Venison Barbacoa: The Perfect Solution for Deer Shoulder

The easiest way to deal with a deer shoulder, which is traditionally a pain to process for hunters. Venison barbacoa is great for rice bowls, tacos, or even by itself if you're into really strong flavors. This recipe is designed for a slow cooker, but you could prep it in a dutch oven.

Base recipe:
Deer shoulder (3-5lb) or Chuck
1 Onion rough chopped
~5 Cloves garlic (or more!) chopped
2-3 dried Ancho/Guajillo or other mild/med peppers, fine chopped
2 fresh limes, juice and toss in
1 packet taco seasoning
2x 7oz cans chipotle in adobo
1x can original Rotel
1x 7oz can diced mild green chiles
1x 7oz can salsa verde
2-3 cups apple cider vinegar
1-2 cups beef stock or 1-2 tsp bullion
Shoot for 3-4 cups total between vinegar and stock
5-6 sprigs fresh oregano or 1-2tsp dried

Optional:
A few chunks of beef fat (I always do this, deer is lean, probably not needed if you do chuck)
1tsp cumin (I sometimes do this)
2 bay leaves (I usually do this)
1/2 - 1tsp brown sugar (don't over do it, just a touch to take the edge off)
Black pepper/cloves/other spices (I usually don't do this)
I never salt, usually there's enough in the cans/packet. Taste it when you pull the bones out, if you need to salt, add it then.

Oil the bottom of a slow cooker, toss everything in.
Cook 6-10hrs (high or low), until bones can be pulled out and meat shreds easily
Liquid should be somewhat dark
Fish out lime rinds, oregano stems, all bones, bay leaves
I usually let sit overnight in fridge to let everything come together and mellow a bit
Flavor will be sharp and acidic (especially when just finished), not as hot as buffalo wings, but spicy
Very savory, and very strong. I don't usually eat it straight by itself.
I serve over rice (with cheese/sour cream/corn chips/other chili accoutrements), or as a taco filling

===Timestamps===
00:00 Introduction
01:22 Important pieces of the recipe
02:45 Filling the slow cooker
10:33 Cooking
12:37 Tasting and Flavor Profile
14:56 Conclusion