Dear Meat: a letter to Venison (yes, another question)

[brewerjamie15]

Dear Meat-

You are Venison. I have never eaten you to any extent. Sure, a small piece of sausage once in a blue moon, and there was that time I had two bites of a piece of steak. Other than that, nothing.
I don't hunt you.
I don't have any of you in my freezer.
My work buddies however, have recently blown you away with an arrow and have asked me to try smoking you. A small portion of you anyway, so don't blame me. You're already a gonner. I'm just going to try doing justice to you. I promise to treat you kindly, nurture you, speak kindly of you.
I need your help though. You see, I'm a member of this nifty group. They are a brethren actually. Sometimes obsessed with the idea of the BBQ. I need you to ponder a few thoughts for me. Guide me with your deer-ness. I only hope the spirit of Fred Bear is near. Or, perhaps far away, depending on what you wish Mr. or Mrs. Deer.
I am aware you are quite lean. I must not dry you out like the former Mrs. Betty Ford. No, I must moisten you like Ford in her days of liquid lunches.
To do this I plan to marinate you for an overnight float in a nice dish. I'll check with my buddies as to their fave, you remember those guys, right? The ones with the bows?

I plan to smoke you over a cool blue hue of beauty, perhaps in the 225-240 degree range? Yes? Is that good? the reason I ask is because I have seen conflicting information. I come to you directly for knowledge O one of the large antlers.

In order to moisten your delicate, yet lovely features I feel that bacon will be the answer, yet I feel there could be more. How about, in addition to the bacon, I inject you with some of the marinade my friends pick out? On top of that, I'd like to have a bit of additional liquid love in a drip pan. Yes my 4 legged (well, not any more. I don't even know where your legs are) friend, I'm talking beer.
A small dose of marinade injected into you, a blanket made of bacon (and who in their right mind would not like that) and a drip pan of golden ale. Is that a good idea, not too much is it? I worry ya know. Don't want you to dry up on me. I'd feel bad.

How's about your internal temperature? I must apologize quickly here. I forgot to mention which piece of you I'll be watching over. I'm sure it's not your legs, as we have no idea where they could be right now. I believe something was mentioned about roasts. Not sure what kind of a roast though. Would an internal temperature of 140 degrees be the finished point? I'd then plan to jam you into some foil which would come at the 120 mark? How about that, foil you at 120, pull you outta the smoker at approx 140-145 internal temp? Would that be medium?

What would I do to store you until you got picked up which would likely be the day after I smoke you?

Don't worry deer. I realize that being dead makes it hard to concentrate, so maybe let my friends answer for you below. You can just signal them- wait. my bad. I forgot- the leg thing. OK maybe just "think" it to them and they will type what you say, K?

Thank You
Brewerjamie the guy trying to help out some buddies, and hopefully finally get his first good sized piece of venison. I plan to eat the snot outta some of this stuff. OH! I forgot to mention the fact that I get a case of beer for doing this. I'll pour a sip for ya on the driveway in memory of you.

 

[Hoss]

If it ain't backstrap,BRAISE it!:thumb:

 

[CarolinaQue]

A couple of things needed to know. What cut are you cooking it, and do you know how big the deer was? I have a pretty good recipe that works well for shoulder and hind quarter, but I need to know what you have to work with first.

 

[jacob]

What's else you smoking? :thumb:

The Missouri Wildlife Conservation Site has some helpful info on the cooking of deer. I agree with the marinating and the bacon wrap, but to inject venison would be sinful.

 

[NRA4Life]

I have smoked hind quarters before. First, cut all the fat off, that is where you get the gamey flavor. The hind quarters are de-boned, and a half dozen strips of bacon placed in the area the bone was removed from rolling the meat around the bacon, then coat the meat with yellow mustard. Apply dry rub liberally, lay more bacon on top of the meat, and smoke it at 250 for 6 or 7 hours. Then double wrap in foil and leave on the smoker for a couple more hours. I don't worry about internal temps, I just cook it until it feels like it is done. The meat will be moist and should pull like pulled pork.

