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Venison Enchiladas

Simple, from-scratch venison enchiladas made with ground venison. See headnotes above for alternative fillings.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 642 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer , Lunch
Cuisine: American , Mexican

Ingredients

SAUCE
  • 3 ounces ancho peppers, destemmed and seeded
  • 4 ounces New Mexican, colorado or guajillo peppers, destemmed and seeded
  • 1/2 white onion, quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 2 chipotles in adobo
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Salt, smoked salt if you have it
  • 3 cups chicken broth
FILLING
  • 2 tablespoons lard or olive oil
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 2 pounds ground venison
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1/2 pound queso fresco, crumbled (optional)
TO FINISH
  • 1/2 pound shredded cheese, see above for options
  • 18 to 20 corn tortillas

Instructions

SAUCE
    Cup of Yum
  1. To make the sauce, boil the seeded and destemmed ancho and guajillo chiles for a few minutes, then turn off the heat and let them soak. Heat a cast iron pan or comal on medium-high heat and lay down the pieces of onion and garlic. You want to blacken the onion on both cut sides, and get some char on the garlic peel. This process takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onion and garlic to a cutting board. Peel the garlic.
  2. Put the garlic and soaked chiles into a blender. Roughly chop the onion and add that, too. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients, including about 1 teaspoon of the salt. Puree, adding chicken broth as needed, to make a pourable sauce. In some cases, you'll need to add some water, too. Taste and add salt if needed.
  3. OPTIONAL STEP: I always do this, because it results in a smoother sauce that removes bits of seed and skin, which are undigestible. Push the sauce through a fine strainer with a rubber spatula into a bowl. Set aside.
FILLING
  1. To make the filling, heat the lard or oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the chopped onion and the venison and brown well. This takes about 8 minutes or so, and stir the meat occasionally. When it's mostly browned, add the garlic and oregano and cook a minute or two more. Turn off the heat.
  2. Mix in a ladle or two of the sauce, using it and a wooden spoon to scrape off any browned bits stuck to the pan. Once this cools, add the queso fresco and mix well.
TO FINISH
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour some oil in a frying pan, enough to float tortillas, and heat the pan over medium-high heat. Get paper towels or a kitchen towel ready. When the oil is shimmering, fry one tortilla at a time in the oil, flipping once or twice, for only a few seconds - you want to see them puff up. They should be very flexible. Do this for all the tortillas, setting them on the towel.
  2. Spread a little sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.
  3. Set up a station where you can dip a tortilla into the sauce (or paint sauce on both sides of each tortilla with with your fingers or a brush), then grab a bit of the filling (maybe 2 to 3 tablespoons) and roll up the enchiladas. Set each one, seam side down, into the casserole. Fill the dish snugly.
  4. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.

Notes

  • You can use canned enchilada sauce if you want, especially if you have a favorite. 
  • For cheese, I shred queso asadero or queso Chihuahua, but you can use pre-shredded cheese like the "Mexican blend" in supermarkets. 
  •  

Nutrition Information

Calories 642kcal (32%) Carbohydrates 32g (11%) Protein 53g (106%) Fat 35g (54%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 10g Trans Fat 0.3g Cholesterol 177mg (59%) Sodium 751mg (31%) Potassium 1368mg (39%) Fiber 11g (44%) Sugar 18g (36%) Vitamin A 9500IU (190%) Vitamin C 16mg (18%) Calcium 465mg (47%) Iron 8mg (44%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 642

% Daily Value*

Calories 642kcal 32%
Carbohydrates 32g 11%
Protein 53g 106%
Fat 35g 54%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 10g 50%
Trans Fat 0.3g 15%
Cholesterol 177mg 59%
Sodium 751mg 31%
Potassium 1368mg 29%
Fiber 11g 44%
Sugar 18g 36%
Vitamin A 9500IU 190%
Vitamin C 16mg 18%
Calcium 465mg 47%
Iron 8mg 44%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.