Whether you’re working with bone-in venison neck roasts, trimming for stew meat, or rolling a boneless neck for smoking, the venison neck is one of the most underrated cuts a hunter can bring home. This guide covers how to break it down and cook it right while making the most of every part.
Venison Neck: The Cut You Should Stop Overlooking
Venison neck is one of the most underrated cuts on a deer. Loaded with connective tissue and flavor that transforms beautifully with slow cooking.
Whether you’re planning to braise, smoke, or truss and roast it, this guide covers hands-on techniques I’ve used for both bone-in and boneless necks. You’ll learn how to break it down, roll and tie it, and get the most from this cut in the kitchen or over the fire.
How to Debone and Truss Venison Neck
- Step-by-step process for carefully cutting out the bone while keeping the meat intact as much as possible.
- Rolling the meat into a log and tying it with butcher’s twine.
How trussing works: Trussing helps the meat cook evenly by securing the boneless neck into one tight uniform package. This makes it perfect for slow cooking and smoking. It’s also the exact technique I use to make smoked venison ham with neck meat.
Step1:
Rest the neck on the cutting board so that it is stable. Make a cut down the center from top to bottom until you reach bone.
Step 2:
Cut around each side of the bone. Follow the shape of the as closely as possible with the knife. Stop cutting before you reach the bottom. The flaps of meat on the left and right side should just be laying flat on your cuttingboard.
Step 3:
Work your knife just under the bone on each side. The meat directly under the bone, running top to bottom, will still be intact
Step 4:
Flip the neck over to one side. Cut as close to the bone as possible to completely separate it from the neck meat.
Step 5:
Examine the neck bone for any large chunks of meat that can be salvaged for stews or grinding.
Step 6:
Remove the nuchal ligament. It is the tough band of elastin that you see under my knife. It will not break down from cooking.
Step 7:
Position the neck in a vertical position on the cutting board.
step 8:
Starting at the bottom, roll the neck meat into one tight cylinder.
Step 9:
Secure butchers twine around the rolled neck with around 2 inch spacing.
Bone-In Neck Roast
If you want to keep it simple with minimal prep, leave the bone in for added flavor.
- Leaving the bone in will increase the cooking time by around 25% compared to a boneless roast. So, factor this in when debating on whether or not to remove the bone. I’ll list an example below.
- A bone-in venison neck roast typically takes about 10 hours in the slow cooker to become fork-tender. If you debone and truss the neck, the cooking time drops to around 8 hours. But don’t forget to factor in roughly 30 minutes for the deboning and trussing process. In the end, the boneless method can save you about 1 to 1.5 hours overall.
- Note: Always consider your harvest location when deciding whether to use the bones for stock, due to Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Learn more about CWD here.
Cooking Options for Venison Neck
- Slow Cooker / Crock Pot: Works great for boneless and bone-in necks. Check out my full recipe for slow cooker venison neck roast.
- Smoker: Ideal for trussed boneless necks. Started off by braising in the oven or crock pot until tender. Then finished off low and slow in the smoker.
- Dutch Oven / Braise: Works for both bone-in and boneless. Ideal if you want to broil the meat for added flavor at the end.
- Grind / Stew Meat: When you want to use it for deer sausage, chili, or stews.
Final Thoughts: Cooking Venison Neck with Confidence
I’ve cooked more deer necks than I can count. What I’ve learned is simple: this cut rewards patience and care. Whether you’re deboning the neck and leaving whole for a trussed roast or cutting it into stew meat, each approach has earned a place in my own kitchen after plenty of trial and error.
Tip from the field: If you’re unsure whether to cook with the bone, consider where your animal was harvested and check local guidance on CWD (chronic wasting disease). Read more about CWD.
Insight from hunters: One of the most common comments I get is how a well-cooked neck roast changed someone’s opinion about this underrated cut. Turning what was once grind pile meat, into a family favorite.
Why this guide matters: These techniques aren’t theory. It’s built from hands-on experience. breaking down and cooking necks from whitetail that I’ve harvested and hundreds of lamb necks that I’ve cooked in restaurants.
If you’re ready to get the most out of every harvest, give one of these methods a try and don’t forget to tag me @larry__white on Instagram so I can see what you create.
recipes to try with venison neck
Explore my whole collection of venison recipes for venison necks. Below are some of my favorites.
- Crock Pot Venison Roast
- Slow Cooker Venison Shanks
- Smoked Venison Roast
- Barbecue venison
- Corned Venison
Venison Neck Quick Faq
Deer neck meat is ideal for slow-cooked dishes like pot roasts, pulled venison sandwiches, tacos, stews, and braises. The connective tissue breaks down beautifully during long, moist cooking, giving you tender, flavorful meat.
Venison Neck is tough at first. However, when cooked using moist cooking methods, such as braising and stewing, it becomes incredibly tender and easy to shred.
The best methods are slow cooking and braising. This allows the connective tissue to break down, giving you tender, fall-apart meat. Smoking and roasting after braising yeilds excellent results as well.
