The Best Venison Barbacoa Tacos
Taco Tuesday just got better with these Venison Barbacoa Tacos! Tender shredded venison roast flavored with spices and lime makes a delicious filling for deer tacos, enchiladas, or burritos. This venison barbacoa taco recipe is perfect for that venison neck roast in your freezer. Plus, the slow cooker does most of the work for you. It slow cooks this venison roast to perfect tender and juicy melt in your mouth perfection. If you love Mexican food, you are going to love these venison barbacoa tacos!WHAT IS VENISON BARBACOA?Barbacoa is the Spanish word for barbecue. It generally refers to meats cooked over an open fire, being careful to keep the meat far enough from the flames so that it cooks low and slow and is infused with the smoke flavor of whatever wood is being used.In Mexico, barbacoa is a specific cooking style in which meat is slowly cooked in a pit dug into the ground and covered with agave leaves. This makes it similar to kalua pork in Hawaii. Barbacoa made in the traditional Mexican manner can take most of the day to prepare, and it is usually reserved for special occasions or eaten at restaurants that start the cooking process the night before. Many home cooks in Mexico have adapted barbacoa into a sort of pot roast. However, that’s where the comparison ends. Not only is it seasoned completely different, but it is also presented and eaten completely different too.Barbacoa is typically made out of tougher cuts of meat that require long, slow cooking times. Because of that, I've found a venison neck roast is the perfect choice to make these venison barbacoa tacos.HOW TO MAKE VENISON BARBACOA TACOS1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sear the neck until it is brown all over.2. Put neck roast and all other ingredients in a slow cooker and cook, covered, on the HIGH setting, until the meat falls off the bone, between 6 and 8 hours.3. Pull all the meat from the bones and shred with forks or tongs. Discard the bones. Serve with tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or on top of a burrito bowl.MORE VENISON RECIPESYou can also check out one of our daughter's favorite venison recipes – Venison Big Mac Tacos or Venison Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos) or these Venison Sausage Breakfast Tacos. Do you have a favorite recipe for deer tacos? If you would like to come to North Dakota and experience a great hunt, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here. CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYIf you make this Venison Barbacoa Tacos recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Venison Barbacoa Tacos Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE – JUST ABOVE THE PRINT RECIPE BUTTON!
Ingredients
- 1 venison neck roast (deer or antelope)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 cups venison or beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sear the neck until it is brown all over.
- Put neck roast and all other ingredients in a slow cooker and cook, covered, on the HIGH setting, until the meat falls off the bone, between 6 and 8 hours.
- Pull all the meat from the bones and shred with forks or tongs. Discard the bones. Serve with tacos, enchiladas, burritos, or on top of a burrito bowl.
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