Corning venison began as one of those, “why not?” experiments that turned out far better than I had expected. I don’t know why I was so worried — I like corned beef, and how different is venison, anyway?
Corning venison at home is so good in fact that any deer hunter out there really ought to learn this technique — you will get far more enjoyment out of the leg roasts from your venison.
I typically use whole-muscle roasts from the hind leg to do this. Big sirloin roasts, rump roasts, the “football roast,” and such. But any big hunk of venison will work. The advantage of the whole-muscle roasts is less sinew and connective tissue, which takes hours to break down. I suppose you could use the backstrap, but why would you?
Lovers of hash might want to corn shoulder or neck roasts, then simmer them so long they begin to fall apart. The extra connective tissue in these cuts makes for a moister hash.
The technique is simple: Brine your meat, then simmer it into tenderness. It takes several days, but it isn’t labor-intensive at all. Once made, corned venison is great hot or cold, with root vegetables, cabbage, cold in sandwiches (how I eat most of my corned venison), or chopped into hash.
A word on nitrites. I use them, for color, for flavor and for safety. Can you do this without pink salt? Yes, but your meat will be gray, you will lose some flavor, and there is an ever-so slight chance you might pick up botulism — not a large chance, but as botulism is one of the most toxic substances known to man, I’d say use the nitrite. You can buy it online here at The Sausage Maker.
Once made, you can keep corned venison in the fridge for a couple weeks, or freeze it for a year.
Corned Venison
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 ounce Instacure No. 1 (sodium nitrite)
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon toasted coriander seeds
- 6 bay leaves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 chopped garlic cloves
- A 3 to 5 pound venison roast
Instructions
- Add everything but the roast to a pot and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and cover, then let it cool to room temperature while covered. This will take a few hours. Meanwhile, trim any silverskin you find off the roast. Leave the fat. Once the brine is cool, find a container just about large enough to hold the roast, place the meat inside and cover with the brine. You might have extra, which you can discard.
- Make sure the roast is completely submerged in the brine; I use a clean stone to weigh the meat down. You can also just flip the meat every day. Cover and put in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, depending on the roast's size. A 2-pound roast might only need 4 days. The longer you soak, the saltier it will get -- but you want the salt and nitrate to work its way to the center of the roast, and that takes time. Err on extra days, not fewer days.
- After the alloted time has passed, you have corned venison. To cook and eat, rinse off the meat, then put the roast in a pot just large enough to hold it and cover with fresh water. You don't want too large a pot or the fresh water will leach out too much flavor from the meat -- it's an osmosis thing. partially cover the pot and simmer gently -- don't boil -- for at least 3 hours and up to 5 hours. The meat itself will be cooked in an hour or less, but you want the sinews and connective tissue in the roast to soften and that takes time.
- Eat hot or cold. It is absolutely fantastic with good mustard and some sauerkraut on a sandwich.
Notes
Nutrition
Like the Recipe? Buy the Book!
You'll find everything you need to know to master venison in Hank Shaw's cookbook Buck, Buck, Moose.
Another great recipe! I usually use a football roast from a moose for this recipe. After brining for 7-8 days I’ll cut it in half and cook one piece just for sandwiches. The other half goes back in brine for a few more days to a week. The. I’ll take that out and make “Jiggs Dinner”, which is basically an east coast dish with salted meat, root vegetables, pease pudding and sometimes blueberry/ lingonberry pudding. I made this last week and tossed a couple of snowshoe hares in brine for 4 days and it made some awesome hash!
The only tip that seems to work well for me is the use of a meat syringe. Given I am usually brining larger cuts of meat I’ll use a meat syringe and inject brine into the roast once a day for the first few days. It seems to help ensure there are no brown pockets after cooking and slicing.
Give this a try and you’ll be making it often!
Hi Hank,
Thanks for the recipe! One question – the package instructions on the InstaCure #1 say to use 3 ounces per gallon of water, so should I use 1.5 ounces for this or stick to the 0.5 ounces from your recipe?
Ben: I’ve had good success with my ratio, and I know a lot of people are hesitant about nitrite. But either ratio is safe, so it’s up to you.
Hey Hank, love this recipe and have done it for years now for my family and I. This year I want to spread the love. I’d like to do a half dozen 3 lb roasts, do I double or triple all the ingredients in the recipe? Obviously don’t want to overdue the pink salt. Thanks in advance .
Matt: Yes, you can double or triple it.
Winner Winner!!! Just make this, it’s the best corned “beef” I’ve ever had. Far better by leaps and bounds than any beef version I’ve had. The spice flavor carries through from the brine very well. I did mine 5 days and felt that was ample using a venison “football” roast.
The problem I had with this recipe is that I only did two 4 pound elk roasts, now I’m going to have to do more! We made reuben sandwiches right off the bat and they were awesome, corned elk hash and creamed chipped elk on toast were great too.
