Venison Burrito Bowl

Venison Burrito Bowl

  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Serves

    4 to 6
Chef’s notes

You can look at this recipe like a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl, but better. All the elements are there, and the pulled venison is perfect. I like to have simple shredded meat portioned out for meals in the freezer. That way, I can create whatever flavors I want quickly. In this case, a mildly spicy venison tinga is on the menu.

This burrito bowl is a simple recipe for managing and putting together ahead of time, which makes it an excellent candidate for getting weekly meal prep done. It's great having extra lying around, especially on those busy days when I'm starving and struggling to find the time to whip up lunch.

I love pickled sweet corn; it's super easy to make and a fun way to store corn for the winter season. No need to make it difficult. Just vinegar, salt, and water will do the job; no fuss. Not into a burrito bowl? Make everything below and wrap it up in a giant tortilla, and you'll be good to go.

Ingredients

Venison Tinga

  • 3 to 4 cups shredded meat
  • ¼ cup lard, bear, or duck fat
  • 1 cup yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (7.5 oz.) can Chipotle peppers in adobo
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt

Guacamole

  • 3 ripe avocados, crushed
  • 2 small limes
  • Kosher Salt and cumin to taste

Pico de gallo

  • 1 lb. roma tomatoes, gutted and diced
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • 1 large jalapeno, diced
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • ½ tsp. Kosher salt

Also works with

Any shredded or ground meat

Preparation

  1. If you want to have pickled sweet corn, make a batch well ahead of time following a simple pickling recipe. (I recommend you make a whole mess of it because it’s great to have around.)
  2. Roast or braise the venison until its fall-apart tender. Shred and reserve what you need for the burrito bowls. Portion, vacuum seal, and freeze the rest for later use. (This can be days ahead of time and by no means needs to be done the day of for this recipe.) I cooked my venison roast a couple of weeks before making these burrito bowls.
  3. Make the tinga sauce. In a large pot, add the fat, onion, and garlic. Cook on high until translucent and lightly browned on the edges. While the onions are cooking, puree the can of chipotles with the tomato sauce. Add the spices to the onion and toast for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with the apple cider vinegar. Now add the tomato/chipotle mix. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Chop the shredded meat and add it to the pot. Bring back to a simmer, cover, and keep the tinga warm while preparing the other burrito bowl elements.
  4. While the tinga sauce is simmering, make your rice or quinoa according to the package directions.
  5. Heat the beans. Add the beans with juices and some chili powder to a small pot. Bring to a simmer and keep warm. Heat the refried beans.
  6. Make the guacamole. Crush the ripe avocados in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and add the cumin and salt. Mix until just combined. Cover and put in the refrigerator.
  7. Make the pico de gallo. Slice the top off of the tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Using your fingers, remove the guts of the tomato. Dice them to around ¼ inch wide. Cut the onion and jalapeno to the same size. Chop the cilantro and squeeze the fresh lime juice. Mix everything and season with salt.
  8. At the very end, slice the radishes. If you'd like to cut the intensity of the radishes, soak them briefly in cold water.
  9. Plate and serve! Lay down a couple of scoops of rice or quinoa in a large bowl. Arrange the rest of the burrito bowl elements over your choice of grain and finish with some hot sauce.

Sign In or Create a Free Account

Access the newest seasons of MeatEater, save content, and join in discussions with the Crew and others in the MeatEater community.
Save this recipe

Venison Burrito Bowl

Recipe by: Lukas Leaf
Venison Burrito Bowl
  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Serves

    4 to 6
Chef’s notes

You can look at this recipe like a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl, but better. All the elements are there, and the pulled venison is perfect. I like to have simple shredded meat portioned out for meals in the freezer. That way, I can create whatever flavors I want quickly. In this case, a mildly spicy venison tinga is on the menu.

This burrito bowl is a simple recipe for managing and putting together ahead of time, which makes it an excellent candidate for getting weekly meal prep done. It's great having extra lying around, especially on those busy days when I'm starving and struggling to find the time to whip up lunch.

I love pickled sweet corn; it's super easy to make and a fun way to store corn for the winter season. No need to make it difficult. Just vinegar, salt, and water will do the job; no fuss. Not into a burrito bowl? Make everything below and wrap it up in a giant tortilla, and you'll be good to go.

Ingredients

Venison Tinga

  • 3 to 4 cups shredded meat
  • ¼ cup lard, bear, or duck fat
  • 1 cup yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (7.5 oz.) can Chipotle peppers in adobo
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Mexican oregano
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt

Guacamole

  • 3 ripe avocados, crushed
  • 2 small limes
  • Kosher Salt and cumin to taste

Pico de gallo

  • 1 lb. roma tomatoes, gutted and diced
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • 1 large jalapeno, diced
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • ½ tsp. Kosher salt

Also works with

Any shredded or ground meat

Preparation

  1. If you want to have pickled sweet corn, make a batch well ahead of time following a simple pickling recipe. (I recommend you make a whole mess of it because it’s great to have around.)
  2. Roast or braise the venison until its fall-apart tender. Shred and reserve what you need for the burrito bowls. Portion, vacuum seal, and freeze the rest for later use. (This can be days ahead of time and by no means needs to be done the day of for this recipe.) I cooked my venison roast a couple of weeks before making these burrito bowls.
  3. Make the tinga sauce. In a large pot, add the fat, onion, and garlic. Cook on high until translucent and lightly browned on the edges. While the onions are cooking, puree the can of chipotles with the tomato sauce. Add the spices to the onion and toast for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with the apple cider vinegar. Now add the tomato/chipotle mix. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Chop the shredded meat and add it to the pot. Bring back to a simmer, cover, and keep the tinga warm while preparing the other burrito bowl elements.
  4. While the tinga sauce is simmering, make your rice or quinoa according to the package directions.
  5. Heat the beans. Add the beans with juices and some chili powder to a small pot. Bring to a simmer and keep warm. Heat the refried beans.
  6. Make the guacamole. Crush the ripe avocados in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and add the cumin and salt. Mix until just combined. Cover and put in the refrigerator.
  7. Make the pico de gallo. Slice the top off of the tomatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Using your fingers, remove the guts of the tomato. Dice them to around ¼ inch wide. Cut the onion and jalapeno to the same size. Chop the cilantro and squeeze the fresh lime juice. Mix everything and season with salt.
  8. At the very end, slice the radishes. If you'd like to cut the intensity of the radishes, soak them briefly in cold water.
  9. Plate and serve! Lay down a couple of scoops of rice or quinoa in a large bowl. Arrange the rest of the burrito bowl elements over your choice of grain and finish with some hot sauce.