I have been getting a lot of requests for Venison Recipes, tis the season in Upstate NY. Before I met my husband, I would never eat venison. I had Uncles and Cousins and actually a lot of friends who were avid hunters but the prospect of eating it never interested me.
Like a lot of newly married couples we had NO money. So learning how to make Venison taste good was a priority. Namely because most of things my husband cooked with Venison were vile! Tougher than shoe leather and dried out hunks of yuck!
In the last 25 years, I have perfected some very good and very different recipes with Venison, like this Corned Venison.
Venison has 160 less calories per pound than a comparable cut of beef AND 4 grams of Saturated fat as opposed to 12 grams in Beef. That’s a huge savings! These taquitos are among our favorite venison recipes.
I got this Cookbook from my Aunt and Uncle for Christmas in 1980. It has lots of good recipes but everyone’s favorite is ‘Steak and Chorizo’ Taquitos.
As you know, if you have been coming here for any length of time, my family is crazy about Mexican cuisine! This taquitos recipe, is no exeption! Here are a few fun facts regarding taquitos!
I usually make them with Venison instead of beef now. The technique is super easy. Both the filling and the Taquitos freeze well and they are Gluten and Lactose Free! The taquitos are not spicy hot either, for those who don’t care for spicy foods. Of course, you can always add extra heat!
On to the Venison Taquitos Recipe
Place Venison Flank or Leg Roast in a large pot with a little salt.
Add a few chunks of onion and celery to the pot.
Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to a mild simmer. Depending on the size of your roast it will take 1 to 2 hours to cook through. Let the roast cool in the water until cool enough to handle.
Place 1 or 2 small potatoes per pound of meat in small pot. Just barely cover the potatoes with water. Bring to boil over high heat and then reduce heat and simmer until tender. About 20 minutes depending on the size of the potato. Remove the potatoes when they are tender and let cool. At this point you can go clean the house or read a book until the meat cools!
Dice onions
Brown Chorizo with the pan sprayed with no stick spray
When the first side of the Chorizo has browned, add onions.
Grate cooled potatoes with a coarse grater.
When using beef roast, you can shred the meat with two forks. Venison is more dense so cut the roast into smaller pieces and place a few at a time in a food processor. Pulse until the pieces are fairly fine.
Oops, I forgot to take a picture of the food processor. but this is what the shredded meat looks like after a few pulses. Don’t over process!
At this juncture the pan should be turned down to very low.
Add the Venison or Beef, the grated potatoes, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper to taste to the Chorizo and onions in the frying pan.
Mix everything together. Normally I put a lot spices in Mexican dishes. Cumin, Coriander, Chili powder, etc. etc. These just don’t really require any spicing up. They are very flavorful without, especially served with you favorite salsa and some Guacomole or Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans). (We use Fat Free Frijoles to keep the dish low fat)
To assemble the taquitos, place a damp piece of paper towel on a small plate. Place 5 or 6 corn tortillas in the center of the paper towel.
Fold edges of paper towel up and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Leave one of the edges of plastic wrap tented to allow steam to be released. Microwave for 1 minute. They can also be softened in the oven in the same manner. In the old days we would soften the tortillas in hot oil for a few seconds on each side but then you add lots of calories.
Put taquito filling mixture on tortillas.
Roll as tightly as possible on place seam side down on rack.
Place a small amount of oil in a small pan. Place taquitos, carefully, in hot oil, seam side down.
With a pair of tongs, turn taquitos when they are lightly browned.
It is really important that when you turn them the first time that you turn them the way shown in the picture above. If you turn them the other way, they will splay open and you have to physically hold them closed with your tongs. It also helps to have the taquitos touch each other. You can use a toothpick to hold them together but I just consider that another step so I don’t bother. Continue turning four times until all edges are brown.
Drain on a paper towel.
Serve with frijoles, or guacamole and your favorite salsas! You will never know these are venison! They are so delicious!
Some Other Mexican Dishes on BCC
Want to learn more about How to Cook Venison? Don’t miss our awesome, Ultimate Guide! Complete with 65 FREE Recipes from some of the top venison recipe developers in the world!
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Tools I Use to Make Steak and Chorizo Taquitos
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Vension Steak and Chorizo Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 lb Beef or Venison Flank Steak
- 1/2 large onion , quartered
- celery tops or stalks , cut into chunks
- water
- Salt
- 2 Potatoes
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 lb Chorizo
- 2 medium onion
- 3 - 4 c Tomato Sauce , (I use low sodium)
- Pepper
- 48 Corn Tortillas (at least, depending on how much filling you put in each tortilla)
- Steak and Chorizo Filling
Instructions
- Place meat in dutch oven. Just cover with water. Add celery and onion. Cover and bring to a boil. When meat boils, turn down to heat to medium low and cook for 1 - 2 hours until internal temp of Beef reaches about 145°F / 113°C, or until tender. Venison should be cooked until about 150° F / 115 ° C. Let meat cool in broth. I usually let the meat cool until cool enough to rest in the refrigerator overnight.
