A stew made (mostly) with theoretically* native southwestern staples which has quickly become one of my favorite dishes.  Dead simple, loaded with protein, and very tasty.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds venison shoulder and/or neck meat, in large pieces
• 2-3 cans beans of choice (black, pinto, etc)
• 1 can corn
• 2 onions
• 16 ounces vegetable stock
• salt
• chipotle pepper, either in powder form or canned in adobo sauce
• bacon grease

Procedure:

Start stock warming in a crock pot.  Melt several heaping tablespoons of bacon grease in a large, heavy skillet.  Preheat oven to 400 F.

Open and empty beans and corn into crock pot.  Peal and halve onions, place on baking tray and place in oven.  Sear venison in grease until well browned on all sides, place in crock pot.  Once onions are well roasted (read: partly blackened) place in crock pot.

Simmer crock pot for 5-7 hours.  Stew is done when meat can just be shredded with forks.  It is possible to overbraise meat, making it less tender, so check occasionally.  For this same reason using big pieces of meat is crucial, do not cube your venison before cooking.

Season to taste.  If you like spice a whole can of chipotles in adobo, diced, is awesome.  If not, start with a teaspoon of dried chipotle and go up from there.

Serve with tortillas and avocado, or with corn chips and sour cream on top, or just plain.  With the liquid well reduced this would make awesome enchilada filling.

*Appropriation warning: I’m a white guy with no claim to either Mexican or Ancestral Puebloan culture.