SaveGround venison tacos
Smoky, juicy ground venison tacos seasoned with chipotle, cumin and garlic, piled into warm corn tortillas with crunchy onion, cilantro, queso fresco and lime. A splash of oil and a little tomato paste keep lean deer meat moist, and dinner is ready in 20 minutes.
- Prep
- 6 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 4
- Per serve
- 380 kcal
Method
Amounts in the steps are for the original 4 servings. Use the ingredient list for your amounts.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the venison and yellow onion and cook, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until browned and the onion is soft, about 6 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, oregano, salt and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant and the paste darkens.
Pour in the water, scrape up the browned bits and simmer, stirring now and then, until saucy and the meat reaches 160°F, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and taste for salt.
While the meat simmers, warm the tortillas one or two at a time in a dry skillet or directly over a gas flame, about 20 seconds per side, and stack them in a clean kitchen towel.
Fill each tortilla with venison and top with white onion, cilantro and queso fresco. Serve with lime wedges.
Tips
- Venison is very lean, so the oil and the simmer in a little liquid keep it juicy instead of crumbly and dry. If your ground venison was mixed with pork or beef fat at the processor, you can skip the oil.
- Cook ground venison to 160°F, the same safe temperature the USDA gives for other ground meats. Check with an instant-read thermometer in a spoonful pressed together.
- No venison? Ground bison or 90% lean ground beef work with the same timing. For a dairy-free taco, swap the queso fresco for sliced avocado.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 31 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Saturated fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 550 mg
Estimated from USDA data for 1 of 4 servings. Doesn't include salt to taste or anything listed “to serve”.
Made it? Rate it
Tap a star to rate this recipe.
Gear that helps
- Instant-read thermometer Takes the guesswork out of doneness.
- Citrus squeezer Every drop of juice, no seeds.
- Garlic press Minced garlic in a squeeze, no sticky fingers.
- Silicone spatula set Folds, scrapes and stirs without scratching pans.
As an Amazon Associate, Flash Recipe earns from qualifying purchases. Buying through these links costs you nothing extra.