- Cook potatoes in a small saucepan in boiling, salted water until tender but not mushy. About 20 minutes. Drain and cool. Grate cold potatoes with a coarse grater.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large, heavy bottom skillet. Remove Chorizo from casing. Brown Chorizo in batches (do not overcrowd pan) and break apart as it browns. After all the chorizo has browned, turn down heat and add onion and cook until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, Shred meat, traditionally beef is cut across the grain into 1 1/2" long pieces and shredded with 2 forks. This makes a large batch, so it would take forever to shred so I pulse in a food processor a few times. Don't over process.
- Heat about 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat, to the the pan with chorizo and onion. Add shredded meat, potatoes, tomato sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly for about 3 minutes, just until heated through.
Assemble Taquitos
- Wrap about 6 tortillas in Damp paper towel and place on microwave safe plate. Cover plate with plastic wrap and microwave about 30 seconds until softened. Place about 1 tablespoon of Steak and Chorizo filling in a narrow strip at one end of tortilla. Roll up tightly. Place on cooling rack, seam side down. Pour oil into a small skillet about 1/2" deep. Heat to 365°F / 185°C. Carefully place seam side down in hot oil. Fry several taquitos at a time until crisp. Drain over skillet and then on paper towels.
- Taquitos can be frozen for several months before frying. Thaw thoroughly. Fry as you normally would. Filling can also be frozen for several months. Thaw filling and then fill as you would normally and then fry.
- Serve with Guacamole, Frijoles (Refried beans), and salsa of your choice. Our favorite is Peach Salsa.
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Originally Published 11/16/2014
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I had taquitos for the first time when we were in Costa Rica — they were perfectly fried and absolutely delicious with a fresher than fresh guac! This reminds me of that time!
Binky
They are so delicious! Aren’t they Lisa? Thanks for your comment!
Fiona Saluk
My boss’s husband is really into hunting and often brings back venison – I can’t wait to share this recipe with them as a way to spice it up. Who ever thought of combining venison and taquitos, genius! Thanks for sharing!
Binky
Thank you very much, Fiona! I’m always looking for new ways to cook venison, as well! Keep your eye here. I have a venison corned beef coming soon that is to die for!
Veena Azmanov
I love taquitos.. and I like them crispy – these look crispy..! Been years since I ate these but have never made myself. Your recipe sounds so yum…
Binky
These are super delicious! Thank you for your comment Veena! Have a nice day!
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
Yum! I love venison and chorizo! Oh, and Mexican food so these taquitos are right up my alley!
Binky
I am seriously addicted to Mexican food! Lucky my husband likes it now or it would have to be the end 🙂 Thanks Elaine!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
My kiddos love taquitos but I’ve never made them homemade. Bad mom, I know. I love all your step by step photos to make it easy for us newbies!
Binky
They are really super easy to make, Karen. You really should give them a try!
Choclette
These look so elegant and cute. What an utterly gorgeous idea. Would be fab for a dinner party.
Binky
They are great for an appetizer course with guacamole or frijoles! Thanks Choclette!
Deanna
These look sooooo Amazing!!! YUM!!
Binky
That they are, Deanna! Give them a try! Thanks!
Nicole
I’ve never tried venison.I’d like to try this with chicken though, that would be a great combination of flavours! thanks
Binky
They are super with chicken and pork, too! Give them a try!
Igor @ Cooking The Globe
Wow, thanks for the awesome recipe. I love the idea of substituting beef with venison!
Binky
It is so much healthier than venison, if you can get hold of it, give it a try, Igor!
Christine
This recipe looks really good! I have never had venison, and where I grew up in NY (eastern LI), seafood was plentiful. I bet it is good!
Binky
Ooohh! Seafood and chorizo sounds amazing! Adding it to the list!
Megan Marlowe
I absolutely love chorizo and taquitos! These look extra crispy and delicious and I can’t wait to make them for the family!
Binky
If you are not keen about or don’t have access to venison, chicken and pork carnitas work great with the chorizo, too, Megan!
Bill Johnson
Tried this with Elk – Absolutely fantastic!
Binky
I’m so pleased you enjoyed them! Thank you for the comment! I have always wanted to try Elk, I’ve heard it’s delicious.
I will have a lot more venison recipes on this site. It’s hard to find good ones!
Just a side note, I cook the leftover cooking water down and freeze it for use in stews, soups, etc. Fresh stock, instead of using beef. It makes a big difference!
Keep checking in or like the site on one of the social media links at the top of the home page for updates. At this point, I don’t have the capacity to notify you by email. I’m working on that! Beth