If you’re looking for a wildly flavorful way to use venison sausage, this venison chorizo recipe is one of my all-time favorites. The bold, spicy sausage is mixed with creamy diced potatoes and tucked into masa “boats” called sopes. Griddled on medium heat until crisp and topped with salsa, cheese, and cilantro.
Whether you’re serving them as appetizers or a full wild game meal, these venison chorizo sopes are a crowd favorite. If you need to brush up on your skills, check out my guide on grinding venison or my venison sausage recipe collection.
If you’re like me, sometimes you end up with a strong-tasting deer from the rut. The ingredients in this sausage are bold enough to mellow out any of the gamey taste that you might be worried about.
What makes this recipe great?
- Pairs well with your favorite taco and tostada toppings: salsa, cheese, and even fried eggs.
- Combines the bold flavor of Mexican chorizo with rich, ground venison.
- Made with natural, fresh ingredients. No fillers, no shortcuts.
- Uses pork shoulder for moisture, texture and richness.
- The chorizo is versatile. It can be used in tortas, tacos, tostadas, fajitas, and stews.
What Are Sopes?
Sopes are thick corn tortillas with pinched sides, made from masa harina and water. They’re cooked on a skillet and then pressed into shape while warm, creating little shells that hold flavorful fillings. Think of them as the heartier cousin of a corn tortilla. The kind that can stand up to spicy venison chorizo, potatoes, and melted cheese.
Serving Suggestions
- Topped on huevos Rancheros.
- A filling for burritos, tacos, casseroles.
- A spicy substitute for ground venison, perfect for making tasty chorizo stew or chorizo soup.
- For an easy meat, swap the sopes for crispy fried tostadas.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes . venison chorizo is packed with smoky, spicy flavor. Venison is lean, so it needs help from pork fat.
A 70/30 mix of venison to pork fat is ideal. Pork shoulder works great if you do’t have pure pork fat.
Absolutely. This sausage works loose or stuffed. either way, it’s delicious.
Final Thoughts
Venison chorizo is one of those sausages that feels both rustic and elevated at the same time. Between the rich flavor of deer meat, the spicy sausage seasoning, and the crispy masa sopes, it’s a dish worth keeping in the rotation.
MORE dEER SAUSAGE RECIPES
- Venison Snack Sticks
- Deer Breakfast Sausage
- How to Make Venison summer sausage
- Venison Salami
- Venison Sausage Recipe Collection
- Vensison Boudin
Lastly, if you try this venison chorizo recipe, leave me a 5-star review. Also, tag me on Instagram @Larry__White with any wild game dishes that you make!
Venison Chorizo Sausage with Homemade Sopes
Ingredients
For the Chorizo
- 1 3/4 pounds venison, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3/4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably canela
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the Filling
- 2 cups 1/2" diced red potatoes, peeled
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 1/2 cups chorizo, from above
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- fresh cilantro, for garnishing
- salsa
For the Sopes
- 1 3/4 cups masa harina
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
Make the Chorizo
- Using chilled grinder attachments, grind the venison and pork through a 1/8" grinder plate. In a large bowl or using a stand mixer, add the meat and the remaining chorizo ingredients. Mix thoroughly until well combined and tacky to the touch. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the sausage for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze the rest.
Cook the Filling
- Bring a medium size pot of water to a simmer and add the diced potatoes. Simmer until they are for tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Add the chorizo, onion, and bell pepper to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Check the pan for excess oil and drain as needed if there appears to be more than one tablespoon.
- Add the garlic and potatoes and cook until the potatoes are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat an cover to keep warm.
Make the Sope Dough
- In a large bowl add the masa harina, water and salt. Knead the dough with your hands until thoroughly combined. You're wanted the texture to be like cookie dough. If its dry, add a little water at a time until you achieve the cookie dough consistency.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal sized portions and roll into balls. Place the masa balls on a cookie sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap so that they do not dry out while you're working. Using either a tortilla press or a rolling pin, flatten the masa balls to about 1/8" circles. Keep the masa discs covered during the upcoming cooking process.
Cook the Sopes
- First Cook: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the sopes for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. Be sure not to overcook the sopes, so that they don't dry out too much for the next step.
- Make the Rim: Let the sopes cool to the touch. Using the index finger and thumb, pinch the sides of the sopes, creating a 1/2" lip all the way around. Press your fingers in the middle of the sopes to flatten the insides out uniformly.
- Finish Cooking the Sopes: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches brush the bottoms of the sopes with olive oil. Place a few sopes in the pan and fill each one with the chorizo potato mixture and top off with a little shredded cheese. Cook until the bottoms of the sopes and browned and crisped. Remove from the heat and top off with salsa and cilantro.
NOTES
- This homemade venison chorizo is made with ground deer meat and pork fat for a rich, spicy sausage perfect for tacos, burritos, or breakfast bowls.
- A 70/30 ratio of venison to fat works best. Freeze any extra chorizo in 1-pound packages for easy future use.
- You can use moose, antelope, or elk meat to make this sausage.
- If using pre-ground venison, be sure to mix it thoroughly with the spice blend and fat until it becomes tacky for the best texture and flavor.
- Using a stand mixer is a fast way to mix the sausage to the proper consistency.
2 thoughts on “Venison chorizo Sausage with Homemade Sopes”
So good! Such a be dish.
That chorizo is off the charts. We ended up putting it in an Omelette with queso.