Easy Venison Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce

What better way to end the day than with a big old batch of these Easy Venison Enchiladas with Poblano Sauce.

Enchiladas are one of the most popular items on Mexican restaurant menus, and always a favorite dish to order. But we're always faced with that monumental question — chicken or beef? If you're like me, you find yourself mulling over the big decision while double-dipping your fourth warm and crispy tortilla chip in the bowl of salsa the server just delivered just a minute ago. But what if you could use some of that venison in your freezer and make deer meat enchiladas or elk enchiladas at home?

I have to admit that although I do love this homemade enchilada recipe, I do miss the free chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant! You can be like me and ask your Alexa advice to play some Mexican music to help get you in the mood for making a homemade Tex-Mex meal.

Poblano Sauce

Poblano peppers are a mild variety of chile pepper and my choice for the sauce used to top these enchiladas I assembled on a mild 50-degree day here in Fargo, North Dakota. Why is it the more extreme the weather, the more susceptible we are to cook spicy food?

The venison enchiladas and the poblano sauce are lovely in their simplicity, which is right up my alley when I look up at the clock and see that it's 3:00 p.m. and I haven't made a plan for supper yet. I'd been dawdling while trying to finish the latest Joe Pickett novel.

I used the bright green poblano sauce to smother flour tortillas rolled around melty, gooey cheese and shredded meat from a venison roast that had been thawing out in my freezer since Sunday.

Homemade Enchiladas Made Easy

For my version of homemade enchiladas, I wanted a recipe that didn't contain as many steps as others but didn't shortcut flavor. I started with pressure cooking the small deer roast, until it was tender and shredded easily. Since enchilada sauce from a can is far too acidic for my gut, and most homemade recipes require a lot of work, I used a few simple spices to bolster the fresh poblanos for heat and complexity.

Roasting poblanos, onions, and garlic before blending them added depth to the sauce. I also skipped the painstaking step of scraping off the blackened skins of the poblanos. By pureeing them until smooth, the skins weren't bothersome at all. I also added a little sugar to the sauce to prevent the sourness I've found when I followed other homemade enchilada sauce recipes in the past.

Pressure Cooker Venison Roast

I love my Pressure Cooker as much as the next person. Really! They help make all venison roast recipes like this one come together much, much faster. 

And just to be clear, this pressure cooker venison roast recipe is not sponsored by Nesco or Instant Pot in any way. Feel free to use any kind of electric pressure cooker you want! I don’t care what brand it is, just get your hands on one. A pressure cooker venison roast is deliciously tender, and easy to shred meat faster than any other way I know of.

Why This Pressure Cooker Enchilada Recipe Works

From cooking the venison roast in the pressure cooker to making the enchiladas AND baking it all together in just over an hour. That’s makes it doable for a weeknight meal with the family.

How To Make Venison Enchiladas

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the venison roast pieces in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Then, in a smaller bowl, stir together cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle this spice mixture all over the venison and toss to coat.

3. Turn your pressure cooker to Sauté and add in 1 tablespoon of oil. Use tongs to lay the venison pieces into the pot. Let each side of the meat sear for about 3 minutes. Add the beef broth to the pot.

4. Set the pressure cook setting on high. Cover, lock the lid, and cook for 30 minutes. Important Note: Do NOT forget to put it on the high setting. The regular setting will take 60 minutes to get the venison roast nice and tender. Once it is finished cooking, don't touch it right away! Keep the lid closed and locked and allow for 15 minutes of natural pressure release. This extra time is important because it allows the pressure cooker to continue to work its magic on the venison roast before you open it up to shred the meat.

5. While the venison roast is cooking, make the Poblano Sauce. Toss the poblano, onion, and garlic with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Place the three items on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until soft.

6. Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour to make a thick paste. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

7. Slowly add the warm half and half and warm chicken broth. Simmer and continue to whisk constantly until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.

8. Add creamy mixture to a blender or food processor with the roasted vegetables from step two. Add the spinach and ½ teaspoon each black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Pulse until smooth, then transfer back to the saucepan until the meat is done cooking.

9. Open the lid of the pressure cooker carefully and transfer the meat to a mixing bowl and shred with tongs or two forks. Add half the shredded cheese and ½ cup of the poblano sauce to the bowl. Stir to combine.

10. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and spread a thin layer of the poblano sauce over the bottom. Fill each tortilla with meat mixture and roll up, then place seam side down in the baking dish. Cover with remaining poblano sauce and cheese.

11. Bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and hot. Add your favorite toppings like sour cream and serve!

More Great Venison Recipes

If you are looking for more great ideas on how to cook with some of that venison in your freezer, be sure and check out these family favorites:

• Easy Pizza Roll Ups
• Deer BBQ Sandwiches with Pimento Cheese
• Shawarma Spiced Deer Shanks
• Venison Rogan Josh
• Venison Shank Frito Pie
• Venison Tikka Masala
• Venison Pinchos Morunos

Come Deer Hunting in North Dakota

If you are headed our way for North Dakota deer season, 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.

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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE

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