Mexican Bison Stew Recipes

CHOCOLOMO, MEXICAN VENISON STEW

Steps:

• Your first task is to make the spice paste, the recado bianco, which can be made days or even weeks ahead and then stored in the fridge. On a grill or gas burner, set the garlic heads over the fire. You want to burn off the paper and cook the garlic at the same time, so you will want to turn the heads frequently as they cook. You want some parts of the garlic to burn and char. This normally takes a solid 5 to 10 minutes, and longer is better. When they are cool enough to handle, peel off any remaining paper around the garlic cloves and chop them roughly. Set them in the bowl of a blender or small food processor with the vinegar.
• Toast the peppercorns, cumin, cloves and allspice in a dry pan over high heat until they are fragrant, a minute or three. Put them into a spice grinder with the oregano and cinnamon. Grind into a powder and add to the blender with the garlic. Buzz this to a paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender or processor a few times. This paste will keep for months in the fridge.
• To make the stew, cut the meats and offal into pieces you'd want to eat. Get 3 tablespoons of the lard hot in a large, heavy, lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Pat the meats dry and brown them in batches so you don't crowd the pot. This may take a solid 20 minutes. As they brown, set the chunks in a bowl. When the meats are all browned, add some stock to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Add the rest of the stock, the wine, vinegar, 4 tablespoons of your recado bianco spice mixture and the meats -- along with any juices that have collected in the bowl. Bring this to a simmer and add salt to taste. Cook until the meats are tender, which can be anything from 90 minutes to 4 hours.
• About an hour after the meats have started simmering, heat the last tablespoon of lard in a frying pan and cook the onion and garlic over medium heat until they're nice and softened, but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add the contents of the frying pan to the stew pot.
• When the meats are nice and tender, add the chives and mint and cook another couple minutes, just to wilt the herbs. Serve in big bowls with the finishing garnishes.

LENGUA (BEEF TONGUE) STEW

Steps:

• Place the beef tongue into a tight-fitting pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid. Remove and discard the skin from the tongue. Shred the meat using two forks; set aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, leek, celery, and carrots. Cook and stir until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until no lumps remain and cook for 1 minute more. Add the shredded meat to the pot along with the reserved broth and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

BISON STEW

Steps:

• Cooked wild rice or couscous, for serving
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, until almost smoking. Brown the bison meat in the hot oil until golden brown, then remove from the pan to a plate and set aside.
• In the same pan, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the flour and tomato paste and stir well. Slowly add in the beef stock, red wine and canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return the seared meat to the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook for about 45 minutes. The liquid, when close to finishing, should have reduced in volume by 1/2 of what you started with and the meat should be fork tender. Cook's Note: if the liquid begins to evaporate you can add more stock or water.
• To finish, stir in the fresh herbs and the butter. Transfer the stew to a serving bowl and serve immediately with wild rice or couscous.

BISON STEW

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown the bison in oil, 2 to 3 minutes per side; remove bison and set aside. Pour 1 tablespoon canola oil into the Dutch oven; cook and stir the onion and celery in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic; cook and stir another 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to coat. Stir in the broth, water, wine, salt, pepper, cloves, tomato sauce, parsley, and thyme to the mixture; bring to a boil. Return the bison to the mixture and stir through. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour.

MEXICAN STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or large soup kettle over medium-high heat, brown meat on all sides in 1 teaspoon oil; drain. Remove meat and keep warm. , In the same pan, saute the onion, celery, jalapeno and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Stir in the water, chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt and pepper. Return meat to pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes., Stir in the tomato paste, beans and tomatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes longer or until meat is tender and beans are heated through. Sprinkle with cilantro.