Carne Asada Venison Street Tacos

Carne Asada Venison:

1-2 lbs ground venison

Marinade (small batch – sufficient for up to 2 lbs of meat):

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ancho chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp mexican oregano

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 Tbsp minced jalapeno

2 Tbsp white vinegar

1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped onion

Tortillas

5 - 8 scallion corn tortillas (per pound of meat)

Toppings

Fresh chopped cilantro (leaves only)

Thinly sliced or diced white onion

Thinly sliced purple cabbage

Squeeze or two of fresh lime juice

Chipotle adobo crema

Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Pour into separate plastic bags containing steaks, loins, or backstraps and marinate up to 24 hours, or add directly to the ground venison at the time of cooking as we did during the wild game cook off.  Lightly oil a cast iron skillet over high heat and brown the venison hot and fast, and then pour in the marinade as soon as the venison is almost cooked. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the marinade reduces, and then remove from heat and let rest ~10 minutes. Serve on a truffle tortilla with toppings and crema to taste.

Scallion Tortillas (small batch – 8 street taco size, ~ 4 ½” - 5”)

1 cup masa harina

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1 ½ Tbsp lard (melted)

1 Tbsp scallions, thinly sliced

2/3 cup water

Combine the masa, salt, lard, sliced scallions in a bowl; mix slightly.  Slowly add water while mixing until the dough forms roughly into a ball. If the dough is too dry, and water one tablespoon at a time. Place dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth, ~ 1-2 minutes.  Form quickly into a ‘brick’ and cut into eight even pieces and roll into balls. Place pieces of heavy duty (thick) plastic on the tortilla press (dough ball between the plastic) and press (not to thin or they won’t separate from the plastic).  Cook over medium-high heat until light brown spots appear, flip and repeat. Wrap the tortillas to keep them warm. If cool, the tortillas should be slightly reheated before use to avoid cracking when formed into a taco.  

Chipotle Adobo Crema

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup crema Mexicana

2 Tbsp minced chipotles and adobo sauce

Mix or blend until a nice smooth consistency.  Add to plastic squeeze bottle for dressing/plating.  

Homemade Wild Boar Chorizo:

1-2 lbs ground wild boar 

Marinade (small batch – sufficient for up to 2 lbs of meat):

2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

1 large chipotle pepper (canned)

1 Tbsp chipotle adobo sauce (canned)

½ Tbsp dried Mexican oregano

1 ½ Tbsp cider vinegar

1 ½ Tbsp achiote paste coarsely chopped

1 ½ Tbsp chili powder

1 ½ Tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp allspice

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp butter 

Tortillas

5 - 8 black truffle corn tortillas (per pound of meat)

Toppings

Fresh chopped green parsley (leaves only)

Thinly sliced red (Spanish) onion

Thinly sliced red bell pepper

Sour cream or Mexican crema

Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl and combine well.  Pour into separate plastic bags containing steaks, loins, or backstraps and marinate up to 24 hours, or add directly to the ground boar prior to cooking and combine well.  When mixing the grind, your hands will work the best, however wear gloves as the achiote paste will stain your hands!  The grind and marinade can be stored or rested in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to a few hours.  When ready to cook, lightly oil a cast iron skillet over high heat and brown the wild boar hot and fast ensuring you stir the meat frequently and keep an eye on it to avoid burning.  Cook until done however do not overcook to avoid drying out the meat, and then remove from heat and let rest ~10 minutes. Serve on a truffle corn tortilla with toppings and crema to taste. 

Black Truffle and Truffle Oil Tortillas (small batch – 8 street taco size, ~ 4 ½” - 5”)

1 cup masa harina

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1 ½ Tbsp lard (melted)

1/2 Tbsp of minced preserved black truffles

1/2 tsp truffle oil

2/3 cup water

Combine the masa, salt, lard, minced truffles and truffle oil in a bowl; mix slightly.  Slowly add water while mixing until the dough forms roughly into a ball.  If the dough is too dry, and water one tablespoon at a time. Place dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth, ~ 1-2 minutes.  Form quickly into a ‘brick’ and cut into eight even pieces and roll into balls.  Place pieces of heavy duty (thick) plastic on the tortilla press (dough ball between the plastic) and press (not to thin or they won’t separate from the plastic).  Cook over medium-high heat until light brown spots appear, flip and repeat.  Wrap the tortillas to keep them warm.  If cool, the tortillas should be slightly reheated before use to avoid cracking when formed into a taco. 

