Smoked Venison Roast Food

TEXAS-STYLE BARBECUE VENISON ROAST

Steps:

• Heat a small pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter and onions, then sauté until translucent. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and bring it to a soft boil. Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce. Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and purée until smooth. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the sauce and dilute it with a 1-2 tablespoons of water to use for mopping.
• Trim the silverskin on the outside of the roast and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48.
• Prepare your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions using your choice of wood or pellets. Set the temperature around 180 degrees.
• Place the venison on the top rack of the smoker if possible. Place a container or foil tray filled with water on the bottom rack directly underneath the meat to release steam. Smoke for 30 minutes until the outside is dry and tacky and then mop the surface with the barbecue sauce. Continue to mop every 30 minutes for 2 -3 more hours.
• Generously baste the meat with the barbecue sauce again, then wrap it tightly in either pink butcher paper or aluminum foil.
• Return the meat to the smoker, and increase the heat to 200 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. You should be able to feel the tenderness of the meat when pricking it. Pull the meat when it reaches about 180-190 degrees internally. Don't let it get past 200 degrees. This might take anywhere between 8-12 hours to achieve, depending on the size of the roast.
• Finally, rest the venison for 30 minutes, wrapped in an additional layer of foil and placed in an oven or cooler to keep warm. Slice it into thin pieces and serve with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, potato salad, pickles, and onions.
• Notes
• An optional step is to inject the meat in several places using a syringe filled with venison or beef stock. This helps to combat dehydration when smoked.
• Using pink butcher paper will keep some moisture in, but it is breathable, absorbs smoke, and creates a bark. Foil traps steam and is better at keeping the meat juicy, but gives it a subtle braise-like texture.
• The smoke times called for in this recipe are based on the cut of meat and the size. I used a 2 ½ pound outside round, or bottom round. It is the large muscle covering the outside of the hind quarter. If using bear, don't trim any fat.

SMOKED VENISON ROAST

Steps:

• Trim any skin or fat from meat; cut slits at intervals in surface of roast and fill with garlic and push in some of the chopped bacon; brush meat generously with oil and sprinkle heavily with pepper.
• Pour 1/2 cup wine into water pan of smoker and fill with water; put in place over hot fire.
• Place meat on rack in smoker; cover with lid and smoke 5 hours, feeding with a few charcoal briquets at a time to maintain cooking temperature; baste with remaining oil evry hour, working quickly so as not to disperse heat in smoker.
• Test internal temperature, it should be at 130-135 degrees.
• Place meat in a large Dutch oven, add remaining 1/2 cup wine and simmer 45 minutes longer, or until internal temperature reaches 165-170 degrees.
• Serve hot with gravy or refrigerate and serve cold.
• Venison gravy: cut bacon in small pieces and saute to render fat; stir in flour, add pan juices and broth gradually, stirring until smooth and thickened; taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

VENISON PASTRAMI

Steps:

• Mix everything thoroughly together in a bowl.
• Rub it thoroughly over the corned roast, getting a nice coating.
• Throw the roast in a smoker set (and pre-heated) to 220° and smoke it with a nice hardwood. About a cup of hickory chips is what I usually use. I never soak the chips. Put the wood chips in AFTER the smoker is pre-heated, otherwise they will all just burn up before it gets to temperature.
• The smoke isn't meant to last the whole cooking time, probably just about an hour or two at the most. You can experiment with that of course.
• For food safety reasons, I'll tell you 160° is the "safe" internal temperature to shoot for. From a meat moisture perspective, you'll be happier with somewhere below 160° - I usually shoot for 150-155°. It takes 3 to 4 hours, sometimes a little longer. You can make the call on what temp you are comfortable hitting...
• If your smoker doesn't have a food temperature probe built in, I strongly recommend getting one for it. It saves you from having to open the smoker to check the temperature - which drastically drops the temperature, especially if you smoke on a cold or windy day.
• When it's up to temp, let it cool, then slice up for sandwiches. I usually wrap it in foil, and toss it in the fridge till the next day when I slice it.

ROAST RACK OF VENISON WITH SMOKED BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season venison with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet. Add venison and sear well on all sides, about 5 minutes in all. Transfer venison rack to a roasting pan and roast 20 to 25 minutes per pound, for medium rare, basting frequently with pan drippings. When meat registers 130 to 140 degrees F on a meat thermometer, remove it to a carving board and cover loosely with foil. Let rack rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Serve with heated homemade or prepared barbecue sauce.;

THE ONLY VENISON BRINE RECIPE YOU NEED

Steps:

• In a large pot, add the water and all the ingredients for the brine, and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the mix to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool.
• After the brine has cooled, gently drop the meat into the pot to brine in a cool place for 24 to 48 hours. If you have a garage that maintains a temperature of 35 to 45°F, you can place the pot there. You can also remove a shelf in your refrigerator to accommodate the pot.
• After the meat has brined for a day or two, it is ready to either sous vide or smoke on a pellet grill.
• Sous Vide
• Pull the roast from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Place the roast in a large vacuum seal bag with 2 tablespoons of butter, remove all the air, and seal it with a vacuum sealer. You can also place the roast in a large zip-close bag with the 2 tablespoons of butter and seal it after removing as much air as possible. Be sure to double bag the zip-close bag in case of a leak.
• Place the sealed bag in a water bath, set the sous vide to 130°F, and cook for 12 hours.
• Oven, Barbecue, or Pellet Smoker
• Pull the roast from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Heat the oven, barbecue, or pellet smoker to 350°F.
• While cooking the roast with one of these methods, you will want to catch and reserve any liquid or fat that cooks out of the meat. To do this, place a metal drying rack over a large 9-by-13 lipped cooking tray, and fill it half way up with the leftover brine. The pan of brine will catch all the juices that cook out of the meat. It is necessary to add the brine to the tray before it is placed in the heat so that the drippings don't dry out at the bottom of the tray in the heat.
• Cook the roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F. The cook time will vary depending on the size of your roast.