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    Peak to Plate » All Wild Game

    Venison Barbacoa Tacos

    Published: Oct 2, 2021 · Modified: Apr 5, 2022 by Annie Weisz · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    I've said it before (literally every time I make tacos) and I'll say it again: tacos are the perfect food. What's not to love about flavorful meat tucked inside a warm tortilla with fresh toppings and a squeeze of lime? Wash it down with a cold cerveza and you can't go wrong. This slow-cooked venison barbacoa makes the best tacos. You'll see.

    3 venison barbacoa tacos on wood plate.
    Jump to:
    • What is barbacoa?
    • How to slow cook venison:
    • Toppings for venison barbacoa tacos:
    • Other Taco Recipes to Try:
    • Venison Barbacoa Tacos
    venison barbacoa ingredients

    What is barbacoa?

    Barbacoa is Spanish for "barbecue" but traditional barbacoa is actually cooked in an underground oven. The standard American version is usually cooked in a crockpot with a few seasonings. There are many variations of barbacoa out there ranging in cooking methods and ingredients used but the common ingredient in all of them is time. Traditional barbacoa is a labor of love while the common barbacoa recipes you see are fairly simple to make. This recipe is somewhere in between. It takes a little more effort to make the chile sauce rather than dumping a few ingredients in a crock pot. But once you get the chile sauce made, it's a fairly simple process as it is made in a crock pot as well.

    The chile sauce starts with some softened pasilla chiles, garlic, onion, tomato, chipotles, orange juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and lard. That mixture gets blended up and added to some stock. A few other spices are added in and it's ready to work its magic on a venison roast.

    pasilla chiles with lime and orange
    barbacoa chile sauce in blender

    How to slow cook venison:

    Venison is best cooked either hot and fast or low and slow. There is no in between. Since it is such a lean meat, it either needs to be served rare to medium-rare to keep its tenderness or cooked completely for many hours to break down the muscle tissue. Once you've gotten into fully-cooked territory, it will need some time and moist heat to become tender again. This barbacoa sauce/marinade is great for tenderizing venison because it's full of flavor, has some citrus to tenderize the meat, and has some lard added in for extra moisture. The lard melts into the sauce and meat and helps create the illusion of using a fattier meat like beef or pork.

    shredded venison barbacoa
    searing venison round in pan
    venison barbacoa in crock pot

    Toppings for venison barbacoa tacos:

    I'll be the first to admit that I go a little crazy on toppings for tacos. But I've been trying to tone it down lately. For these barbacoa tacos, I chose a few simple toppings so that the focus is on the meat. First, I warm up some of my favorite corn tortillas. They're made with a mixture of corn and wheat so they have the softness of a flour tortilla with the flavor of a corn tortilla. They're perfect! Add a good amount of shredded meat to the tortillas. Remember, the focus is on the meat, not the toppings. For toppings, these tacos have a bit of diced onion, radish slices, cilantro, and salsa verde. Squeeze some fresh lime over the top and enjoy!

    squeezing lime over tacos
    3 venison barbacoa tacos on wood plate.

    Other Taco Recipes to Try:

    • elk heart tacos with jalapenos and avocado crema.
      Grilled Elk Heart Tacos
    • 3 ground venison tacos on avocado print paper.
      Easy Ground Wild Game Tacos
    • 3 shredded venison tacos on white plate with lime wedges.
      Shredded Venison Street Tacos
    • trout taco on blue plate.
      Brook Trout Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Crema

    If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to me and fellow readers. And if you want more delicious, wild game recipes you can subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram and Pinterest!

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    3 venison barbacoa tacos on wood plate.

    Venison Barbacoa Tacos

    Annie Weisz
    Is there a more perfect food than tacos? I don't think so. This venison barbacoa is so flavorful and tender. It's the perfect base for some amazing tacos!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 12 hrs
    Total Time 12 hrs 15 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 6
    Calories 499 kcal
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    Ingredients
      

    Barbacoa:

    • 2 lb venison top round (or other roast cut)
    • salt and pepper, to taste
    • 2 tablespoon lard, divided
    • 6 pasilla chiles
    • 6 cloves garlic
    • 1 medium yellow onion, cut into quarters
    • 1 medium tomato, cored and cut into quarters
    • 3 chipotles in adobo sauce
    • 1 orange, juiced
    • 1 lime, juiced
    • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 cups stock (wild game or beef)
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 2 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoon oregano

    Other Ingredients:

    • 18 corn tortillas
    • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
    • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
    • 1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
    • ¾ cup salsa verde
    • 3 limes, cut into wedges

    Instructions
     

    • Season venison all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon lard in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sear roast for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.
    • Soak chiles in a bowl of boiling water for 15-20 minutes. Place a plate or bowl on top to keep them submerged. Once chiles are softened, remove seeds and stems. Place chiles in blender.
    • Add garlic, onion, tomato, chipotles, orange juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon lard to blender. Blend on high until mixture is smooth.
    • Pour sauce mixture into crock pot. Add in stock, cumin, and oregano and stir until well-combined. Add in venison roast. Make sure roast is fully submerged or at least covered with the sauce. Add in bay leaves.
    • Cover and place crock pot insert in fridge and refrigerate overnight or cook immediately.
    • Cook on low in crock pot for 10-12 hours or until tender and easy to shred. Flip the roast a few times during cooking. You can also cut the roast into smaller pieces to speed up the process.
    • Shred meat and place in a bowl. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Discard solids. Place meat back into crockpot with sauce and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to warm the meat back up and allow it to soak up the sauce.
    • Divide meat among warm corn tortillas and top with desired toppings. Squeeze fresh lime juice over tacos. Enjoy!
    • To freeze meat: add meat to a freezer zippered bag. Squeeze out any excess air and freeze flat. Store upright once frozen and freeze for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 43gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 502mgPotassium: 1184mgFiber: 10gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3406IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 137mgIron: 8mg
    Nutrition Information Disclosure
    Love this recipe?Mention @peak.to.plate on Instagram and tag #peaktoplate
    Jump to:
    • What is barbacoa?
    • How to slow cook venison:
    • Toppings for venison barbacoa tacos:
    • Other Taco Recipes to Try:
    • Venison Barbacoa Tacos

    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

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    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.

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