This venison recipe is a fantastic and easy way to make barbecue. Most venison recipes call for using the tenderloins or roast, but this recipe can use the venison roast, shoulder or hindquarter. The spices in this barbecue eliminate any gamey flavors and camouflages venison so well, skeptics will swear it is made from beef. This is a main dish that fills a crowd of 8.
Tex-Mex Venison Barbecue
Ingredients:
- 1 cup K.C. Masterpiece or Kraft Original barbecue sauce
- 15 ounce can plain tomato sauce
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cans diced green chilies, 4 ounces each
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ cup chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2.5 to 3 pounds venison, cut into 3-inch cubes
Directions:
- In a 3-quart slow cooker, stir all ingredients together except the venison. When sauce is blended, add the venison. Make sure venison is covered by the sauce.
- Cook on low 8-10 hours.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop venison out of crock pot and place in large bowl. Shred venison by pulling apart with two forks.
- Add the onions and sauce from crock pot to taste.
- Serve on buns or rolls with coleslaw.
This recipe works as well for pork or beef as it does for venison. However, with this venison recipe, it is important to cube the venison roast before cooking rather than placing an entire portion of deer meat in the crock pot. Cubing the meat ensures that the venison shreds well and is easy to eat since this recipe works for more than just the most tender tenderloin. Follow the guidelines here for successful butchering tips.
There are many ways to create variations of this recipe, the easiest one being to change the brand of barbecue sauce. For a Tex-Mex flavor it is important to use a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce instead of one that has a strong vinegar flavor.
The amount of tomato sauce can be adjusted as well. Some people prefer to use less tomato sauce, but it is very important that all the meat is covered by sauce during the entire cooking process.
Additional pepper and chili powder can be added to increase spiciness. Cayenne pepper can be added sparingly for those who prefer a little more heat in their barbecue.
Finally, when storing venison barbecue, be sure to add ½ to 1 cup additional sauce to the leftovers. The meat will absorb some of the sauce in the refrigerator.
Other Venison Recipe Suggestions
In addition to using venison for barbecue, there are other ways to camouflage the wild game flavor of deer meat to save money on groceries. These two tips are a way to use ground venison without adding beef fat directly to the venison.
To use ground venison to make spicy meatballs, mix 1 pound ground venison and a 1-pound roll of spicy breakfast sausage in a large bowl. Form into meatballs and brown in a skillet sprayed with oil. Using an inexpensive sausage ensures there is enough grease to brown the meatballs thoroughly. If the meatballs start to stick, spray extra oil in the pan. When brown on all sides, drain grease and add spaghetti sauce. Cover and simmer gently until cooked well. This recipe freezes well.
To use ground venison in other family recipes like tacos or sloppy Joe, mix 1 pound ground venison to 1 pound ground beef that is 80 percent beef and 20 percent fat. Brown in skillet, drain grease and add sauce or seasonings.
Genna Cockerham - Genna Cockerham has been writing online since November 2008. She served as Marriage Feature Writer from December 2008 to February ...
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