I Use this recipe all the time, thank you Hank!
This is my go-to recipe not only for venison, but for beef brisket as well. I use the leg roasts, cure in Hank’s mixture for about a week and then freeze. They continue to cure when I thaw them and cook them up, and they turn out delicious.
Thank you, Hank, for your great recipe.
Ruth
This is a fantastic recipe, and we make it for St. Patty’s Day at our house every year!
I made this recipe last year and it was incredible. I’m thinking about canning it this year and I’m wondering if I can cube up the meat BEFORE it goes in the brine and then just brine it for a couple days. I’m planning on corning a lot of different cuts so I was thinking that it will all cure pretty evenly if its cubed before hand.
Used this recipe on a Nilgai roast and it turned out way better than expected. I’ll be saving some venison for this recipe on a regular basis!
Success and I waited 10 days for 3 smaller roasts amounting to the weight in the recipe. I used garlic scapes instead of cloves. ***Can the broth be used for anything after cooking?***
Make this.
Fantastic! A frequent part of our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners! ?
Made this recipe with a large moose roast (about 5 lbs) and left it in the cure for 7 days. Came out perfectly!
Can you say in teaspoons how much 1/2 oz instacure is?
Martina: Not exactly, which is why I measure by weight. It is really important when curing foods to work by weight, not volume. That said, it is roughly 2 level teaspoons.
Just did my first attempt left it for 6 days. The pink salt didn’t color right into the middle it’s a little “grey”. Wondering if it’s still safely edible or should I toss it and try again.
PRF: It’s perfectly fine to eat, but I guess the piece of meat needed a few more days in the cure.
Just cut open my first attempt . . . unfortunately it appears that the inside of the roast was still frozen, because there is a circle in the middle where the brine didn’t reach. The brined portion is delicious though! I’ll just cut the middle out and be trying again in the near future.
On your CORNED VENISON recipe it looks fantastic and I want to try it, however I need to check with you on something that you state. In your recipe in the actual recipe You say to use 1/2 ounce Instacure No. 1 (sodium nitrite) and then up above in the story it links “You can buy it online here at The Sausage Maker. ” the link takes you to a #1 (4) oz. package of cure. So I’m seeing a discrepancy in your website https://honest-food.net/corned-venison-recipe/ of 1/2 oz. of cure vs 4 oz. of cure.
Louis: Oh yes, you do not use 4 ounces of cure! That’s just the size of the package.
This makes the best corned elk, beef, or whatever! My family now worships me after I made this. Used with both a beef brisket and elk round.
Another great recipe! I used a 3 pound sirloin from a whitetail. Brined six days, then simmered for three hours. Can’t wait for lunch!
This recipe is fantastic! I’ve used it with both venison and beef!
After brining I rinse and then crust the roast with coarsely crushed pickling spice and smoke it for pastrami! This actually won against a famous pastrami from New York, it is THAT good!!
Making this again with a boned out hindquarter of venison. Love this recipe, thank you, Hank!
Wow! Turned out amazing! Thank you
Excited to try this brine with my elk tongue. How long is the unused brine good for, if I wanted to save it for some corned goose gizzards? Thanks!
Works great! Just as advertised! Love using it in sandwiches with homemade kraut.
Could you recommend a time/temperature scenario to cook the meat sous vide instead?
Also, have you tried this with large Canada Goose breasts?
Thank you.
Benjamin: Sure, do it at about 140F for 2 hours per pound of each piece. And yes, this works fine with Canada goose breasts.
Glad I came on down and read the comments! Was just about to ask about sous vide for the final cook. Can’t wait to try the recipe! Thanks for always sharing your knowledge!
This recipe is amazing; I’ve made this with most of my moose roasts.
Another great recipe by Hank Shaw.
So good! After making the corned venison, we had a good ole corned beef and cabbage dinner. Everyone loved it (including the kids)
So fucking good
I’ve made it twice. Just came here to make it again!
I left mine in the brine for 2 weeks. Rinsed and slow cooked per directions for about 3 hours. It’s fantastic.
Made this with two 2.5lb venison leg roasts and came out fantastic
Definitely doing it again!
Hank, the dry rub and then vac seal method worked perfectly. The venison roast was as good as all of the ones I’ve made using this brine. I’ll be essentially dry Corning a turkey for Christmas using this recipe as my base. This HD vacuum sealer has been a meat flavoring/preserving game changer for me.
Hank, I have made this numerous times and it always comes out delicious. However, the meat does tend to crumble, making it difficult to get thin slices for sandwiches. Any thoughts?
By the way, I have a number of your cookbooks and they are marvelous. Keep up the good work.
After it has been vacuumed sealed for the 5 days,can it be frozen? You mentioned the salt and Instacure by the weight of meat, does that mean more or less of those compared to the actual recipe?
