• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peak to Plate
  • Spring Favorites
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Spring Favorites
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Spring Favorites
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Peak to Plate » All Wild Game

    Shredded Venison Street Tacos

    Published: Dec 16, 2020 · Modified: Apr 5, 2022 by Annie Weisz · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe

    I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but tacos are my absolute favorite food. I've never met a taco I didn't like. Yes, some are certainly fancier than others but they all have their place in my book (belly). This one is definitely on the more labor intensive end, but you get what you put into it. There's a lot going on flavor-wise in these tacos. Guajillo and pasilla chiles are both known for their fruity, earthy, smoky flavor. But, they both have their own unique flavor profiles and aromas. When combined, they make the perfect base for these tacos.

    3 shredded venison tacos on white plate with lime wedges.

    The cooking method for these tacos is something special. The chile sauce is so full of flavor on its own. But then you caramelize it in the cooking fat from the meat and it fills your kitchen with the most intoxicating aroma. Adding the cinnamon sticks to the sauce and slow cooking it all day creates the most amazing smell. If I could bottle it up and make it into a candle, I'd burn that thing every day. No kidding.

    guajillo chiles
    guajillo chiles
    chiles after microwaving
    chile seeds and stems
    chile sauce ingredients in blender
    chile sauce on spoon
    chile sauce cooking in pan
    blade roast in chile sauce with bay leaves and cinnamon sticks

    Bone-in blade roasts are the perfect cut of meat for tacos. It's an awkward cut to work with if you're not a skilled butcher so it often ends up going into the grind pile. But, you can save yourself a lot of work if you leave it whole instead. When shoulders are cooked low and slow, fully immersed in liquid, they becomes so tender and shred effortlessly.

    raw venison blade roast
    shoulder blade removed from meat after cooking
    shredding venison blade roast
    shredded taco meat

    This recipe can be cooked in a crockpot, but I prefer to use the "OG crock pot" (dutch oven) because it's my favorite. There's something special about dutch oven cooking that I really enjoy. Plus, it's nice to be able to move it from the stove to the fridge, back to the stove, and in the oven while only dirtying one dish.

    Oh pickled onions... If you've been following along for a while now, you'll see that I really do love these things. I'd probably put them on everything if I could. They're so simple to make but really pack a punch in the flavor department. They're perfect for these tacos because they add a nice acidic crunch to balance out the richness of the meat. Sure you could just do plain diced onions, but where's the fun in that?

    pickling marinade boiling
    pickled onions in jar

    My husband says I go too crazy with taco toppings so I tried to rein it in this time and just focus on the meat. It pains me to say this, but he's right. The simplicity of the toppings are the perfect compliment to the meat without overpowering it. In the end, the meat is what you really came here for, right?

    shredded venison street tacos

    Here's a link to my favorite store-bought corn tortillas. If you can find them at your grocery store, you won't be disappointed! Oh, and don't forget to serve your tacos with an ice cold Modelo and a lime wedge. Enjoy!

    3 shredded venison tacos on white plate with lime wedges.

    Shredded Venison Street Tacos

    Annie Weisz
    Guajillo and pasilla chiles give these tacos a rich, complex flavor. Topped with acidic, crunchy pickled onions and queso fresco - you can't go wrong!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hr
    Cook Time 10 hrs
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 16 tacos
    Calories 248 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • dutch oven or crock pot

    Ingredients
      

    Chile Sauce

    • 6 large guajillo chiles (more if they're small)
    • 4 large pasilla chiles (more if they're small)
    • 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
    • 1 onion, quartered
    • 3 chipotles in adobo sauce
    • 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • ½ cup olive oil

    Meat

    • 1 bone-in venison blade roast
    • freshly ground salt and pepper
    • 2 tablespoon lard (or oil)

    Other Marinade Ingredients

    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 6 cups stock

    Pickled Onions

    • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
    • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Other Ingredients

    • 2 ripe avocados, sliced
    • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
    • 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
    • lime wedges
    • 16 corn tortillas

