Venison Frito Pie
Lukas LeafLukas Leaf is an avid, passionate outdoorsman and chef born and raised in Minnesota and has spent the majority of his cooking career specializing in wild game and foraged ingredients. From weekends on the ice in his family's fish shack on Mille Lacs Lake to spring fishing trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, connecting with nature and our cherished wild places has long been cemented as a way of life. Lukas is a dedicated husband and father to twin girls and spends his free time fishing, foraging, hunting, camping, and cooking his way through the great outdoors. Lukas is the lead chef for Modern Carnivore, executive director at Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, and a wild foods contributor for MeatEater.
Course
Small Bites
Duration
2 hours
Serves
4
Chef’s notes
Taco-in-a-bag. Frito boat. Walking taco. Just plain awesome—doesn’t matter what you call it because it’s so damn good. Just thinking about Frito pie brings back smells from the school cafeteria on taco day. My friends and I hacked that lunch line and mowed down Frito pies every Tuesday for years.
I’m absolutely tickled when I find this gem at a conference or sporting expo. It’s the perfect traveling lunch. A couple of Frito pies, a cold beer, and a few table napkins later, my second wind is kicking in and I’m ready to hit the show floor for round two.
Frito pie is great anywhere on any occasion. The variations are endless. It’s family-friendly and straight up fun to eat. Really want to kick it up a notch? Start with the chili cheese flavor Fritos. You won’t regret it.
Ingredients
Venison Chili
- 2 lbs. venison shank, cubed
- 4 cups venison or beef stock
- 1 cup black coffee
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses
- Two, 15 oz. cans of pinto beans
- 6 oz. can of tomato paste
- 3 oz. can puréed chipotle peppers in sauce (optional)
- 2 cups onion, diced
- ¼ cup garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. coarse salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. ground coriander
- 1 ½ tbsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. ancho chili powder (optional)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Frito Pie
- Four, 3.5 oz. bags of Fritos (original or chili cheese)
- 4 cups venison chili
- 1 bag shredded cheese
- 2 limes
- Iceberg lettuce, shredded
- White onion, diced
- Pickled jalapeño slices
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
Also works with
Any type of chili and any type of meat, variations are endless
Special equipment
Dutch oven or crockpot
Preparation
- Buy some Fritos. The size of the chip bag is key. I went with the size larger than the small party pack bags. They’re three times bigger and give extra space to pile on the chili and toppings. Plus, it’s the chip bag size that’s readily available at nearly every gas station I’ve ever set foot in.
- I prefer to start the chili on the stovetop in a Dutch oven and finish it in the lower oven, which I’ve done here for this recipe. You certainly can rock this out in a crockpot if you want to go that route. Just make sure to start it on the stove and pour it into the crockpot to finish.
- Season the cubed venison with salt. I used shank meat but any tough cut would work great. Heat the vegetable oil in the Dutch oven until it just begins to smoke, then brown the meat on all sides. You may want to do this in two or three batches. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until translucent. Stir in all of the dry seasonings. Put the meat back in with the onion and garlic, then stir in the tomato paste. Now add the coffee, vinegar, molasses, and bring everything to a simmer. Last, stir in the stock, chipotle purée, beans, and bring the chili back to a simmer. Put the Dutch oven inside the kitchen oven (or crockpot) at 350 degrees for two hours or until tender. Make sure to lightly shred the venison once the chili has cooled.
- With a knife or scissors, cut the front of each bag of Fritos vertically down the middle leaving all seems intact. This will create the vessel for the pie ingredients. First, shovel hot chili on top of the Fritos and follow with any extras that you wish. I went with shredded cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced white onion, pickled jalapeño slices, sour cream laced with lime juice, and some solid hot sauce like Tapatío or Cholula. Grab a plastic fork, crack a beer, and chow down.
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Save this recipe
Venison Frito Pie
Recipe by:Lukas Leaf
Course
Small Bites
Duration
2 hours
Serves
4
Chef’s notes
Taco-in-a-bag. Frito boat. Walking taco. Just plain awesome—doesn’t matter what you call it because it’s so damn good. Just thinking about Frito pie brings back smells from the school cafeteria on taco day. My friends and I hacked that lunch line and mowed down Frito pies every Tuesday for years.
I’m absolutely tickled when I find this gem at a conference or sporting expo. It’s the perfect traveling lunch. A couple of Frito pies, a cold beer, and a few table napkins later, my second wind is kicking in and I’m ready to hit the show floor for round two.
Frito pie is great anywhere on any occasion. The variations are endless. It’s family-friendly and straight up fun to eat. Really want to kick it up a notch? Start with the chili cheese flavor Fritos. You won’t regret it.
Ingredients
Venison Chili
- 2 lbs. venison shank, cubed
- 4 cups venison or beef stock
- 1 cup black coffee
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses
- Two, 15 oz. cans of pinto beans
- 6 oz. can of tomato paste
- 3 oz. can puréed chipotle peppers in sauce (optional)
- 2 cups onion, diced
- ¼ cup garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. coarse salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. ground coriander
- 1 ½ tbsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. ancho chili powder (optional)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Frito Pie
- Four, 3.5 oz. bags of Fritos (original or chili cheese)
- 4 cups venison chili
- 1 bag shredded cheese
- 2 limes
- Iceberg lettuce, shredded
- White onion, diced
- Pickled jalapeño slices
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
Also works with
Any type of chili and any type of meat, variations are endless
Special equipment
Dutch oven or crockpot
Preparation
- Buy some Fritos. The size of the chip bag is key. I went with the size larger than the small party pack bags. They’re three times bigger and give extra space to pile on the chili and toppings. Plus, it’s the chip bag size that’s readily available at nearly every gas station I’ve ever set foot in.
- I prefer to start the chili on the stovetop in a Dutch oven and finish it in the lower oven, which I’ve done here for this recipe. You certainly can rock this out in a crockpot if you want to go that route. Just make sure to start it on the stove and pour it into the crockpot to finish.
- Season the cubed venison with salt. I used shank meat but any tough cut would work great. Heat the vegetable oil in the Dutch oven until it just begins to smoke, then brown the meat on all sides. You may want to do this in two or three batches. Remove the meat and set aside. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until translucent. Stir in all of the dry seasonings. Put the meat back in with the onion and garlic, then stir in the tomato paste. Now add the coffee, vinegar, molasses, and bring everything to a simmer. Last, stir in the stock, chipotle purée, beans, and bring the chili back to a simmer. Put the Dutch oven inside the kitchen oven (or crockpot) at 350 degrees for two hours or until tender. Make sure to lightly shred the venison once the chili has cooled.
- With a knife or scissors, cut the front of each bag of Fritos vertically down the middle leaving all seems intact. This will create the vessel for the pie ingredients. First, shovel hot chili on top of the Fritos and follow with any extras that you wish. I went with shredded cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced white onion, pickled jalapeño slices, sour cream laced with lime juice, and some solid hot sauce like Tapatío or Cholula. Grab a plastic fork, crack a beer, and chow down.