Brenda: Yes, you can freeze the venison. It is best to freeze it after it has been cooked. I would not freeze it before then.
I made this a few years back with great results! What do you think about dry rubbing the roast thickly with all of the ingredients and then vacuum sealing it and letting the moisture in the meat and osmosis run it’s course?
Jake: That works. Measure out 2% salt by weight of the meat, then 0.25% Instacure No. 1 by the weight of the meat. Combine, rub into the meat, vac seal for 5 days in the fridge. That should work well.
Highly recommend this recipe.
I’ve made this recipe several times now and it’s one of the best (and easiest) things to do with a venison roast. It’s pure awesomeness no matter how you eat it but making it into hash is my favorite. Thanks, Hank.
Hi Hank,
This may have been asked before but do you have any suggestions on sous vide time and temp for corned venison? I’m using two 1 lb round roasts and I’m wondering 140 degrees for 24 or 48 hours (like a 5 lb brisket) or 8 to 10 hours at 178/180?
Is it ok to use this for a couple small 1.5 pound roasts or would the brine/cure need to be diluted?
Oregonian: The brine stays the same, but the time decreases. I suspect 3 days will be enough for those roasts.
Hi I am trying the recipe for the first time, but I’m not sure how much a half ounce of Prague powder is, I did one and a half teaspoons and am waiting for it to cool but the mixture isn’t pink, is this normal?
Lesley: You really need to buy a scale. It is very important when curing meats. And no, the mixture does not turn pink. You should be OK in this case.
This recipe is great and so easy. I live in an apartment so it allows me to do charcuterie without having to own a smoker. I give away corned roasts at Christmas along with homemade beer. Beats the heck out of a gift card.
I’ve made this twice now and LOVE the recipe. I’m curious, after curing and simmering a roast, would it be safe to can some cubes of it? Any thoughts on how it would hold up? Anyone tried this? Thanks,
Brett
Brett: I wouldn’t cook it. I would cure it and then pressure can it, which will then cook it. After all, pressure canning at 10 psi for 80+ minutes, which is what you need to do, will cook the venison.
I can’t tell you how glad I am you created this recipe. I’ve made this several times; we’ve had it hot, and we’ve sliced it cold. So very good. And a great way to use those roast cuts from your deer. The only drawback- no fault of yours- is that I have to plan for it a week before I want it!
Holy crap.
I corned every roast on the rear leg of a blacktail buck and only wish I had done the whole back of the beast. The wife and I quickly set about making “Ruben” dishes until we settled upon the holy grail.
My friends, you need to make pan fried breakfast potatoes with corned blacktail butt, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and homemade 1000 island. Eggs on the side, the rest of the mess stacked on the taters.
Be careful though, the rest of the day can be difficult when it peaks at the start.
Great recipe! I just used two “football ” roasts from this years whitetail for Saint Patrick’s day dinner. This is now a family favorite. Easy and delicious hot or cold, thanks Hank!
I tried this recipie a few years ago, with a pronghorn roast that had been sitting in the freezer for a few years before that. It was my very first forray into cured meat, but the instructions were easy to follow and it turned out great! My hunting buddies were very impressed when I surprised them with corned antelope hash for breakfast at the hunting cabin.
I have made this with both antelope and elk. Outstanding. Only change I made was toasting the pepper and caraway. It was toasting the coriander that inspired me to try toasting the other seeds. Toasting the pepper adds quite a lot for me. Thanks again Hank!
Hank, thanks for the awesome work you do for sharing it with the rest of us. I’ve made your corned venison several times and have a shared the results (and your recipe and website) with family and friends. I tell them if they like corned beef, then they’ll love corned venison. No one has argued.
Hank, how do you think this would work for pastrami (smokeing instesd of boiling). I am worried it would be too salty without the boil.
Michael: If you can wait a week, I am posting my recipe for venison pastrami. Or it’s in my venison cookbook Buck Buck Moose.
Hank…made the corned elk. It turned out excellent. How long can you keep the left overs in the fridge or can it be frozen in the juice. Great recipe
Sandy: You can keep the finished corned venison for a week in the fridge, or freeze it for maybe a year or so.
Does it matter if the meat has already been frozen?
Stephen: Nope, it’ll work fine.
hi hank ive made the corned venison quite a few times have you ever done a pastrami venison ? im thinking about doing it after new year
thanks Rich
In your recipe with the spices in the brine, do you still put pickling spice in the cooking liquid or is that not necessary?
Hey Hank, I love this recipe and do it every year. This year my father-in-law had several elk roasts that I did up for him and he has raved about it. I took a few of the roasts, thin sliced them, vacuum sealed and froze, which seems to work out decently. But I was wondering, do you think that you could pressure can with this recipe? I was thinking, do the normal brine process and then stuff the meat into some jars and then cook in the canner. Just not sure what I’ll end up with. Thoughts?
