You name it, Andrew Zimmern ate it during his travels along Canada's Yukon Trail on Bizarre Foods. Inspired by his trip full of adventurous eats like various critters and fish, he crafted his own recipe for a tender grilled venison leg served up with chutney on tortillas. Watch the video below and follow his recipe for a Bizarre-inspired dinner you can appreciate from the comfort of your warm dinner table. 

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

One 5-pound deer leg
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped 
3 tablespoons ginger, chopped 
6 dried ancho chiles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup apple juice cider
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
½ cup parsley, chopped 
Vampiro-style onions, for serving (recipe below)
Bacon fat & scallion tortillas, for serving (recipe below)
Tamarind, cilantro & mint chutney, for serving (recipe below)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat until very hot. Toast the dried chiles on both sides, then add the garlic, ginger and Szechuan peppercorns. Season with salt. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and add the apple juice. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. 

Remove the chiles from the pan and reserve. Pour the remaining contents of the pan into a blender. Add the parsley and salt. Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and discard. Place the chiles in the blender and puree until smooth. 

Pierce the leg all over with a fork. Spread the marinade over the deer leg and let sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours. 

Let leg come to room temperature. Prepare a grill for medium indirect cooking. Place the venison leg on the grill, with the fatter end closest to the heat. Cover and cook for about 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the leg is 140 degrees F. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving with the Vampiro-style onions, tortillas and chutney.

VAMPIRO ONIONS

6 sweet yellow onions

Place onions into the hot coals until blackened and charred all over. This will take 10 minutes. Remove them from the coals and place over indirect heat on the grill, let cook for another 10-15 minutes. Peel off the outermost layer of char and serve with the venison.

BACON FAT & SCALLION TORTILLAS

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup chilled rendered bacon fat
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup minced scallions

In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the bacon fat and mix with your hands to evenly moisten the flour. Add the water and scallions and stir just until the dough comes together. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead just until smooth. Roll the dough into 14-16 even balls and transfer to a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 20 minutes.

Heat a cast-iron griddle or large skillet over moderately high heat. Work with one piece of dough at a time: On a lightly floured work surface, dust a ball of dough with flour and roll it out to an 8-inch round. Griddle the tortilla, turning once, until browned in spots and pliable, about 30 seconds per side. Wrap the tortilla in a towel and repeat with the remaining balls of dough. Serve warm with the venison.

TAMARIND, CILANTRO & MINT CHUTNEY

1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup tamarind puree
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 jalapeno chile

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree. Allow to rest in the fridge for an hour, then taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve with the venison and tortillas.

Recipe compliments of Andrew Zimmern. Visit AndrewZimmern.com for more recipes like this.