    Instructions
     

    • Place chiles and garlic in microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1.5 minutes or until chiles are soft and flexible. Remove stems and seeds from chiles. Peel garlic. Add chiles and garlic to blender. Add remaining chile sauce ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
    • Season blade roast all over with salt and pepper. Heat lard or oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
    • Sear blade roast on all sides possible until browned, about 2 minutes per side. They are a unique shape, so just do your best to get all of the sides.
    • Remove blade roast to plate. Add more lard to dutch oven if there is not enough left to coat the bottom of the pan. Add in chile sauce. Stir frequently until fragrant and slightly browned.
    • Add in broth, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves. Stir until combined. Add blade roast to sauce and make sure liquid covers the whole roast. Refrigerate overnight or continue to next step.
    • Preheat oven to 250°F. Heat dutch oven with meat and marinade over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Cover and place in oven for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender and falls off the bone.
    • Remove meat to a plate and shred. Strain broth through a fine mesh strainer. Use a spoon to push as much of the chile sauce through the strainer as possible. Use a spatula to scrape the outside of the strainer. The goal is to still get as much of the sauce back into the pan, but remove any gritty pieces. Add sauce and meat back to dutch oven and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.
    • While meat is cooking, make pickled onions. Do this early on in the cooking process or the day ahead so they have enough time to marinate and cool down. Combine all ingredients except onions in a small saucepan. Heat until boiling and sugar has dissolved. Put sliced onions in quart size glass jar. Pour vinegar mixture over onions. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.
    • Warm tortillas. To each tortilla, add shredded meat, cheese, pickled onions, avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
    • If you somehow manage to have leftovers, this taco meat freezes great in a quart-size zippered bag.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 17gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 330mgPotassium: 464mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1317IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 3mg
    Nutrition Information Disclosure
    Love this recipe?Mention @peak.to.plate on Instagram and tag #peaktoplate

    More Recipes:

    • halibut green curry in white bowl with wood spoon.
      Halibut Green Curry
    • venison mushroom hand pie cut open.
      Venison and Wild Mushroom Hand Pies with Stout Beer
    • elk french onion meatballs on sourdough toasts.
      Elk French Onion Meatballs
    • sliced venison tenderloin on white rectangle plate.
      Simple Cast Iron Venison Tenderloin

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    posing with whitetail doe

    Hi, I'm Annie! I'm a wife, mom of 2 boys, Registered Dietitian, Wyoming native, lover of all things food, and the creator of Peak to Plate. I believe that preparing delicious meals and enjoying them mindfully is the best way to pay respect to animals harvested for our consumption. I hope to inspire you to take your cooking skills to new creative heights.

    More about me →

    Follow Me:

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Spring Recipes

    • miso halibut with shiitakes and green onions.
      Easy Broiled Miso Halibut
    • sliced medium rare elk steak with chipotle butter.
      Elk Steak with Chipotle Compound Butter
    • venison poke bowl with chopsticks.
      Venison Poke Bowls
    • elk meatballs with stout and mushroom gravy in cast iron pan.
      Elk Meatballs with Stout and Mushroom Gravy
    • cutting into breakfast strata on plate.
      Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)
    • corned venison hash with horseradish sauce.
      Corned Venison Hash with Horseradish Cream Sauce

    Featured On:

    company logos peak to plate is featured at.

    Popular Posts:

    • cooked venison Italian sausage in bowl.
      Ground Venison Italian Sausage
    • stack of elk quesadillas with guacamole.
      Ground Elk Quesadillas
    • marinated shiitake mushrooms in jar with ginger.
      Soy-Marinated Shiitake Mushrooms
    • smoked trout on plate with tail and honey dipper.
      Honey Smoked Rainbow Trout with Dry Brine
    • pork lard on spoon with jars in background.
      Homemade Pork Lard (Rendered Pork Fat)
    • sliced venison backstrap on slate board.
      Perfect Venison Backstrap
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Spring Favorites
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Subscribe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Amazon Store

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Need Help?

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Disclosures

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Peak to Plate, LLC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED