Authentic Mexican Birria Recipe with Venison
Birria is traditionally made with goat, and is also commonly made with beef. But my scratch-made venison birria is just as tender, delicious, and packed with flavor! Using a sirloin deer roast, a pile of aromatic chiles, and a whole bunch of other ingredients, this low-and-slow recipe is an absolute crowd-pleaser for any fans of Mexican cuisine.
Authentic Birria Recipe with Venison
Course: MainCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Medium6
servings30
minutes4
hours40
minutes5
hours10
minutesIngredients
- Birria
4-5 Lbs Venison roast meat
12-20 Dried chiles (ancho and guajillo are traditionally used)
1/2 White or yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
8 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 quart Beef or venison stock
1 cup Pork lard
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
5 Bay leaves
- Tomatillo Crema Sauce (optional)
1 1/2 cups Sour cream
1/3 cup Salsa verde (or green enchilada sauce)
Juice from half a lime
2 Tablespoons Fresh cilantro, chopped
Pinch of Kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper
Directions
- Birria
- Trim any fat and skin from venison roast. Cut roast into medium-sized chunks.
- Generously season all sides of the meat pieces with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Prepare dried chiles by removing stems and seeds, and cutting up into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Heat up some olive oil in large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Sear all sides of the venison pieces until there is a golden crust.
- To the pot, add the lard, onion, tomato, garlic, dry seasonings, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and dried peppers.
- Give everything a quick stir, and add in enough beef stock to cover the meat and mostly-cover everyhthing else. I usually use 1 quart.
- Cover the pot and simmer on very low for 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove and discard bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Carefully remove the meat and set aside.
- Using a standard blender or immersion blender, thoroughly puree all ingredients that are still in the pot. Place meat back into sauce, making sure all the meat pieces are fully covered in sauce.
- Cover the pot and simmer on very low for another 2 hours.
- Remove the meat and shred it. Heat up some oil in a skillet and lightly sear the meat to give it a little crisp. Spoon over some of the sauce to keep it nice and moist.
- Prepare the meat in tacos, burritos, or as a stand-alone entree. Serve with a side of the birria sauce for dipping.
- Tomatillo Crema Sauce (optional)
- Combine all ingredients.
- Blend thoroughly with an immersion blender or food processor.
Recipe Video
Notes
- My favorite way to eat birria is in a huge burrito. See the recipe video if you’re interested in how I build the most mouth-watering birria burrito, as pictured in the recipe photo!