Zach: Absolutely. You can cure, then they’ll get cooked as you pressure can them.
Can the roast be smoked instead of cooking in water?
Ron: In theory. I’ve never done it though. Try it and let me know how it turns out!
I am using the rear back strap roasts as I have the exceptional and unbelievable almost unlimited access to as much venison as anyone could imagine, as I am currently and have been for 5 years the personal chef for a family of wealthy hunters, will let you know how it turns out 🙂 J.W
We love this recipe so much. If we want to corn all the roasts from all three of our deer, would you suggest freezing them uncorned, then thawing to corn in portions we can eat over the next few weeks? Or corning all of them right off the deer and freezing them after they are boiled?
Amy: I typically corn and then freeze, but either works.
Hank if I wanted to do several roast like this, and then put them in a deep freeze, could I do that? Vacuum seal it with some brine, and then throw it in the freezer?
Gary: I cook them fully and then vac and freeze, then thaw and slice for sandwich meat.
I made this today in the crockpot. Came out great! Will definitely make this again.
My corned venison is in brine and comes out tomorrow. Can I sous vide the venison instead of simmering in water? If so, does it need any liquid in the bag or just rinse, pat, and place in bag? Also what would the temp be if using the sous vide? Thanks.
Logan: Yes you can. Yes, you want a little liquid in there. I’d shoot for an internal temperature of about 140F.
A real family favorite. When the child that doesn’t eat venison loves it, it’s a keeper. Our fourth go at it is simmering on the range as I type and the mouths are already watering……..
I use this recipe to brine wild duck (whole), and swan or goose breasts and legs. Very tasty!
Had a hard time finding some of the ingredients in rural WI But it turned out awsome. Currently brining my second for our Canadian fishing trip
This recipe compelled me to leave a review! Made to a T (asside from a couple small roast hunks equalling around 2 lbs.). It felt and looked questionable leaving raw game meat soaking in water for a week… Was still a purplish gray when we rinsed and started boiling (added some beer to the boiling water) it was bright pink moist corned meat when done… Cant wait to do it again and double the size of roast. Thank you!
I made this with 2.7lb venison “football” roast and it came out perfect. Brined for 6 days and cooked for 70 min in an Instant Pot with a 15 min natural release. I also put in a can of PBR and then water until it was just submerged. I was extremely please with this and will be doing it again!
I’m assuming this can be turned into pastrami as well…. but I was thinking of using goose breasts in place ofctge venison. Thoughts???
Mark: Absolutely. I have a pastrami recipe in my book Buck, Buck, Moose.
Do I need to alter the brine if I have a smaller roast…say 1 or 1-1/2 pounds?
David: Nope, not if you don’t want to. You might brine for a shorter period of time, though.
This recipe is very good along with all the recipes I’ve made from your book Buck, Buck, Moose! I’m planning on corning a neck roast next to make corned venison hash. Do you have a recipe for this? What would be the best method for long term storage? Should I vacuum seal it or use a pressure canner? Im worried about it drying out. Thanks!
Matt: Nope, I don’t have a corned venison hash recipe. Just remember when you cook your corned neck roast to do it slowly so the connective tissue breaks down. Store it in it’s cooking liquid before you shred it for hash. That’ll keep it moist.
Could Morton’s Tender Quick substitute for the Instacure #1?
Myriadelle: Sort of. You can sub one for another, but not exactly. Follow directions on the Morton’s box.
Hello Mr. Shaw.
Would you recommend injecting the brine?
Love your book Buck Buck Moose!
Thanks
David: You don’t need to unless the piece of meat is really big, like 10+ pounds.
I am very excited about corning a venison roast from my first deer ever. I am still confused about getting the sodium nitrite proportion right, after reading all the comments and replies. I think you mentioned that the measurement in ounces is a volume measurement – but it is a dry, not fluid ingredient. Am I measuring out one tablespoon or 1/32nd of a pound?
Alan: 1 tablespoon.
Do you brine, boil and then freeze or brine, freeze, thaw boil?
Amy: I brine, simmer and freeze.
Can I smoke this instead of boiling it
Mike: Absolutely. Coat it, after the brine, in ground black pepper and some ground coriander seed. Really press it in. Smoke to an internal temperature of about 135F. When it hits that, remove from smoker and let it rest on a cutting board until cool. Slice and serve!
Hank,
Any issues with cooking this sous vide?
Kevin: Nope. You can do that.
We made this with our last roast from last year’s deer. It was AMAZING!!! We’d like to do all our roasts this way this year. What do you think about doing a large batch and then freezing them once they are corned? Would they do okay once thawed?
Amy: I freeze them all the time. Works great!
