Hunter recipe rundown: Venison mole fajitas

This recipe will deliver venison that is tender, well-flavored and perfect to stuff in a flour tortilla.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Eight hours prior to eating, pour enough coffee into a shallow dish for it to be at least a half-inch deep. Add the cocoa powder, chili, chipotle, smoked paprika and olive oil and stir. Add the venison steak and spoon marinade over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Turn the steak over after a few hours to soak into both sides.

2) Before cooking, set the steak out to bring it to room temperature while prepping veggies. When the onions, garlic and chiles are ready to cook, pour a generous amount of olive oil into a cast iron skillet. Test with a drop of water to make sure it’s hot, then add the venison. Cook for about a minute per side, salting generously, just enough to sear, so the meat remains rare. Place the steak on a plate and cover with foil for at least 10 minutes.

3) While the steak is resting, sauté the onions and garlic in the same pan for a minute or two, then add sweet peppers and chiles. After the steak has rested, slice into fajita-size bites, then add the meat to the onions and peppers for one minute, just long enough to warm and combine; the steak should remain medium rare. Add cilantro and serve with avocado chunks and shredded cheese on a flour tortilla.

VENISON STEAK MARINADE 

1/2 to 1 cup strong coffee

1-2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup olive oil (plus more for searing the steak later)

FAJITAS

1 cup sliced onions

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

1-2 sweet peppers, sliced

1 sliced Anaheim chile (or jalapeno)

cilantro

avocado

shredded cheese

salt

flour tortillas