Think you don’t like venison? Think again! These Big Mac-style smash tacos can turn even the most reluctant venison eater into a game meat lover. In fact, I believe this particular recipe is precisely the method to use to introduce anyone to game. And it works beautifully with elk and bison as well.
We stumbled upon this winner after buying a griddle insert for our Weber grill—best purchase of 2024, BTW. We wanted to try smash tacos and were told to use beef with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio. The result was tacos that were far too rich for any of us to eat more than one—which says a lot when you have two college-age kids joining you for dinner. So next time? We swapped out the beef for venison. We had to make a few adjustments to the temperature and the cooking time, but the result was absolutely out of this world!
Our son recently spent a night winter camping after a day of fly fishing and was an instant hero for this culinary contribution, which he grilled on a cast-iron skillet over an open fire (pictured above). If he can do it? Believe me, you can too! We serve with either shoestring fries or green bean “fries”, tossed in avocado oil, roasted at a high temperature in the oven, and given a liberal sprinkle of salt & pep!
One final thought on this recipe? I’m unclear how you could make it for a large crowd, although it would be fun! I typically cap this at 4 people. I think it would be difficult to keep the tacos warm until all have been cooked because venison is so lean. I would worry about them becoming too dry. Although if you insist? You could easily skip the smash-burger-style taco and simply crumble/brown the venison as you would a traditional beef taco. And then serve with shredded cheese. Not quite as true to the MickyD’s version, but tasty nonetheless! The important thing is to just relax and have fun with it. Your friends and family will celebrate the familiar flavors made with unique, clean ingredients! We’re lovin’ it!
Venison Big Mac-Style Smash Tacos (Serves 4; 3 street-size tacos per person)
Ingredients
Tacos:
2 Lbs. Ground Venison
1 Head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 Yellow onion, diced
1 16 oz jar sliced pickles, diced.
Street-style flour tortillas, at least 12 (these are smaller than most flour tortillas)
Salt & Pep
American cheese slices (we use white)
Sesame seeds, for garnish (toasted or not, your choice)
Avocado oil cooking spray
Sauce:
1/2 c. mayonaisse
2 Tbs. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbs. finely minced onion
2 Tbs. ketchup
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. vinegar (white or apple cider, whichever you have on-hand)
1/2 tsp. paprika (I use smoked occasionally)
1/4 tsp. salt.
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
Directions:
- Dice all veggies and prepare sauce in advance because the grill/cook time for these tacos is very brief. We set up a serving line of toppings bowls so people can serve themselves. Sesame seeds at the end!
- Sauce is simple, just stir all ingredients directly into your serving bowl. Sauce should be thin enough to drizzle over each taco before serving, so if too thick, simply mix in a bit of water until it feels just right.
- Add ground venison to mixing bowl and season to taste with salt & pepper. Then form venison into 12 evenly sized balls.
- Press each venison ball onto one side of every tortilla, creating an even, thin layer of meat that extends to the edge or close.
- Heat griddle or cast-iron skillet to medium and lightly grease surface with your choice of oil. We typically use avocado oil.
- Place tacos, venison-side down onto the griddle surface. Watch closely; typically takes only 2 min. for ours to finish on meat side.
- Before you flip, spray the tortilla side of each taco with oil.
- Flip and add one slice of cheese to each taco. Pull from heat as soon as cheese has melted.
- Add toppings and enjoy!
