THE ULTIMATE VENISON PASTRAMI
This venison pastrami is made by brining a venison sirloin roast, coating it with a simple spice rub, then smoking it low until it stays tender and sliceable. It is a smoked venison recipe built for thin slicing, sandwiches, and charcuterie instead of the drier, more heavily cooked beef-style approach.
Ingredients
For the Venison
- 3-5 pound venison sirloin roast, Surface fat and silver-skin removed
For the Brine
- 1 gallon of water
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams pink curing salt), (TCM, Instacure # 1, Prague Powder 1)
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice, store bought or see recipe below
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
For the Rub
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground or crushed
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries, coarsely ground or crushed
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground
Instructions
- In a large pot bring add the water and the remaining brine ingredients. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat, allow to cool to room temperature and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Add the venison roast to the brine. Place a plate on top of the meat to keep completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days.
- Remove the venison from the brine, rinse it and then dry it thoroughly. Discard the brine.
- In a small container mix the juniper, black pepper and coriander until evenly combined. Coat the venison completely with these spices.
Smoking option # 1
- Smoke the meat between 150 and 180 degrees F. for two to three hours. Then increase your smokers temperature to 200 degrees F and smoke until the internal temperature reach 140 degrees F. (:)
Smoking option # 2
- If you don't have enough time for option # 1, smoke the meat at 200 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
Rest the Meat
- After the meat is cooked, wrap loosely in aluminum foil. Then wrap this in kitchen towels and allow to rest for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
NOTES
- Use sirloin roast if possible. I recommend using a venison sirloin or ball roast because the size gives you more smoke time and better final slices.
- Chill the brine completely. Simmer the brine only long enough to dissolve the salt and sugar, then refrigerate it before adding the meat. Keep the roast fully submerged and brine it for 3 days.
- Dry the roast very well. After brining, rinse and dry it thoroughly before applying the coriander, juniper, and black pepper rub. A dry surface helps the smoke and spice coat better.
- Smoke it low first. For the best result, smoke between 150 and 180 F for 2 to 3 hours, then raise the smoker to 200 F until the meat reaches 140 F internal.
- Do not cook past 140 F. The post is clear that venison pastrami dries out fast once it goes much beyond 150 F, so this recipe is built around stopping at 140 F and slicing thin.
- Use the shortcut if needed. If you do not have time for the lower-temp first stage, smoke at 200 F until the roast reaches 140 F internal. It will be a little less smoky, but still tender.
- Rest it before slicing. Wrap the cooked pastrami loosely in foil, then in kitchen towels, and let it rest at least 45 minutes before slicing.
- Slice it very thin. This recipe is meant to eat more like a gourmet ham than traditional steamed deli pastrami, so thin slicing matters.
Nutrition
Calories: 1044kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 105g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 386mg | Sodium: 57158mg | Potassium: 1663mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 118g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 207mg | Iron: 17mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutrition is per serving.
Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!