Shredded Venison Mole

I have never really used a crock pot or slow cooker for much. My wife on the other hand loves to use it and recently bought a crock pot cookbook. So far we have had versions of Chicken Saltimbocca, a rum braised antelope roast and a roast pork mole. All of them were delicious and have prompted me to try using the Crock Pot myself. So tonight for dinner I modified the pork mole recipe a little and we had a very delicious venison mole. It cooked in the crock pot for around six hours and was fall apart tender and juicy.

2 lbs Venison Roast
2/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup raisins
3 tbls olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 cloves chopped garlic
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup cubed bread of any variety
1/2 cup of venison stock (pork or beef stock would work also)
2 tbls. of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 oz. bitter sweet chocolate
salt to taste
fresh cilantro to garnish

The first thing you need to do is toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the raisins and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Divide the almond/raisin mixture in half and set half aside for later use. Add one tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the onions and garlic to half of the almond mixture. Put the remaining oil in the pan and brown the venison roast for 3-5 minutes on each side until nice and brown.



After the roast is browned move it to the crock pot. Put the tomatoes, bread, chocolate, stock, chipotle's and the almond/raisin/onion/garlic mixture in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture over the venison roast.



The nice thing about the crock pot is that once everything is in you can just walk away and come back later when it is done. The venison cooked for around six hours and then was easy to shred with two forks. Stir the venison in the sauce that remains in the crock pot and then spoon it out onto a bed of rice and garnish with cilantro and the other half of the almond/raisin mixture.



The venison and the mole blend together wonderfully. The spiciness of the chipotle's comes through very subtly and the fresh cilantro complements the earth flavors of the mole. It is a hearty meal on a cold day. If you like your food a little spicier you could add more chipotle's but for my tastes it was perfect the way it was. I hope you give it a try.