 

[kusojijii]

I leave mine bone-in, brine for two days, and do not wrap in foil as NRA4Life but for a hind quarter smoke about the same time 8-10 hours at 230* F depending on the size.

I've had other deer hunters laugh and deny it was deer once they were told after eating it.

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

I posted this information in a deer thread posted by MoDave, and I will repost it here:

Yo Dave, Before I get started, I want to make this bold statement. I base this on years of experience cooking venison. Placing strips of bacon on venison does nothing to help the moistness of the interior of the meat. All it does is create a barrier on the venison to where it reduces the exposure of the meat to the smoke you are trying to put on the meat in the first place. The grease rendered by the bacon may keep the exterior of the meat moist, but that is all it does. It does not help the interior retain moisture whatsoever.

So here are three different recipes I use for venison. If I am using ground venison for sausage or burgers for the grill, I use a mix of 60% ground venison, 20% ground beef and 20% ground pork. You can go 40% with either beef or pork if you want. If I am using pre-ground beef or pork, I use a 80% lean mixture. You can substitute pork shoulder or brisket point and grind it yourself. I find that using straight ground venison is too lean and the ground meat will not adhere to itself very well. The beef/pork will have enough fat in it to help the meat stick together and it will also mask some of the gamey taste the venison may have. Depending on the taste preference of the crowd you are serving, you can adjust the amount of beef/pork you add to the mix.

Here is a summer sausage recipe from the old BBQ-Porch web-site:


@@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format

Summer Sausage

5 pounds deer meat
4 tablespoons Morton's Tender Quick
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons water

After mixing all ingredients shape into rolls and place in ice-box(refrigerator) 24 to 48 hours to cure. Place rolls on smoker and smoke with low heat (180F) 45 minutes. Turn over and smoke another 45 minutes. Increase heat in smoker to 300F after 45 minutes turn over and cook another 30 minutes. Sausage is now done. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Here is a Summer Sausage recipe we enjoy here. If you would like a sweeter version add 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar to this recipe. You may want to experiment with the Cayenne to suit your taste. ...... K

Yield: 1 serving

Preparation Time: 0:00


** Exported from Now You're Cooking! v5.57 **


Notes: I use a mix of three pounds venison, one pound beef and one pound pork. I don't bother with the various heat ranges of the recipe. I just cook at 250ºF until the sausage hits an internal temperature of 160ºF and wrap in foil to let the sausage rest. One thing I like about this recipe is you do not need a sausage stuffer. You will need to rotate the sausages every so often to keep their round shape. I like to substitute a good dark beer instead of using the water called for in the recipe. Another thing I also do is make a little extra rub using the all of the dry ingredients excluding the Tender-Quick. I use this rub on the exterior of the sausage logs after they have been formed.

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The second recipe is the one I use for marinating backstrap or injecting hind quarters. If I am using this solution for an injection, I omit the vegetable oil. Also if I am using this for an injection, I will mix the ingredients the day before so the flavors meld. I then strain the solution so the needle will not clog when you are injecting. I use about one fluid ounce per pound of meat. I inject no more than four hours before cooking time. Any longer than four hours will turn the meat mushy before it even cooks. After injecting, I use a 50/50 combination of brisket rub and Montreal Steak Seasoning on the exterior of the meat.

Venison is best served no hotter than medium rare. Anything cooked over 155ºF will tend to be tough and dry. I prefer a finish temperature of 145ºF or lower. Cook the backstrap or hindquarter @ 250ºF until it hits an internal temperature of 145ºF. If you are just cooking backstrap, you can kick the heat up some. The last ten pound hindquarter I cooked took about 30 minutes per pound @250ºF to reach an internal temperature of 145ºF.

Once the meat hits 145ºF, I wrap the hindquarter in foil and add some Rick's Sinful Marinade inside the foil and let the meat rest for 30 minutes before slicing. You can substitute beef broth instead of the RSM.

