BBQ Elk Taquitos
Rolled tortillas with smoked game meat, refried beans, and green chiles, crisped on a camp skillet.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Cooked shredded elk or venison | 2 cups | leftover smoked shoulder is the point; any slow-cooked game works |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ sauce | 1/3 cup | enough to coat, not to soak |
| Refried beans | 1 can (16 oz) | canned travels fine; dehydrated flakes plus water also work |
| Roasted green chiles | 1 small can (4 oz) | diced, drained well |
| Corn or flour tortillas | 12 | flour rolls easier, corn crisps better |
| Cooking oil | 1/4 cup | for the pan |
| Salsa | 1 cup | for dipping |
Method
- Warm the tortillas before you roll anything. Two at a time in a dry skillet, ten seconds a side, then stack them under a towel. Cold corn tortillas split every time.
- Heat the beans in the pot until they loosen. Stir the BBQ sauce into the meat in a separate bowl or bag.
- Lay a tortilla down. Spread a spoonful of beans in a line just off center, top with meat, then a scatter of chiles. Do not overfill or it will not close.
- Roll tight and set each one seam side down so it holds its shape.
- Wipe the pot, add oil, and set it over medium heat. Fry the taquitos in batches, seam side first, turning until every side is browned. Three to four minutes each batch.
- Drain on a paper towel and eat with salsa.
This is a leftovers recipe. Smoke a shoulder on the first night of a basecamp trip and you will have more meat than anyone wants to eat as meat again, so it gets rolled into something else. The beans are structural: they glue the filling to the tortilla and keep the meat from falling out the ends when you fry it.
Warming the tortillas is the step people skip and then regret. Corn tortillas straight from the bag crack down the middle as soon as they curve. Ten seconds of heat makes them pliable, and the same skillet you fry in does the job. The chiles are there for moisture and a little heat without needing anything fresh.
Packing
Meat and beans ride in the cooler. Tortillas go on top of the food box, never under it, or you arrive with a folder of broken corn discs. Pre-mix the meat with BBQ sauce at home in a zip bag and you skip a bowl at camp.
Variations
- Swap the elk for pulled pork, shredded chicken, or a drained can of chicken if there is no game in the cooler.
- Skip the frying and lay them on a grill grate over coals, turning often. Less crisp, less oil, less cleanup.
- A spoonful of powdered milk stirred into the beans makes them creamier and helps them hold the roll together.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table/recipes/bbq-elk-taquitos