This past hunting season, I did a time-saving, life-changing thing: I made venison taco meat in bulk. While this may not seem huge to you, let me tell ya–having dozens of pre-seasoned taco meat packages in the freezer is comforting on so many levels, because, you know…. #tacosarelife—especially lean, healthy venison tacos.
And now that you know how much I love tacos, let me tell you how much my kids love them.
Just kidding. Let’s jump to the seasoning recipe and instructions!
Venison Taco Meat (Bulk)
Recipe for bulk (10 lbs.) venison taco meat
Ingredients
- 7 lbs venison bits (chilled)
- 3 lbs pork shoulder bits (or pork butt) (partially frozen)
- 1 1/2 cups ice water
- 4 tbsp Kosher salt *Please see Instruction #4 regarding testing the mixture, especially if you are sensitive to salt or spice.
- 6 tbsp red chili powder
- 4 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Pasilla chili powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like heat!)
Instructions
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Grind venison and pork bits together according to your grinder's instructions. (We like to run it through twice--coarse grind first time, fine grind second time.)
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Measure out all spices into a jar or other lidded container. Close lid and shake well.
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Add spice mixture to the ground meat and mix. Add the ice water and continue mixing until thoroughly combined. (You will need to spend quite a bit of time mixing by hand if you don't have a meat mixer! See my note below for info on the meat mixer we like.)
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Fry up a small amount of the seasoned taco meat to taste test. (You can also do a taste test before you mix up all 10 lbs. of the meat by seasoning 1/2 lb. ground venison with 1 Tbsp. of the spice mixture. Adjust salt and seasonings to taste.)
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Measure out one- or two-pound portions and wrap with plastic wrap and butcher paper, or vacuum seal for the freezer. To cook, thaw completely and cook in large pan over medium-high heat, turning meat occassionally, until no longer pink. Serve in soft or hard taco shells with all your favorite fixings.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Feel free to share your favorite toppings for venison tacos in the comments below!
Here’s the meat-processing equipment we like to use for our game meat:
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