Chile Braised Venison Bowl

Tender & juicy meat.

4 servings
3 hours 30 minutes
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Venison & braise

  • Venison shoulder
    1
  • Neutral oil
    a drizzle
  • Salt
    5 g per lb
  • Stock
    500 g
  • White onions, thinly sliced
    1/2
  • Black Pepper
    to taste
  • Flour
    to coat

Chile sauce

  • Crushed tomatoes
    800 g
  • Water
    500 g
  • Pasilla chiles
    50 g
  • Ancho Peppers
    50 g
  • Salt
    to taste

Garlic & spices

  • Thyme
    10 sprigs
  • Garlic
    4-5 cloves
  • Salt
    4 g
  • Cumin seeds
    3 g
  • Bay Leaves
    2
  • Fresh oregano
    1 g

For serving

  • Flour tortillas
  • Cooked rice
  • Pickled onions
  • Limes, sliced into wedges
  • Cilantro

Method

Step 1: Toast the chiles & blend them into the sauce

Preheat oven to 300°F/148°C.

Heat a cast iron over medium high heat.

Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Open them flat and them on the hot cast iron on both sides (be careful not to burn them). Let cool.

  • Once cooled they should be crispy and crumbly.

Pour the water, crushed tomatoes, and salt into a high-powered blender. Crumble in the chiles and blend until fairly smooth. Set aside.

Step 2: Grind the garlic & spices

Prepare the garlic mash by adding garlic cloves and salt to a mortar and pestle. Crush the cloves until a paste forms.

Then, one ingredient at a time, grind in the bay leaves, cumin seeds, oregano, and fresh thyme to form a rough paste. Add a little water to smooth it out.

If you don't have a mortar & pestle, you can use a food processor or your knife.

Step 3: Season & brown the venison

Liberally season the venison shoulder with salt and pepper.

  • Note: This can be done a day ahead and left in the fridge.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Coat the venison with flour. Add it to the Dutch oven to and brown both sides of the shoulder (4-5 minutes per side), then set it aside on a plate.

Step 4: Sauté the aromatic base for the braise

Turn the heat to medium-low. Add the thinly sliced onions and for 2-3 minutes.

Add the garlic spice paste and sauté for another minute.

Pour in the chile sauce and stock, stirring to combine and the bottom of the pot.

Return the shoulder to the Dutch oven. It should be about 1/2 to 3/4 covered in liquid; add extra stock if needed.

Step 5: Braise until tender & serve

Cover and place in the oven. Let it (covered) for about 3 hours until the meat is tender and falling apart.

Serve with warm tortillas or rice, cilantro, pickled onions, and lime wedges. Enjoy.

“If you are into hunting and processed venison before, I'm sure you've had the backstraps, made jerky, sausage, or ground it into burger meat. Today, we are going to do something a little different: venison in chile sauce.”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

Nutritional Information

entire recipe
Calories1430
134g
47g
140g

Show macros split into…

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Recommended: 4 servings

FAQ

Can I use other meats?

Yes - feel free to use whatever kind of meat you prefer like steak, pork, or chicken. However, the venison is a bit leaner than steak or pork would be.

Do I need to find these exact dried chilies?

Any dried chili could work. Guajillo peppers are a great option, and arbol chilies would make this . If you don't have access to dried chilies you could use a can of chipotle peppers, or even a few spoonfuls of chili powder instead.