This is my “go-to” recipe for whitetail hinds and goose breasts. My kids go nuts for this every time and now beg me to go hunting for geese.
Thanks Hank – this recipe is now a family tradition and has enriched our lives!
Love this recipe, it is a staple for all my hooved critters that come to my freezer. I’ve had good luck with freezing leftovers especially if you grill sliced pieces afterwards for a hot sandwich. Great recipes like this keep good cuts from ending up in the grinder.
Hi Hank,
I made this recipe as described, the only difference was that I slow smoked it to an internal temperature of 60 degrees. After cooling down in ice water, I let it rest overnight in the cool room. I sliced some some this morning and it’s awesome.
Thanks for the help.
Hi Hank, just wondering if you can let us know the weight of your 1/2 cup of your brand of kosher salt as I understand they vary.
Mr. Shaw, I was wondering if you know of a brine recipe for Cajun roast venison. Maybe the same cutvof meat with similar brine but a few changes . Thank you for sharing the corned recipe. We love it
I have made this once. It was outstanding. Going to start a new one tomorrow. Thank you for the recipe
Have made this 3 times now. Excellent.
Have you ever tried drying (jerky) instead of cooking once it comes out of the brine?
I made this today and it was delicious! My husband took the kids on a youth hunt last fall and I’ve been working my way through a freezer full of venison.
I ended up cooking this in a crockpot along with a sliced onion and a bottle of beer since it’s softball season here and we don’t get back to the house until after dark. Everyone loved it. I’m looking forward to making the leftovers into hash for breakfast. Thank you for the recipe!
If I wanted to do pastrami, could I just take it out of the brine and then basically follow the goose recipe?
Ben: you bet.
Super easy and made the best Reuben sandwich. Great with home made sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. Thank you Hank!
I’ve made this several times. The first time, I overcooked it and had to shred it. Since then, I’ve been careful not to overcook so that it slices thinly without falling apart. I use a motorized meat slicer. So great for sandwiches! I also love to serve this with shredded cabbage fried in duck fat with crispy crumbled bacon.
When boiling, use the smallest pot possible so you don’t leach out all the goodness!
I made this last week, along with Irish Soda Bread (great recipe on SeriousEats.com for that) and new potatoes with green beans. Everyone in my family loves it, from kids to Grandma. This is going into our regular”rotation” with Venison Barbacoa and other family favorites. Thanks Hank!
HMM: Some commercial meat manufacturers use carbon monoxide…
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=3863064&page=1
Nat: Really? Whoa. That’s a new one on me.
I’m wondering if you’ve found any substitute for the sodium nitrate, which triggers migraines in this house. Any thoughts? I would love to find an option that prevents the gray meat without using the preservative. Thanks. I so look forward to trying this!
HMM: There is no substitute. The so-called “uncured” products that say they have no nitrite are lying. They have just as much. Theirs derives from celery, a vegetable very high in nitrite. Sorry it causes headaches with you, but yeah, no way around it.
I’ve done this with beef about 3 times now and it’s delicious. I got the brine boiling right now and a 2 lb venison roast. I’m sure it’ll be better than the beef. Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you for the great recipe. Made it a while back and am starting another elk roast this week. Maybe we’ll even share some with friends this time… but I doubt it!
Does the roast have to be boneless or can I use a bone-in Rump Roast, 10 lbs.
Thanks
Linda: It can be bone-in, but the cure time might take a bit longer.
Awesome thanks! The family loves all your recipes
How long will this keep in the fridge/freezer?
Craig: Fridge? About a week or so. Freezer? Until the Second Coming.
I have made this. And made pastrami also. I smoked both pieces on meat but the pastrami I smoked an additional 3 hours.
Your recipe is exactly what I used.
In the directions you have 6 cloves of what?
Tammy: Six cloves. Period.
If you were to smoke this after brining what IT would you being it up to? Also what smoker temp do you recommend?
Jason: I’ve never done that, but I reckon it would work.
Could you do this recipe and smoke the roast instead of boiling it like a pastrami?
Paul: Yep.
I have tried several other recipes but this one is best by far.
Where is the best place to get Instacure #1?
Josh: Either a butcher’s shop or online at places like The Sausage Maker or Amazon.
I corn most of my Canada goose breasts these days. By far my favorite way to eat geese. Reuben sandwiches or hash are both awesome!
Brine the venison for up to 3 weeks!!! Then it will be pink all the way thru ! And Penzeys Spices has a corned beef spice packet that is perfect! This is the hit in my family. I put it in the crockpot for 6 hrs.
Brined for 7 days and now just finished a low and slow simmer. Holy Venison! honestly, this tastes like corned beef and is delicious! I’ve made the corned venison before using the Field and Stream recipe and it’s good as well, however, there is something special about this one. I brined two slabs and just put one on the smoker. Now I’m anxiously awaiting this one to be done. Thank you for the great site, recipes, podcasts and overall expertise. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hank: To be clear, you are telling me to double the nitrites? Also, I believe I am going to attend your dinner in St. Louis. Depends on work schedule….
