camp meals

Venison Pizza Pockets

Ground venison simmered with pizza sauce, wrapped in a tortilla, and crisped in the pan.

calories
720
weight
9 oz
cal / oz
80
protein
40 g
serves
4, scales
prep
20 min
cook
15 min
total time
35 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
  • Campfire coals
  • Liquid fuel
  • Canister stove
  • Car camping
  • Basecamp
  • Nut free
  • One pot
  • Grab and go
  • Needs a cooler
  • Actual cooking

Ingredients

Ground venison 1 lb frozen solid at home, thawed in the cooler
Dried minced onion 2 tbsp
Garlic powder 1 tsp
Pizza sauce 1 cup a pouch or small can, not a jar
Shredded mozzarella 6 oz low-moisture, kept cold
Pepperoni 3 oz stick or sliced, both are shelf-stable
Flour tortillas 8 burrito size
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Heat a skillet over the fire or stove with a spoonful of oil. Brown the venison, breaking it apart, about 8 minutes. Venison is lean, so it will not render much fat.

Deep frying egg roll wrappers is a kitchen job. In camp you have one skillet and a finite amount of oil, so this version trades the fryer for a pan-crisped tortilla. The filling is the same idea: lean ground venison simmered down with pizza sauce until it is thick enough to stay put, then cheese and pepperoni added at the last second.

The simmer matters more than it looks. A wet filling steams the tortilla instead of browning it, and the seam comes apart in the pan. Cook the sauce until a spoon dragged through leaves a line, then fill. Dried onion replaces fresh because it needs no cutting board and no cooler space.

Packing

Venison goes in the cooler frozen and thaws on the drive. Cheese and pepperoni ride in a hard container so nothing crushes. Tortillas travel flat on top of the food, not under it.

Variations

  • Sliced mushrooms or banana peppers go in with the sauce.
  • Serve with extra sauce warmed in a mug for dipping.

https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/homemade-venison-pizza-rolls