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Best Ever Braised Venison Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa

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These Braised Venison Tacos will absolutely blow your mind. The Venison is braised in bold spices so it becomes tender and flavorful. Load it up on a fresh tortilla with homemade pineapple salsa and your jaw will be on the floor!

shredded meat on tacos with pineapple and pickled red onions

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If you love tacos and tying new flavors, this recipe is for you! You guys know how much I am obsessed with venison/moose shanks….and these braised Venison Tacos are without a doubt the best shank recipe I’ve done yet. These are a MUST make if you have shanks in your freezer.

They start by slow cooking the shanks for 4 hours in a tomato based sauce full of chipotle and spices. As a result, the shanks to break down and become extremely tender. You can serve this meat on any tortillas you like, and if you have never made homemade ones, I HIGHLY recommend it. They are so easy and absolutely delicious. Then, the tacos get finished off with a fresh, pineapple jalapeno salsa that adds the perfect touch of sweet and spicy.

You can make this meat ahead of time and freeze it or even make a batch to keep in the fridge and use it throughout the week. Tacos, burritos or bowls can all be made and enjoyed with this braised venison. If you do not have venison, fear not. You can make these tacos with beef, moose, elk, or even pork shanks!

tacos with shredded venison, pineapple and pickled onions on a black plate

How to build perfect venison tacos

  1. First, pick your favorite tortilla. You can use flour or corn, homemade or tore bought. If you are like me and have sourdough started discard in your fridge, try my super easy, soft sourdough tortillas! You can find the recipe here https://cmbarndominium.com/how-to-make-perfectly-soft-sourdough-discard-tortillas/
  2. Next, add the meat. In this case it is slow braised venison shank but you can also make delicious tacos with thinly sliced venison steak.
  3. Choose a creamy component to add. This can be fresh avocado, guacamole, a garlic aioli or a spicy mayo! Adding one of these, is the perfect way to balance out the salt and spice from the meat.
  4. Top the tacos with salsa of your choosing. I love to use something fresh and home made for an even lighter, fresher taste. Pineapple or mango salsa are my favorites for a touch of sweetness.
  5. Finally, choose a topper for extra color or crunch. This can be anything from fresh cabbage slaw, to pickled onions or candied jalapenos. These aren’t absolutely necessary but add an extra depth of flavor, taking your taco to the next level!
pineapple and jalapeno salsa in a bowl

Braised Venison taco ingredients

Venison Shanks– This is the lower part of the animals leg. It gets sliced typically into couple inch thick rounds and is perfect for slow cooking. You can use venison, moose, beef or even pork for these tacos.

Onion & Garlic– These aromatics are added to the sauce before braising the meat for extra flavor.

Tomato Sauce– I just used canned tomato sauce that has no additional spices or oils. You can substitute this with crushed tomatoes if that’s what you have.

Chipotles in Adobo– You can find these typically by the other Mexican cuisine in the grocery store. They come in a small can.

Beef Broth– Of course, you can use any type of broth you have on hand. I just like to stick to a beef broth if I am using red meat and a chicken broth if I am using pork.

Spices– The venison gets braised in a sauce full of chili powder and ground cumin.

Maple Syrup-I add just a splash of maple syrup to the meat to balance out the spice. You can also use brown sugar.

Tortillas– As mentioned above, you can use any small tortillas you enjoy. I use my absolute favorite homemade sourdough discard tortillas. Recipe here https://cmbarndominium.com/how-to-make-perfectly-soft-sourdough-discard-tortillas/

Pineapple Salsa– This uses just a few simple ingredients like pineapple, jalapeno, red onion and cilantro. Find the recipe for my fresh pineapple jalapeno salsa in the recipe card below!

Topping of your Choosing– This is where you can customize the tacos to your liking. My favorite additions to these tacos are guacamole, fresh cabbage slaw, crumbled feta cheese and pickled red onions.

ingredients for tacos laid out on white counter.

The Steps

1.Start by preheating your oven to 350F. Season the shanks on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the shanks to a hot pan and sear for a couple minutes on each side to get a nice crust. Remove the shanks from the pan and set aside.