Andy: Only if you have to double the liquid volume of the brine.
Hank, I am planning on doubling this recipe for 8-10 pounds of venison roasts. Should I leave the Instacure No. 1 at the 1/2 ounce measurement, or should I double it along with the other ingredients? Also, if I smoke some to make pastrami, what temp/time/wood would you suggest?
Ricky: The brine will cure whatever you can fit in it. If you can’t submerge the meat in 1 batch of brine, double it.
I just bought a smoker, the corned venison has been sitting in the brine, I was just wondering about smoking it at this point rather than boiling it. I have 2 roasts that are ready for cooking, wondering what your thoughts are?
Shannon: Should work. That’s how you make pastrami.
Hi Hank, your recipie call for 1/2 gallon of water. I find its hard to cover a 4lb slab of meat with that. I need closer to 1 gallon. Should I just add water? Should I double the brining ingredients? I’ve read elsewhere that the water/salt/nitrite ratios are critical and failure to follow them may create health risks. Some good, general discussion about increasing the amount of liquid would be very helpful. Thanks for all your great work, for publishing these free recipes and your pioneering work in the world of wild food!
Bendrix: Double the brine.
Have you ever tried making venison into pastrami rather than simmering it to make corned venison? I’ve been thinking about dry rubbing it with pepper and coriander then smoking it after it’s been brined.
Larry: Yes. It is in my latest cookbook Buck Buck Moose.
So after reading how to make a homemade corned beef I wanted to clarify something, after brining the roast you take it out of the original brine and use freshwater to cook it in. And throw the original Brine away ? Or can you use some of the brine to cook the corn beef in.
Michael: You toss the brine. If you cooked the roast in it, it would become very very salty.
Thanks for the reply Hank, but I realized I wasn’t very clear. Each piece is separate from the other while connected just at the ends. Not sure what the cut is or why the butcher did it this way but the brine will be able to completely surround each piece even though they’re connected. So while total weight is 2 to 3 lbs and they’re all part of the same muscle group I basically am dealing with 3 individual pieces the thickest of which is about 3 inches.Maybe you answered already assuming that but I figured it would brine faster because each piece isn’t playing interference for the next piece to brine. Thanks again. This exemplifies why butchering your own meat pays off!
Alex: Ah, gotchya! Yes, treat them like smaller pieces of meat in that case. Weird butchering job…
Hey Hank, the “roast” as it was marked that we pulled out of the freezer looks like it was a shoulder with many smaller muscles in about a 2-3lb chunk. I’m assuming I should brine for less time because while they’re attached each piece is smaller than. A whole 2lb roast would be. I hate over salty food so id like to avoid over doing it. Am I correct?
Alex: I’d brine it as if it were one piece of meat because the salt needs to travel to the center of it, connective tissue or no.
Use 1/2 of the water to cook the brine. After simmering the brine for the allotted time add the other half of the water with some ice cubes and stir.
For over 45 years I have made my wild game corned meat and pastramis with Morton’s Tenderquick.
Hey Hank,
So I made this last year for 3.17 and am getting excited for it again tonight. I guess two years in a row constitutes a tradition. Thanks for your work and this great site.
The meat yielded by this recipe is so good that my kids now request this in place of corned beef. Will be making soon for the annual St. Patrick’s feed in our home, so I would encourage anyone thinking about this recipe to try it on this occasion. And the leftovers make great Reubens, hash, etc. Even when I used it on a tough old bull elk, the meat was tender, moist, delicious.
Hi Hank, big fan after hearing you on the wired to hunt podcast. I used you brine recipe but after it was cured I decided to smoke it and just cook it to well done for more of a ham. The salt level was perfect from your recipe. However I only used .35 of the instacure and it still came out deep red and nicely cured. Especially in my CIA garde manger book, it seems like they use excessive amounts of cure. Not saying that you do, just curious your thought. Thanks again for the great recipe.
Thank – ever tried cooking the roast using a crock pot? Mine pretty much simmers when on low, curious if it might work for this recipe.
Mark: That will work.
Just a tip – my cook’s illustrated said that corning penetrates about 1/4 of an inch on all sides per day. (so a 3″ thick roast needs 6 days cure because you are getting 1/4″ on the top and bottom of roast simultaneously). I didn’t read all of the comments so this may already have been shared but I found it useful!
Hank, How many teaspoons in a 1/2 ounce of instacure?
The Deerslayer’s Wife
Would you recommend after brining freeze directly or cook a freeze?
Lorraine: Cook and freeze.
