Venison Tacos

By Chef Mark “Gooch” Noguchi

yield 12 tacos

Ingredients

¼ cup shoyu

1-1in. piece ginger, smashed

3 cloves garlic, smashed

cilantro stems (from 1 bunch)

1 Thai chile

1 Tbsp chile powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

2 lb venison loin

yellow onions, sliced against the grain into ½ inch rounds

2 splashes Tabasco

12 flour tortillas, warmed on the grill

6 cups Cabbage Slaw, see below

1 cup cotija cheese, crumbled

Instructions
In a large bowl combine shoyu, ginger, garlic, cilantro stems, chile, chili powder, 1 Tbsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Place the venison in a 1-gallon plastic bag, pour the marinade over the top, seal and refrigerate overnight.

Heat grill to 250 degrees.

Lightly brush the sliced onions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 10-12 minutes on each side, until tender. Let cool. Roughly chop and season with Tabasco, 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

Increase the heat on your grill to 400 degrees. Remove venison loin from marinade and pat dry. Brush with olive oil & season once more with salt & pepper. Grill about 10-12 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes until medium-rare. Remove from grill, transfer to a cutting board, let rest 5 minutes and slice thinly against the grain.

Toss the slaw with the Kona Beer dressing. Build your tacos by topping warm tortillas with sliced venison, chopped grilled onions, slaw and cotija cheese.

Cabbage Slaw

¼ each cabbage, shredded

½ each carrot, grated

½ cup red onion, sliced thin

1 small apple, sliced thin

½ each jalapeno, sliced thin

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

1 each negi, sliced thin

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Dress to your preference with Kona Beer Vinaigrette (recipe below).

Kona Beer Vinaigrette

¼ cup Kona Beer, Big Wave

1/2 cup lime juice

1 tsp honey

1 each shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ Thai chile, sliced thin

¾ cup olive oil

TT salt and pepper

In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients.

Recipe edited by Sarah Burchard