 Game Meat:

2 whole pheasants, fully plucked and dressed

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsps cumin

2 tsps coriander

2 bay leaves

2 tsps ancho chili powder

1 tsps garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsps dried mexican oregano

1 tsp dried sage

1 cup diced sweet onion

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp minced jalapeno

1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn

1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies

2 cans (14.5 oz) black beans, drained

6 cups low sodium chicken stock

3 cups of water

1 large chicken bouillon cube

4 Tbsp tomato paste

4 Tbsp masa

4 corn tortillas cut into small squares or strips

Rub the pheasants with the vegetable (or canola) oil and then lightly salt and pepper.  Roast in a preheated oven at 325 F for 18-20 minutes for larger birds or slightly less for smaller birds.  You want to get them golden brown without overcooking and drying them out.  Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle, then shred the meat and reserve.  For the next steps, I simply use the "everyone in the pool" approach, with a couple exceptions.  Add the 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to a hot pot (usually medium high heat) and saute the onion, bell peppers, minced garlic, and jalapeno for 3-4 minutes,  Then carefully add the seasonings (with the exception of the bay leaves) and stir another 1-2 mins to incorporate and "bloom" the herbs. Then add the chicken broth, water, diced tomatoes and chilies (including the liquid in the can), the shredded pheasant meat, black beans, tomato paste, bouillon cube, and bay leaves and bring to a boil while stirring occasionally.  Once boiling, immediately reduce to a simmer (typically low to low-medium heat) and continue to simmer for 50 minutes.  Then mix the masa with a small amount of water and stir into the pot to ensure it's thoroughly incorporated. Then add the sweet corn and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes  or until appropriately thickened.  Remember to taste the soup at this stage and adjust any seasonings you might want to at this point.  In the last 5-8 minutes of cooking, add in the tortilla strips and carefully stir as well to avoid breaking them up.  Then you are ready to serve and your family and guests can add any or all of the toppings listed below to taste. 

Toppings

fresh chopped cilantro leaves

fresh lime wedges for squeezing

sour cream

fresh cut or sliced avocado

grated monterey jack cheese

6 oz fresh chanterelle mushrooms, roughly chopped/diced

6 oz fresh portabella mushroom, roughly chopped/diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp shallots, minced

sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Tortilla

8 black truffle and truffle oil corn tortillas (reference the wild boar chorizo recipe)

Toppings

Fresh chopped cilantro (leaves only)

Avocado and cilantro crema (reference the al pastor elk recipe)

The mushrooms should be coarsely chopped and no smaller than 1/4-1/2” cubes to best mimic meat while retaining the beauty and aesthetics of the mushrooms. Add oil and butter to a pan over medium-high heat followed by the remaining ingredients and quickly sauté, ~3-4 minutes until just slightly cooked through. Remove from heat and let stand until ready for use. The carryover heat will continue to cook and steam the mushrooms so be careful not to overcook in order to retain the firm meaty quality.  Assemble taco for the best presentation.

Game Meat:

2 lbs ground venison (fortified ~15% pork fat)

Ingredients:

6 oz prosciutto hock, chopped

1 sweet onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 anaheim chilies, diced

1 pasilla pepper, diced

2 Tbsp roasted garlic

1 x 28 oz can crushed tomato

1 x 28 oz can diced tomato

1 x 6 oz can tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

1 cup chocolate bock beer

1 x 15.5 oz can kidney beans, drained

1 x 15.5 oz can pinto beans, drained

1 x 15.5 oz can black beans, drained

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

4 Tbsp chili powder

1  1/2 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp coriander

1  1/2 Tbsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1  1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3 bay leaves

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

Place the butter, olive oil, and vegetable oil in a hot pan, over medium-high heat, followed by the sweet onion, red bell pepper, anaheim chilies, pasilla peppers, salt, and pepper.  Saute the vegetables for 3-5 minutes until sweated and partially translucent.  Then add the venison and prosciutto, stirring and sauteing regularly to cook and lightly brown the meat, while caramelizing the vegetables.  When the venison is lightly browned and mostly cooked, add the roasted garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper, stirring for another 1-2 minutes to bloom the herbs and spices.  Then add the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and beer.  Stir to incorporate all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Once simmering, reduce to medium heat and add the kidney, pinto, and black beans, along with the bay leaves, stir well and bring back to a simmer.  Once simmering, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching the chili.  After that time has elapsed, turn the heat to low and add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, stirring well to combine, and simmer for another 20-25 minutes checking regularly  again to avoid any scorching due to the added sugars.  Reduce heat if needed.  Towards the end of the simmering process be sure to taste and adjust any flavors or salt content as needed.  Additionally, you may want to 'fish' out the bay leaves at this point, although I leave them in to continue to develop flavor as the chili sits.  Be sure to remove them when serving however.  Store any unused chili in the refrigerator.  

Toppings

shredded apple wood smoked cheddar cheese

sweet onion, diced