This venison barbacoa is one of the best ways I know to cook tough cuts from deer. Neck, shoulder, and shanks all take well to this kind of slow cooking. Once the meat is tender enough to shred, you have something rich, smoky, and perfect for tacos, rice bowls, or a pile of nachos.
Traditional barbacoa is cooked underground, but you can still get that same deep, cooked-all-day feel at home with a Dutch oven or slow cooker. This is one of my favorite ways to turn hard-working venison cuts into something people go back for.
Don’t miss my other favorite Latin American venison recipes, like my venison tacos, pabellon criollo, venison enchiladas, pozole rojo, and green chile con carne.
Best Cuts for Barbacoa
The best cuts for venison barbacoa are the ones that need help.
- Neck roast is one of my favorite choices. It has plenty of muscle, plenty of connective tissue, and a lot of flavor once it cooks down. If you have a neck in the freezer, this recipe makes it worth pulling out. Need help breaking it down? Check out my guide on How to Debone a Venison Neck Roast.
- Front shoulder is another strong cut for barbacoa. It has enough structure and connective tissue to really benefit from low, covered cooking.
- Shanks work very well too. Once the collagen breaks down, the meat can be shredded easily. You can cut them into disks like I do for my venison osso buco. Or you can cut the meat from the bone. If you need help processing, check out my guide to deer shanks.
- Boneless rib meat is also a good option. And if you don’t have enough, you can mix the meat with other tough cuts.
- Round cuts will work, but they are not my first choice. They are leaner and do not have the same amount of connective tissue as neck, shoulder, or shank meat, so they will not give you quite the same payoff. If venison round steaks are what you have, you can use them. Just know these are more of a backup cut.
Key Ingredients
Boneless Venison
Use a cut that’s made for slow cooking. Neck, shoulder, shanks, and rib meat all make sense here.
Chile Powder
The depth of flavor in barbacoa comes from the chiles. I like to use whole dried chiles, but for ease, I am using a mild chile powder here. If you can get your hands on it, ancho chile powder is what I prefer.
Chipotle in adobo
This adds smokiness and a little heat. You do not need much.
Vinegar and Beer
The dark Mexican beer adds another layer of flavor, but stock works fine if that is what you have. The vinegar adds a sharpness that wakes the dish up.
Warm spices and Seasonings
Cumin, cloves, allspice, oregano, thyme, and cinnamon all work in harmony, creating a smooth flavor profile. And the garlic? Everyone loves garlic.
Brown sugar
The sugar is there to round out the chiles and bitterness.
How to Make It
1. Build the chile base
Add everything except the venison, cooking oil, and beer to a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
2. Sear the venison
Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil. Season the venison with salt and pepper, then sear it until browned on both sides. Turn off the heat and pour in the beer to deglaze. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot to incorporate. This will elevate the flavor of the sauce.
3. Transfer to the Slow Cooker
Transfer the contents of the pot to your slow cooker. Pour the chile mixture over the meat. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or until fork-tender. Alternatively, cook in a Dutch oven in the oven at 300°F for around 4 hours.
4. Shred the meat
Pull the venison from the crockpot while it is still warm and shred it. Reserve the braising liquid. Add some of it back into the shredded meat until it is juicy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serving Suggestions
Barbacoa may just be the most versatile Mexican shredded meat of them all. Below are my favorite ways to serve it.
- Tacos
- Burrito bowls
- On top of crispy potatoes
- Rice bowls
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
Here are my recommended toppings:
- Chopped white onion
- Pickled jalapenos
- Fresh cilantro
- Shredded cheese or queso fresco
- Sour cream or crema
- avocado or guacamole
- Fresh limes
Storage and Leftovers
This is one of those venison slow cooker recipes that is often even better the next day.
- Store the shredded venison with some of the cooking liquid to keep it juicy.
- It will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days and freezes well for around 3 months.
- To reheat it until it’s thoroughly warmed through. Reheating too long can dry the venison out.
FAQ
The best meat for barbacoa is tougher cuts, whether using venison or beef. These cuts contain enough connective tissue to benefit from slow cooking. neck meat, shoulder, shanks, and rib meat are all great choices.
The combination of chiles, warm spices, garlic, beer, and vinegar gives Barbacoa its delicious flavor. And if you can get your hands on them, avocado leaves.
Lastly, if you make this venison barbacoa and enjoy it, please leave a review. I love reading about your wild game cooking experiences. If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to send me a message on Instagram @Larry__White.
Venison Barbacoa
Ingredients
For the Venison
- 3 pounds boneless venison (shoulder, neck, or shank meat)
- Kosher salt, as needed
- ground black pepper, as needed
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil, for searing
For the Cooking Liquid
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons mild chile powder (Ancho is best)
- 2 tablespoons chipotle chili in adobo
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 cup dark Mexican beer (I like Negra Modelo)
Instructions
Preheat
- Preheat the slow cooker to high.
Make the Cooking Liquid
- Add all ingredients for the cooking liquid except the beer to a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.
Sear the Meat
- Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil.
- Add the venison, then season with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until golden brown.
Deglaze with the Beer
- Turn off the heat. Pour the beer into the pot to deglaze. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Cook and Serve
- Transfer the meat and all of the liquid to the slow cooker. Pour the chile mixture over the meat.
- Cover with the lid and cook on the high setting for 6 to 8 hours or until fork-tender.
- Carefully remove the venison from the pot and place it into a large bowl. Reserve the cooking liquid in a separate bowl. Shred the meat. Moisten it with enough of the cooking liquid to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the meat back to the slow cooker and place it on the warm setting.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
2 thoughts on “Venison Barbacoa”
Lovely flavour. I didn’t have all the Chilli types and so I made it work.
Glad you enjoyed it!