I was gifted 2 - 3 to 4 pound pieces of venison. Was going to dry brine and smoke them. I've never done any venison before. Looking for input. Temps/rubs/etc. Thanks
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For me venison is best medium rare as it can get dry pretty fast. I love venison dearly. -
I've only ever grill venison due to the lack of fat. I agree with lschweig, it can dry out fast.Comment
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Usually for chops I will pan fry them and flip them just when you start to see the red juices come out on the uncooked side and then pull them when the red juices starts to come out of the cooked side. Then I deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce the wine quite a bit.
For burgers I use the same method but do not deglaze the pan.
Oh and when I take a deer in for processing I always add 20% pork fat to the ground portion of the deer.
As it sounds like you may have roasts I would think to not go higher than 120 or so IT, but don't know for sure. You can always cook a little more, but you can"t uncook.Comment
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For roasts I'd recommend a hotter cook (325-350) to no more than 130 IT.Comment
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Can't add much to what has been said so far. Venison doesn't do "low & slow" real well & unless you are braising as a pot roast, DO NOT overcook it! Check out honest-food.net/wild-game/venison-recipes/ for some great venison recipes. Done correctly, it is awesome!!! Enjoy!Comment
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When deer hunting in Minnesota some idiot shot a young un (no deer) (probably a guest that was never invited back) to the family property and my brother in laws threw it into our cousin's out door home built wood oven for a large part of the day. Hey there was still lots of time left in the day to finish up deer hunting. I wasn't there, but they all said it was super good and feasted heartily.Comment
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Thank you all for your good info laden responses. (what a terrific game cooking site HorseDoctor!) Taking your suggestions into account, I have come up with a plan/theory of action. I will 1/2 teaspoon per pound dry brine for a few days. Then I am going to mustard coat and rub with M.H's big bad beef rub. Then I am going to tightly/securely/thoroughly wrap in bacon, (hopefully this will help retain the limited moisture venison contains) and apply M.H's memphis dust rub to the bacon. I will charcoal and briquette smoke at 225Ëš Until I get about a 120Ëš - 125Ëš internal. I will keep you posted on the results. Thanks again folks!Comment
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The results are in, and they are extremely favorable. Let me update you to the final procedure. I indeed dry brined the venison for two days (in a vacuumed food saver bag). Decided to forego the mustard/BBB rub. I used a cheap store bought "steak & chop" seasoning. Applied it as you would to pre-grilled steaks or chops. Then I thinly sliced garlic, (some diced too) and stacked the venison (see pics) with the garlic arranged throughout. I then stretch wrapped in two directions with bacon until the surface of ALL the venison was enveloped. Applied liberally to the bacon exterior memphis dust. Smoked at 225Ëš (charcoal & briquettes) until one had an internal of 125Ëš, the other 130Ëš. They took right at an hour and a half on the smoker. Because this was an experiment, and our meal was already planned for that day, I let them cool and then stretch-tite wrapped (stretch-tite is a Wegmans sold brand of cellophane) and then vacuumed them. I gave one back to the venison provider and brought the other to work for lunch yesterday. Reheated in the oven uncovered at 325Ëš for 45 minutes I brought the internal back to 125Ëš. (we have a full kitchen at work, and by 20 minutes into reheat, the aroma had peoples attention!! haha) Sliced it 3/8" approximately for sammies. Most all used mayo. I tested plain on a plate. It tasted better than it looks. I apologize I took no pics of it sliced, but it was medium, fully juicy, tender as warm butter, and flavor that made your eyes roll back in your head! Had I eaten it off the smoker, I believe it would have been a nice rare and totally juicy as the plate it cooled on filled with much juice. This shall become a venison regular for me. All at work requested the specifics of the recipe, as I just wrote out. Try it!!
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Looks like you got it perfect!Comment
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Yep, nailed it!Comment
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That'll work! Congrats! Try some slices cold with mayo, salt & horseradish on rye bread if you have any leftovers.
Oh yea...
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