christine: Sure, that’ll work.
The shoulders are my least favorite part of the deer to work up, especially if it’s not a huge deer. I can’t let anything waste, though. This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Phil – my buddy made this same mistake. Maybe Hank can clarify, but I think the recipe calls for 3-4 chipotles from the can, rather than 3-4 cans of chipotles!
Looks great. I think I would throw in some roasted green chilies myself.
I just made it in a pressure cooker with a big shoulder roast we got off a doe a few weeks ago. 3 cans of “chiptole in Adobe” (which is awesome BTW) was probably good for hanging out with the guys drinking cold beer and whiskey but proved a little too spicy for family dinner home with the toddlers. I emphasize a “little” – they still ate it and had seconds :). I was definitely sweating – would probably reduce the CIA to 1 or 2 cans. I did 4 hrs in the slow cooker then 30 mns or so on low pressure in the pressure cooker. Took it out and shredded it in between. You could probably reverse the order and it would still turn out great …
I need to try this next time I get an animal that I butcher myself (didn’t have time with the elk this year and took it to a butcher). Thing 1 is about old enough to hunt now, and has passed hunter safety. If she draws a youth doe tag, which I can all but guarantee her success on, we’ll do this for sure with a front leg.
When we’ve done pulled/shredded meat with domestic animals we found that putting the meat in the Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the metal paddle shreds the meat better than with a fork and it takes seconds. Meat must still be HOT. If it cools much at all it won’t shred right. A bit of the braising liquid also helps it to shred better. I would assume that work as well with wild game.
Hank , Thank you! I discovered your web page approx. 2 yrs ago. and I love your recipes. This Barbacoa is no exception! Excellent!
I heard you recently on the Wired To Hunt podcast. I tell my friends to listen to it and send them here as well!
Wayne in Alberta Canada
Love this recipie so much. Thank you. Used fallow and muntjac. It’s my fave dish at the moment keep cooking it for my friends.
used this recipe on a big ol stinky moose …..I couldn’t keep the kids from having seconds or third helpings. Do you have any suggestions for using the left over juice…it’s too good to throw out
James: Yes! Pour it into a quart mason jar, leave 2 inches of head space, seal and freeze. Use it over and over to braise your barbacoa from now on. Each time you do this, the barbacoa will be better…
Made this tonight. My husband and I were so hungry, and the venison smelled so good, that we basically stood around until it was cool enough to shred and then immediately started making tacos. I, personally, stood over the sink and ate mine. However, I did take the extra step (while inhaling my first two tacos) of reducing the cooking liquid down to about 2 cups or so and then poured that over the remaining meat. Ah-mazing.
looks awesome! we want to try it with pork..do we still use the beef stock? and is two hours enough? typically when i do pork in the slow cooker i do 6-8 hours. thanks!!
Danielle: I’d use chicken stock in that case. And cook it until it’s done, i.e., wants to fall apart.
This recipe is fantastic! I just made it last night. I made one adjustment though – I used coconut oil in place of lard and the subtle taste of coconut really went well in my opinion with the rest of the dish. I will definitely be making this again!
Just made this the first time for dinner on my birthday the other night, and it was amazing! We had four friends over and I was a bit worried that not everybody would like it, but I shouldn’t have been.
We served it like pulled pork with coleslaw and rolls, as well as the sour cream and coriander, and everybody literally cleaned their plates! Started with 1.8kg of meat and there was only just enough for one serve of leftovers 🙁
Thanks for the great recipes, look forward to trying another one soon!
This method for “Cook-All-Day” Venison has been one of my favorites for several years. Your seasoning combination sounds fabulous. I can’t wait to give it a try. Down here in South Texas, we’re huge fans of authentic barbacoa. Yum!
Kevin: I don’t have a lot of experience with pressure cookers, so I can’t really help you. Sorry!
Thoughts on using a pressure cooker for this recipe (and for venison stew meat generally)?
I am making this again. We love it! In fact, I’ve used all our shoulders and will have to move on to other cuts of venison.
Our little town store doesn’t carry a lot of “ethnic” foods. (It’s mostly an iceberg lettuce & velveeta crowd around here.) I found this recipe for peppers in adobo. Just thought I’d share it for others.
http://www.chipotlepeppers.net/info/homemade-chipotles-in-adobo-sauce
Gunna try this with a venison football roast.Do you think bacon fat would be good instead of lard??? Im a big fan of using it to brown my venison for stews and Chili.Not sure if it would overpower this dish though
Pete: Should work fine.
Hank, how do you think this recipe would work with jackrabbit?
This recipe tasted amazing. I cooked the meat off the bone as didnt have the space for the shin in my pot. And we cant get tinned Chipotles in adobo where i live so used chipotle paste. Making again for the inlaws this weekend =D
just got done doing the dishes from this meal and it was fantastic. Didn’t have any lard on hand to stir in so I rendered some duck necks from the freezer and drizzled that unctuous gold on the strands of meat. Top 5 venison recipe of all time.
Made this recipe over the weekend with Venison. Turned out great! Well balanced, delicious. I’m sure i’ll make it again. Thanks Hank!
Just missed you in Minneapolis at the Bachelor Farmer, I’ll make sure to be there next time.
Thanks again,
Brett
Hank- This looks great! I’ve done something similar with a front shoulder but smoked it for an hour first. I then finished it in the oven with seasonings and liquid. It just pulls apart and breaks down any other tissue that is usually a pain to trim around. I like your seasoning choices and will go with that the next time. Great recipe, site, and blog.
I have a slow cooker and often make beef barbacoa, usually just add a Little wáter and that´s it.
Also have some iron dutch ovens, and have seen that most récipes use them for slow cooking inside the oven. Can it be used on the stove top at low heat, or would it take too much or wouldn´t be the same?
William: Either, but I did bone-in. I did not remove much silverskin, just the really gnarly stuff on the outside of the shoulder.
Brian: Good idea!
JHowe: Another good idea! May wait for that until summer, when I can dry it outdoors.
This sounds very similar to a local (Botswana) beef dish called Seswaa – which cooks tough old beef for hours with simple flavourings that depend on what is available and nearly always include cloves. The cooked meat is stripped off the bones and pounded to shred it. Very, very meaty flavours !
Saludos from north central Mexico Hank. May I suggest a venison machaca one of these days? Probably right up your alley.
Lately I have been using more of the cuts that I normally grind and braising them super slow like this. I have found neck roasts work really well for this type of application as well.
Bone in or off on the venison? If off (which I assume is the case), do you trim off the silver skin or does it cook down through the long cook time? Thanks!
Nathan: Because it will get diluted by the broth when it cooks. You want it to completely coat the strands of pulled venison after it’s been cooked. That won’t happen if you just add the lard to the pot.
Sean: Yes and no. Carnitas does start like this, but you finish it by browning one side of the meat in a wide, shallow pan. Carnitas also has different spices going on…
So this is essentially step one of making carnitas? If you were to continue to cook the meat in the fat, you’d get venison carnitas?
I adore meat like this! I really need to invest in a slow cooker, Mmm!!
Thanks Hank. I’ve been looking for a good mexican venison recipe. I’ve tried venison chili colorado and carne asada with mixed results. Just curious why the lard goes in at the end rather than during cooking?