Hello Hank,
I just got my Prague powder today, one site I was on says that is the same as insta cure hope that is true. I didn’t see the answer to a previous query as to whether the measure for cure is in volume or weight or is it the same in this case? Thanks
Michael: Yep. It is the same. I usually measure my cure in grams, and that is by weight. In this case it’s by volume, though, as you don’t need to be quite as precise with a brine.
Thanks once again. Merry Christmas.
Hank, I’ve got a venison roast brining now. It’s one of those thats all tied up with strings, not a whole piece. Besides not getting beautiful slices, do you see a problem with this? Thanks.
Marc: Nope, should be OK.
Does Instacure have anything besides sodium nitrate in it? I have straight sodium nitrate and wonder if the amount would be the same?
Melanie: Yes, they are different. Instacure is regular salt plus sodium nitrite or nitrate. You need s. nitrite for corned venison, not nitrate.
I did this last year and it did not “pink up” thru the whole roast but I have consulted with my local slaughter house who does my corned beef and she says as long as it is submerged in brine I can leave it for up to 4 weeks. and I found “corned beef spices” at Penzeys Spices and I am going to try this time around. We love corned venison and I will update if this works out!!!
I enjoy corning venison but this time, after brining for 7 days, it was still red (not pink) in the middle of the chunk of meat. So I am brining it longer. I used a whole muscle roast from the hind leg. Was the chunk too thick? What should I do to avoid this in the future?
For the best storage, do you freeze this before simmering or after?
Matt: After. I vac-seal and freeze when it’s ready to eat.
All of your projects sound delicious, wish I had elk to try it with. I do have moose though (lots) and am about to corn a moose tongue. Tried it once before, then cooked, chopped and pressed the tongue, it was wonderful sliced thin with craters and cheese.
I did this exact recipe for pastrami. Did everything the same. Rinsed the meat
Very well before I got smoked it. Turned out
Amazing in my opinion. Better then normal pastrami. Will be the corned venison and pastrami again. I have done it with deer, elk, antelope, and moose. It’s all great!
if the joint is frozen can it be used at all or maybe it needs to be defrosted first?
Sikka: Must be defrosted.
Super excited to have found this website – so much I went ahead and bought one of your books!
Is it safe to assume you could toss this in a slow cooker rather than boil it?
I just finished this using Tender Quick and it turned out absolutely fantastic.
Thanks! I figgered that you know what you are doing, but I wanted yo know why…brining tomorrow!! 🙂
Help! I am just about to make up yourn brine for some corned elk…I ordered some Hoosier Frams Prague Powder and they suggest 1 oz. per 25 pounds meat, and you are saying 1/2 oz. per up to 5 pounds. Now, I iz nervous!! Why do you call for that amount? I will await a reply before proceeding….
Kelly: Because that amount works well in a brine. The 1 ounce per 25 pounds of meat is most likely for salami or sausage-making, where the cure is actually in direct contact with the meat. You need more cure in a solution then when added directly to the interior of ground meat.
Hank, Thanks for the work you do on this site. Corned venison works great sous vide 3rd year cooking it that way. Football roast , brine 4 or 5 days debrine 1.5 hours cold water, sous vide 149 16 hrs tender deer/ 20 old deer. Tony
Son of a Gun! I’m heading into the “freezer room” to find a good roast. Best and fastest internet sources for instacure? And what do you think of adding brown sugar instead of regular?
Deerslayer: Amazon is my go-to if you have Prime. If not, go for The Sausage Maker (link is on the right) or you could try Weston Products. Oh, and brown sugar works great.
The recipe calls for 1/2 oz of Instacure. Is this a volume or weight measurement? Thanks.
Hello Hank,
My girlfriend, myself, and a friend, are trying your recipe. We really love the site. We’ve used and modified one of your rabbit recipes as an inspiration for one of our own. Tried to merge the fennel flavors with a spicier type stew. I also now have a greater appreciation for ‘rabbit bacon’.
Anyway, I started to save the brine solution, before I read up a little more on the process in general. I’m not so sure throwing it out has to do with tradition as much as it has to do with the salinity and nitrite levels being off of the original recipe. Although it makes sense, it still feels like a waste. Unless someone can measure and replenish the salt and nitrite content exactly to the original values, it seems it wouldn’t work as well, or nitrite levels could become unhealthy.
Hank I used the tenderquick because it was what was in the pantry. My wife used it for some recipe. Package said 0.5% do I doubled up on the 1/2 cup you suggested for salt/sugar/sodium nitrate. I too prefer to know proportions of things like that, and I’d of skipped the sugar if given a choice.
Followed rest of recipe with what I had, skipped what I didn’t. Huge success. Wife pronounced it “really ok”. Kids ate a lot while it was still on cutting board. Tastes like corned beef. Maybe I’ll try to make hash from what’s left.
