Venison Burrito

 

When I was a kid there was a restaurant in Rochester, MN called Esteban's. My family would go there regularly and every time I ordered the same thing, the Texas Burrito and a mock Pina Colada. the Texas burrito was about 3 pounds and was absolutely loaded with meat and beans and completely drenched in Guacamole and sour cream. It was and still is the end all, be all, of burritos, in my opinion. Over the years I have had many different burritos all over the globe but none of them compare to that Texas burrito.

When I joined the Navy and moved to San Diego I found dozens of little hole in the wall joints that had very good burritos. I lived with a guy named Kenny Hohimer, and from time to time he would make shredded beef tacos. His method was simple but his results were that of legend.  We had entire parties around his shredded beef tacos and the shredded beef reminded me of the beef that was in the Texas Burrito.

 

Kenny would always use a piece of beef brisket and add his secret blend of spices and let the brisket cook slowly in  a crock pot until it shredded with a fork. It was tender and succulent and Kenny would play around with different ingredients to add to it. One time he had ordered a hot sauce sampler kit that had a hot sauce called Endorphin Rush. It was beyond hot and would make you gag and sweat if you tried it straight, but if you added just a few drops to the crock pot it would add just the right amount of heat to the hole batch.

 

Now a days when I want a good burrito I don't have very many good options. The last little Mexican joint I really enjoyed eating at closed and I haven't found a suitable replacement close to home. So when I want a good burrito I make one. Here is my crock pot recipe for shredded venison, I like to make a big batch and then freeze some so I can have it available when I want it. Venison has a tendency to dry out and get stringy even in the slow cooker so I like to add some salt pork to the pot the help keep the meat moist.

 

 

 

Shredded Venison (for taco's or burritos) 

 

3 lbs venison roast

8 oz. salt pork

1 packet Lipton onion soup mix

1 packet taco seasoning

1 cup of your favorite salsa

1/2 of an onion roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic smashed and left whole

1/4 cup tequila

1/4 cup water

 

1. cut the salt pork into 1 inch cubes and place on the bottom of the crock pot.

2. cut the venison into 2-3 pieces so that it fits evenly in the crock pot

3. mix the seasoning packets, salsa, tequila and water and pour over the meat

4. add the onion and garlic and set the crock pot to low for 6-8 hours, you will know when the meat is done when you can shred the venison with a fork.