3. To that same pan, add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes over medium heat, then add in the cumin and chili powder and stir. Next, add about 1/2 cup of the broth to deglaze the pan.

4. Add the rest of the broth, along with the tomato sauce, chopped chipotles, maple syrup, lime juice and salt. Stir everything together until well combined, then place the shanks back into the pan of the sauce.

5. Cover the pan with a lid and place in the oven to cook until nice and tender. This will take anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on the size of your shanks. You want to be able to stick a fork in them and have them fall apart.

6. While the shanks are cooking, prepare the pineapple salsa. Simply stir together all of the salsa ingredients in a medium sized bowl, cover and place in the fridge.

7. Once the meat is nice and tender, remove it from the oven. Remove the bones from the pan and gently shred all of the meat with tongs or a couple forks. You should have beautiful saucy meat at this point!

8. Finally, build your tacos. Start with warm tortillas, add some guacamole, a big spoon of that meat, fresh cabbage, some of the pineapple salsa, crumbled feta or cotija, pickled red onions and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately and enjoy!

venison shanks on a black board
venison shanks in a tomato sauce
shredded venison meat in a pan
tacos with shredded meat and pineapple salsa

If you try this recipe let us know in the comments below or leave a review!

tacos with shredded venison, pineapple and pickled onions on a black plate

Braised Venison Tacos with Fresh Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa

Yield: 12-16 tacos
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Tender and flavorful braised venison, on soft homemade sourdough tortillas, topped with guacamole, pineapple jalapeno salsa and pickled red onions. Taco perfection.

Ingredients

  • 4-6 Venison Shanks (you can use venison, moose, beef or pork)
  • 1/2 a white onions finely diced
  • 4 coves minced garlic
  • 398ml can of tomato sauce
  • 3-4 cups beef broth
  • 1 can of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa

  • 2 cups fresh diced pineapple
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 tbsp honey
  • juice of 1 lime
  • pinch of salt

For the Tacos

Instructions

  1. Start by preheating your oven to 350F.
  2. Season the shanks on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a couple tbsp of oil in a Dutch oven or braiser over high heat.
  3. Add the shanks to the hot pan and sear for a couple minutes on each side to get a nice crust. Remove the shanks from the pan and set aside.
  4. To that same pan, add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes over medium heat, then add in the cumin and chili powder and stir.
  5. Next, add about 1/2 cup of the broth to deglaze the pan. This means you are using the liquid to help scrape all the crispy bits off the bottom of the pan.
  6. Add the rest of the broth, along with the tomato sauce, chopped chipotles, maple syrup, lime juice and salt. Stir everything together until well combined, then place the shanks back into the pan of the sauce. If that shanks are not mostly covered with the sauce, pour a bit more broth over top to cove them.
  7. Cover the pan with a lid and place in the oven to cook until nice and tender. This will take anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on the size of your shanks. You want to be able to stick a fork in them and have them fall apart. If they aren't that tender, keep cooking them!
  8. While the shanks are cooking, prepare the pineapple salsa. Simply stir together all of the salsa ingredients in a medium sized bowl, cover and place in the fridge. I like to do this at least an hour before serving so the all the flavors meld together.
  9. Once the meat is nice and tender, remove it from the oven. Remove the bones from the pan and gently shred all of the meat with tongs or a couple forks. You should have beautiful saucy meat at this point!
  10. Finally, build your tacos. Start with warm tortillas, add some guacamole, a big spoon of that meat, fresh cabbage, some of the pineapple salsa, crumbled feta or cotija, pickled red onions and a squeeze of lime juice.
  11. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

* I used moose shanks this time, and the meat took about 4.5 hours. If you use venison, elk or pork, they will be much smaller and will take less time.

* If you notice that the liquid is mostly gone while the shanks are cooking, you can pour a bit more broth over top to keep the meat nice and juicy which they continue to cook.

*This meat is great to mke ahead and store in the freeze or fridge for easy tacos, burritos or bowls throughout your week.

Did you make this recipe?

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© morganmckay
Category: Dinner

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