Liked the meatball recipe too. It’s fun to finally eat American food from elk besides bbq backstrap.
Thanks
I brined a 4 1/2 pound roast for seven days like your recipe said and cooked like the recipie said. Tasted excellent! Put it in the fridge and a couple days later noticed the center of the roast wasn’t pink like the rest of the roast. Did I do something wrong and is it still safe to eat?
Andy: It’s fine. You should have gone another day, that’s all.
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned the importance of using a non-reactive container to brine and cook. Aluminum and cast iron impart a dreadful flavor when in contact with the nitrites. Be sure to use a glass, ceramic or stainless vessel to brine and stainless pot to cook.
Peter: Very good point! I use stainless to cook, and plastic to brine.
Looks like an excellent recipe. Our goose season wraps up this week, and I have stacks of goose breast, elk, moose and antelope in the freezer. Can’t wait to give it a try, just don’t know which to start with. For those who use goose, how long do you brine?
Thanks Hank
We avoid sodium nitrites. Could your process work without it? My husband would LOVE corned venison.
Nana: Yes, but it will lose color and flavor and there is an increased risk of botulism.
Why do you hate it? I have never cured meat before other than making jerky, and have never used either the instacure or the mortons.
Thanks!
Josh: Because you cannot control nitrite with the product. It is proprietary, so you can’t go from one recipe to another unless they all use tender quick. No one knows exactly how much salt to sugar to nitrite is in tenderquick. You can control all these variables by doing your own salt, nitrite and sugar.
Can you make this using Morton tender quick instead the salt and instacure? If so do you know if MTC would give the same pink color? Thanks!
Josh: Yes, but only if you can find some other recipe that calls for Morton’s Tenderquick. This recipe will not work with that product, which is a mysterious combination of salt, nitrate and sugar. I hate the stuff.
Do you use fresh cuts or aged? I like to dry age my venison and am wondering if they would be ok to use.
John: Either is fine.
I concur on the goose breast idea…..do the same technique, it’s fabulous..!!
Before brining thick roasts, I stab the roast all over many times, through and through, with a meat carving fork to facilitate penetration of the brine. For a fabulous party hors, try open-faced mini Reubens on party rye bread…..your guests will be amazed..!!
When we cook corned beef – we save the broth and cook vegetables in it. It’s so good. Might be possible to use the brine like that. I don’t know if it would be the same but I’d be one to try it.
Any reason not to boil the brine (i.e. kill anything that grew during the sit time) freeze and use the brine again later? Seems a waste to discard all that tasty tea. Obviously it will be a bit weaker, but seems like it might have one more use left in it.
Neil: I’ve just heard from lots of sources not to reuse brine. Just tradition, I guess…
Hank,
I do this often but I have always used a dry rub of seasonings, salt, and sodium nitrite then vacuum seal to do the curing. Do you think there is an advantage to curing in brine?
X2 on the long simmering necessary to de-salt a bit. I do a lot of corned venison and love it. Gave a chunk to my sister who is impatient & loves her pressure cooker. She used that instead of the long simmer and it was too salty to eat. She never did believe anything I told her…
this is awesome
Aaron, where do you get an elk in February
We started doing this with our goose breasts this year. Big hit. I have a moose roast, would you just leave it in the brine a little longer?
I have what might be a dumb question. You mention pink salt which I believe is the Instacure. Is that the same as the gourmet pink salt that pops up in spice shops? I ask because the place I buy my spices sells a Himalayan pink salt and it just seems more natural to me than buying Instacure. If I am wrong, please let me know since I have yet to cure anything and I’d love to learn.
Sara: Nope, that’s a whole different thing. Instacure has nothing to do with Himalayan pink salt except for color. 😉
If you cold smoke it after corning it do you have Venison pastrami??
Tom: Not exactly. For pastrami, you coat the meat after brining (in a less flavorful brine, incidentally) with crushed black pepper and coriander seeds, then hot smoke it.
Hmm…since you seem to have an affection for German food – why not try labskaus?
Hank,
Nice update! I make this regularly now as my wife and son start jonesing pretty hard if we go more than 2 months without it.
Thanks again, Marc
Awesome. Thanks for the info, the desalting makes sense. If I get an elk this Feb I will certainly be trying both methods.
Instead of simmering in water, could you sous vide the meat to not lose any flavour to the water? Or is there a specific reason you simmer it? If sous vide is an option what temp would be best?
Aaron: you could sous vide it. But the traditional water simmer de-salts it a bit, which can be useful. Sometimes in the long cure the meat can get salty, but you need to in order for the cure to get all the way to the center of the meat. Honestly, I’ve not yet tried to sous vide it.
I love corned venison! I slice it thin and mix it with white gravy and serve it over biscuits or toast. My take on S.0.S. I have also made dill pickle wraps with it and they are a hit