So I was gifted a whole venison shoulder - my boss loves to hunt, but can't keep up with the deer he gets, so he'll often gift me some to figure out a new recipe for. Only rule is that I have to bring him lunch (of venison) the day after I cook what I've figured out. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
I've done bacon wrapped, smoked, then ground and cooked in a texas chili recipe, as well as reverse seared backstrap in tacos (carne asada style).
The shoulder to me (it's from a pretty good sized dear) screams the smoker. But I know it's so lean it's tough to get any real kind of smoke on it.
My first thought was pulled venison. Smoke it low and slow, but then wrap midway with some sort of liquid (basically keeping it moist), and up the temperature at the same time. My only fear is drying it out, since Venison is so lean. Could wrap in bacon (or toss some fatback in a foil pan and "braise" the venison in that instead of wrapping it) but I don't want the bacon flavor to overpower the venison.
Then, I thought about doing Pastrami. The curing of the shoulder should change the cell structure/retain enough moisture to prevent my drying out fears.
What do you think?
I've done bacon wrapped, smoked, then ground and cooked in a texas chili recipe, as well as reverse seared backstrap in tacos (carne asada style).
The shoulder to me (it's from a pretty good sized dear) screams the smoker. But I know it's so lean it's tough to get any real kind of smoke on it.
My first thought was pulled venison. Smoke it low and slow, but then wrap midway with some sort of liquid (basically keeping it moist), and up the temperature at the same time. My only fear is drying it out, since Venison is so lean. Could wrap in bacon (or toss some fatback in a foil pan and "braise" the venison in that instead of wrapping it) but I don't want the bacon flavor to overpower the venison.
Then, I thought about doing Pastrami. The curing of the shoulder should change the cell structure/retain enough moisture to prevent my drying out fears.
What do you think?
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