Saint Patrick’s day is tomorrow and today just so happens to be Taco Tuesday, and ya’ll know how I feel about tacos! So it I just had to transform my favorite Irish meal into a taco! It’s actually kind of funny because I’m half Irish and half Mexican so this dish is combining both my heritages. If you have never corned a venison I suggest you stop what you are doing and get on it. It really is easy to make but the results are amazing! If you don’t know what corned meat is, it’s actually a way of curing meat. It’s also a very Irish way of preparing meat. So, let’s get started!

Corned Venison

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water

• 6 tablespoons Morton’s Quick Tender

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Pickling Spice Mixture

• 2 tablespoon minced garlic

• 6 cups cold water

• 5-pound boneless venison roast

• 6 cups of venison stock or beef stock

Directions:

1. In a saucepan bring the 2 cups of water to a boil. Once it’s at a boil add the quick tender, brown sugar, pickling spice, and garlic. Remove the pan from the heat and stir everything until the quick tender and sugar have dissolved. Add the water mixture to a large pot then add the 6 cups of cold water. I like to add about 2 handfuls of ice to this as well to make sure it’s cold. Then add the venison roast, cover and place in the refrigerator for 5 days. Make sure to turn the roast at least once a day so it cures evenly.

2. After the roast has brined for 5 days, remove the roast from the liquid and rinse with cold water.

3. To cook the roast, I find it best to use a crockpot. Place the roast in a crockpot add the stock to the pot, set on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

4. Once the meat is fully cooked and tender, use two forks to shred the meat.

Pickled Mustard Seed Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 4 cups apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• 1 white onion, chopped

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

• 1/4 cup mustard seeds

• 3 cups shredded green cabbage

Directions:

1. In a sauce pot add the vinegar, cumin seeds, bay leaf, coriander seeds, onion, garlic, sugar, salt and mustard seeds. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Once it comes up to a boil remove the pot from the heat and set aside. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes.

2. After the pickling liquid has cooled, place the shredded cabbage in a glass bowl and pour the spiced pickling liquid over the cabbage. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen corn tortillas

• avocado oil

Directions:

1. In a large skillet add about 2 teaspoons of avocado oil to the pan, set the pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot add 2-3 tortillas and cook for 1 minute on each side. Repeat this with the remaining tortillas.

2. Assemble the tacos by placing some of the corned venison into each tortilla and add some of the pickled cabbage on top, garnish with chive blossoms if you really want to get fancy! Enjoy!