Deer Loin Tacos

This recipe makes about 5 cups of taco meat

Directions:

1. Slice the venison into small, bite sized strips for even cooking and better absorption of flavors.
2. Place the sliced meat into a dish and pour broth over it until the meat is fully submerged.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the  spices.  Stir the spice blend into the dish with the meat and broth, ensuring the meat is well coated.
4. Marinate the deer for several hours in the refrigerator.  Alternatively, if you have a vacuum chamber, use the marinade function to infuse flavors quickly.
5. Prepare your sous vide and allow it to get to  129°F.  Transfer the deer and marinade into a sous vide bag and add a few splashes of sriracha, along with sliced onions, minced garlic, and diced bell peppers.  Seal the bag and cook at 129°F for 2 hours.
6. Alternatively, you can use the slow cooker.  Remove the deer from the marinade and place all items into the slow cooker along with enough water to keep it moist.  Cook until the deer reaches an internal temperature of 129°F.
7. Drain off the remaining liquid after cooking and pour into molds to retain as a broth for rehydration.
8. Add parchment paper to your trays and spread the taco meat mix onto the trays.
9. You can also freeze-dry cheese, diced tomatoes, or other toppings on a separate tray for easy meal prep.
10. Place dividers in the taco meat if you choose. We like to use 10 portions per tray.
11. Put everything in the freezer and freeze until solid.
12. Freeze dry (my cycle time was 23 hours)
13. Store in mylar bags for long-term storage.

Rehydration:

Combine 1 serving (2 portions) of taco mixture, 3-4 of the broth cubes and ⅔ cup warm water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Add lettuce, tomatoes and fixings to a taco or tortilla shell and enjoy!

Notes:

Deer meat is a perfect candidate for freeze drying because it is exceptionally lean.  If you like more “taco flavor” to your meat, increase the seasonings - this recipe targets 1- 1.5 lbs of meat.

Nutritional Value Per 1 serving

Calories: 111   Protein: 20 g   Fat: 1 g   Carbohydrates: 2 g   Sugar: 0.5 g   Fiber: 0.5 g

Cycle times & rehydration for reference only. Your results may vary.