Here is the injection recipe for the venison. I will also mention that this works good on lamb. Q'Sis first posted this recipe on the BBQ Forum.

From a thin paperback booklet, called, "The Barbecue & Smoker Cookbook, from the Kitchens of Southern Living"

Magnificent Marinade:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. dry mustard
1 T. coarsely ground pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley


Rick's Sinful Marinade:

12 oz. can of beer
½ cup cider vinegar
½ Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon of beef base
1 tablespoon rub
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon MSG

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The third recipe I like to use is for venison pastrami. I took a whole hindquarter (10 lbs.) and cut it into three muscle groups. There is one big muscle on the hindquarter that looks like a nerf football. Cut it separate from the bone. You should be able to get two more cuts from the quarter that will be about the thickness of a brisket. Trim the small muscles and ends to give the two smaller pieces uniform appearance.

What is listed below comes from Randy Lee's web-site: www.randyq.addr.com/recipes/pastrami.htm This recipe was originally for beef pastrami, but I have made a few alterations for venison.

Brine Injection:

3.5 C. Good Clean Water (such as spring water)
2 Tbsp Tenderquick
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 ts Granulated Garlic or Powdered Garlic (try not to use Garlic Salt)

Anytime I inject any variety of meat, I figure one fluid ounce per pound is a good average. You might be to get more than that into venison. Anyway, give the meat as much as it will take. Here are the rub recipes for the pastrami:

Rub #1

3 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 ts ground thyme
1 Tbsp ground dehydrated onion or onion powder

Mix the above rub, take out 2 Tbsp to mix with Rub #2. Save remainder of Rub #1 for smoking day.

Rub #2

1/4 C. Tenderquick
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Rub #1 from above

After the venison has had its fill of brine (hopefully all of it), pour out excess brine from pan and coat it all over with completed Rub #2...use all rub #2.

Cover and refrigerate for 3-5 days, turning at least once a day top to bottom. Once the venison is corned or cured, remove it from the refrigerator and wash the rub off. Then soak the venison in cold water for at least an hour. Once the meat has been rinsed and soaked remove it from the water and pat dry with paper towels and apply rub #3.

Rub #3

Remaining Rub #1 from Day 1, almost 4 Tbsp
1 ts Paprika
1 ts Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Freshly Ground Coarse Black Pepper (or more, if you like it really peppery on the outside)

Cook the meat at 250ºF until it hits and internal temperature between 160º-165º. Once it hits this temperature, remove the meat from the smoker, wrap it in foil and put some Rick's Sinful Marinade or beef broth in the foil before sealing. After the meat has cooled down, pour out the juice from the foil packet and refrigerate until completely cool. After the meat is completely cooled off, slice it against the grain, as thin as you can. Before you have sliced too much of the roast, try some of the pastrami, you may find the remaining rub to be too strong in flavor. If this is the case, just wash it off real good under cold water. I know I may seem to be contradicting myself with the higher finish temperature for this recipe, but pastrami is supposed to be dry.

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Now you know all my venison recipes and cooking techniques. If you have any questions feel free to post them here or contact me at juggydbeerman@hotmail.com . Make sure you put the word, "venison" in the title of your message so that it clears my spam filter.


Beers and deers to you,

Juggy

 

[brewerjamie15]

This is a piece of hind quarter. Not sure how big the deer was, the first roast is a bit over three pounds. Roast number two is about two and a half pounds.

THANKS GUYS!

 

[brewerjamie15]

Well, I'm done.
Marinated 2 - 3 pound Venison roasts from the hind quarter in Buttermilk, garlic, and black pepper for about two days. rinsed, dried, rubbed.
Ran the stick burner with some whiskey barrel oak. I kept the temp around 220-230 and waited for the internal temp to hit 140. Foiled, hit 150, removed to a cooler until the temp dropped. The meat was extremely tender.
Having never done this before I relied on this site to teach me. You folks did quite a good job if you take a look here.