VENISON CHILORIO STUFFED GEORGIAN CHEESE BREAD

Photo by Larry White

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds boneless venison shoulder

• 1 tablespoons ancho chile powder

• 1 chipotle in adobo

• 2 garlic cloves chopped

• 1 onion, sliced thin

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 2 Bay Leaves

• 3 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes

• 3 cups water

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• salt and pepper to taste

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

FOR THE BREAD BOAT

• 4 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more for rolling

• 1 envelope or 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus two teaspoon for greasing the bowl

• 1 1/2 cups water, heated to 105-110 degrees F

• 1 pound Oaxaca cheese (shredded)

• 1 cup queso fresco

• parchment paper for baking (cut to the shape of your pan)

DIRECTIONS

Step one: Make the dough

1. In the bowl of your mixer, add the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast. With the stand mixer running, slowly add the oil and water and beat until a ball is formed. If the dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of four at a time until it just forms a ball. If it seems too dry, you can add in a small amount of water at a time.

2. Scrap the dough onto a work surface that has been dusted lightly with flour. Knead the dough into a smooth firm ball.

3. Lightly grease a large bowl and add the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place into a warm area of your kitchen and let double in size. This should take about an hour. While your dough is proofing, start on the venison.

Step Two: Cook the Venison

1. Cut the venison into 2 inch chunks and season with salt and black pepper.

2. Heat a pot over medium-high heat and sear the meat in batches until nice and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and in the same pot cook the onions and garlic until translucent.

4. Puree the cooked onions, garlic and the chipotle with just enough tomatoes to make a sauce. Add the puree and remaining ingredients to a pot and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until the meat is fork tender. Shred the meat and mix into the sauce.

5. While the meat is cooking, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Step Three: Shape the dough and bake

1. Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a work surface.

2. Roll the dough out until it is about a 12-14 inch circle and place on top of your pizza pan that is lined with parchment paper. Roll up each side of the bread until it looks like a canoe, making sure the ends are secure and closed so that the cheese does not escape.

3. Spread the Oaxaca cheese into the dough and top with the queso fresco. Place on the bottom rack of your oven and bake for about 12 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and the crust has browned.

4. Top with the shredded venison and garnish with cilantro and pickled red onions if you like. I even go as far as to add a raw egg yolk to the top and just before serving, break it up and spread over the meat.

Cooks Notes:

• Feel free to use store-bought pizza dough.

• If you're looking for a crispy crust, use bread flour in place of the all purpose flour.
  

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Looking for other venison recipes? These are a few of my favorites:

Venison Recipe Library

Venison Crockpot Recipes

Deer Steak Recipes

Lastly, if you make this venison chilorio recipe, be sure to leave a comment or tag me on Instagram! I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you've made.