Salt/Sugar cured, hickory smoked deer!

[koger]

Hey fellers, my first post in the recipe/cookin section! I am a avid hunter, along with my wife, we usually take 3-5 deer per year, process them ourselves, grind, can, freeze and so on We grow a huge summer garden and this year winter garden, along with chickens and other livestock, being self sustaining is our hobby. In 2013 I experimented with salt curing a deer loin and chunk of deer ham, worked great! Here in KY, late ML season, I connected on a big ole doe, dressed out#130, huge! I carefully trimmed out all the good cuts, an salt cured with a quick cure, in 2 weeks, yep I said 2 weeks. I then rubbed down with dark brown sugar and black pepper, smoked for 2 hours with hickory chips, man did it turn out swell. Has a light smoky taste, about half as salty as country ham, but taste's just like it. Here is how to do it.

1. Take any major deer part, ham for instance, and bone off the meat, separating each muscle in each quarter and the loins. I then cut them in manageable size chunks, and place them in a large, heavy duty gallon freezer bag, leaving enough room to zip close easily.
2. Weigh your bag. If it weighs #4, put in a heaping tablespoonful of Morton tender quick curing salt, per pound, #4 pounds, 4 heaping tablespoonful's. Zip up and place in your fridge. Every 24 hours, pick up the bag, flip it over, place back into the fridge. Do this for 14 days. After the 2 day, a brine will have formed in the bag, and speeds up the curing process.
3. On day 15, remove from bag and rinse, it is ready to slice and freeze at this point, you have what some folks call buckboard bacon. I rub down with a heavy coat of dark brown sugar, black pepper and smoke for 2 hours, remove, let rest then slice/ freeze. You have a lightly sweet, salty, smoky lean meat that is good on buiscuits, in greens, or just by itself with eggs for breakfast. This works for pork too, did a huge shoulder this year as well.
4. When I cook, I cover in water, bring to a slow bubble, put a lid on for about20 minutes, should be rehydrated and tender, still like country ham. I drain off 90% of any water left, then, sprinkle a little brown sugar on, let caramelize for a few minutes, then serve on
biscuit's.
If someone will send me a phone# or email, and help me post pics, can send 3 or 4! Just thought I would share!

[mattw]

I would post pics for you in a heart beat... I love venison!

[DougGuy]

This sounds quite interesting, would love to try it! Yes pics!

[koger]

Mattw, pm me a email or phone#, pics await

[w5pv]

I have cured hog meat that way so why not venison or other meat.

[MaryB]

deer pastrami is good stuff

[mnkyracer]

I did a whole deer loin when I did a side of bacon the other week. Similar to your process and copied from a youtube vid from Tim Farmer:

1/4 c kosher salt
1/4 c dk brown sugar
1/4 PURE maple syrup

Cover meat with rub and sealed in a bag. Flip every 24 hrs for 7 days. Day 8 - rinse, pat dry and let dry over night.

Cold smoked for 4 hrs over maple, then baked in oven at 190 degrees until internal was 145. Sliced thin, it didn't even make it to the roll before disappearing.

[TXGunNut]

deer pastrami is good stuff

Tease! Have you posted that somewhere? Sounds good.

[MaryB]

No I haven't posted and it and have no pics. Haven't made it for awhile.

[rush1886]

Tease! Have you posted that somewhere? Sounds good.

Check out <cowgirlscountrylife.com>. It's an excellent blog/website. Scroll all the way towards the bottom of the page, on the right hand side, you'll see the recipe for venison pastrami. I've used it many times and it is fantastic.
Maybe Mary can check it out and see if it is similar to her own.

[TXGunNut]

Thanks, rush1886.

[reloader28]

I'm defiantly going to try this. Dads been after me for a couple years to figure this out.

We smoked one of our goats last fall after marinating it for 24 hours. It came out very good. I suppose deer would be the same.

[MaryB]

I start with your basic corned beef cure and added extra black pepper. Let it cure for a week then cold smoked it for awhile then raised the temp to bring it to 145 internal so it was cooked through.

[C. Latch]

I've made deer pastrami before, and it was excellent. I'll have to remember this thread next year. I wouldn't try it with a loin because I like to fry the loins, but a hindquarter would work.

[mattw]

Now that would be good eatin'

[mattw]

One more!

[MaryB]

Where is the rye bread and sauerkraut and thousand island dressing? Oh yeah and some melted swiss cheese...

[rush1886]

and the dill pickles, and the ice cold porter!

[USMC87]

Looks like I have some curing to try on my next fall hunting ventures, We all love cured pork so the deer will be on the next list.

[jroc]

Venison ham is excellent. Here is a pic of the results of deer season 2 years ago. Hams, Venison logs and snack stix's before they were cut into 5" pieces and packaged. I cure the hams for 21 days then rub a couple of them with a mix of pure maple syrup and and a canadian steak seasoning. These come out like a pastrami. I rub a couple with just maple syrup, these come out more like ham. I smoke them off and on for a couple days of cold smoke then smoke cook them to internal temp of 155 degrees. In fact Easter Sunday I didn't take pics but had a ham from this past seasons deer.