Mexican Inspired dishes are a family favorite in our house or at least a favorite of mine anyway. Fish tacos, carnitas, quesadillas and enchiladas are regulars. But, because they are easy, quick and always yummy ground venison tacos are the most popular go-to for us.
I am a busy mama (aren’t we all) so quick and easy are a must, especially on weeknights. So while I love the idea of everything made from scratch and homemade spice blends, I am also one to buy store bought when it makes sense.
But I also like to get as many fresh ingredients into our meals as I can. That is just another reason I love taco night (of any kind). It is an easy recipe that you can pile on tons of fresh toppings to without compromising too much on the processed side. Talk about a great way to get veggies in.
Because we make so many dishes that call for taco seasoning I keep a jar of it in my spice cabinet the same way you keep flour or sugar. I am not kidding, it is at that level. This is one of those things that I use store bought. One of these days I will get around to mixing my own taco seasoning into a huge batch with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper and all the things. But for now this will do.
Prep Your Toppings
Because we kind of go all out on our toppings I get these going first. Chop, chop! Except for the avocado, I save this one until I am ready to serve everything else so it doesn’t brown in the meantime. I also go ahead and open cans of corn and black beans at this time and get those warming up on the stove in sauce pans. Here is a list of favorite toppings for our, sort of, taco buffet.
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Black beans
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Corn
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Chopped or shredded lettuce
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Tomatoes (fresh and diced)
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Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
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Shredded Colby Jack cheese
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Avocado (sliced)
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Sour cream
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Hot sauce
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Taco sauce
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Lime wedges
Prep The Meat
Thaw your ground deer meat and drain the excess liquid and pat with a paper towel. This will also help reduce the “gamey” flavor if you have picky eaters who aren’t used to wild game meat.
Fun Fact: Did you know this excess isn’t blood. Yes, it is red but is it actually water and a protein called myoglobin.
We use ground venison meat because it is what we usually have on hand, but this same recipe will work with any ground meat whether it be beef, turkey, elk…anything.
Brown the meat (about one pound ground venison) in a skillet over medium-high heat in a large skillet. While it is browning give it a continuous chop with the tip of your spatula to get it broken down into small, even sized crumbles of meat.
Once everything is browned, sprinkle your taco seasoning (homemade or store bought depending on how your week is going) until you’ve got a nice even coating on your meat. This is typically about 1 1/2 tbsp. of seasoning for 1 pack of meat for me. You can also use more or less depending on your taste preference.
Side note: if you are using anything other than a lean meat you are going to need to drain the excess fat.
Then pour in 1/2 cup of water and give it a good stir. Allow this to simmer for about 10 minutes or until it has thickened to your desired consistency.
Warm Up Your Tortillas
While this is going I warm tortillas by wrapping my flour tortillas in foil and place them in the oven to warm up. We usually use flour tortillas, but if you can use corn tortillas to make a gluten free meal. I also spread out my hard shell tortillas on a baking sheet and warm them at 350 for about 6 minutes.
Serve It Up
I serve all of this up one of two ways. If it is just our family of four then I put all of those fresh toppings and tortillas on one large platter and put the ground venison taco meat, corn and black beans in separate bowls.
But if we are feeding a crowd of family and friends I will usually put everything in their own bowl. Dishwasher be ready, I know. But this way you can pass the toppings around the table a little quicker and more efficiently for sure. Otherwise the guy who gets the toppings platter last is waiting forever and the guy who got it first is already ready for seconds.
Dig In
Everyone in my family has a different way of preparing their taco.
I like to create a taco salad by putting the lettuce on the plate first, crushing hard shell tortillas and then adding on all of the topping and giving a good squeeze of lime juice over the top.
My husband likes to mix all of his favorite taco toppings on his plate and then scoop them into his taco shell, doused with hot sauce. My nephew is a strict meat and cheese only on a soft shell kind of guy.
Serving a variety of toppings gives your whole family an opportunity to do their own thing. A definite crowd pleaser!
Leftover taco meat can be used for all sorts of future dishes as well. Just store leftovers in an airtight container or Tupperware dish in your fridge. The leftover venison taco meat can be used for a taco salad or taco lunch the next day. I am going to have to experiment with using left overs in a tortilla soup or pasta dish, stay tuned for that!
I hope you love this venison taco recipe! Let us know how you do Taco Tuesday (but on any day of the week) at your house in the comment section below.