Smoked venison sounds like it should be awful — if you’re used to smoking pork.
Smoked, pulled pork, gently cooked for many hours until it falls apart is one of the great things about being alive. But you can’t do that with venison, alas. Pork is, well, fatty. Porky, with lots of little packets of fat in between the muscle fibers that means a slow-smoked pork shoulder will baste itself.
Deer are lean, especially when you get to the interior of a cut. And fat, as you may know, is insulation — and insurance policy against cooking too long — so the fact that a venison ham has none means it can go from sublime to dog food in a matter of minutes.
So is there no way to properly smoke venison? There is indeed, but you have to shift your barbecue compass to the West, to Central California, to be specific.
The only contribution California makes to the barbecue universe is called Santa Maria Barbecue, normally done with beef tri-tip, a cut from the lower part of the cow’s hind leg. It is wonderful stuff, smoky with a lovely spice rub. But here’s the thing: Santa Maria BBQ, or what we here in Cali just call “tri-tip,” is never cooked past medium. To do so is a sin.
Venison roasts, typically single-muscle roasts or those with just a few muscles — from the hind leg — are what you want when you make smoked venison. You can do this with a big section of backstrap, too.
How do you get there? You can do what I call “smoke roasting” — I have a method for this in my cookbook Buck, Buck, Moose
. That consists of tossing a hunk of meat into a hot smoker and cooking it until the meat hits the proper internal temperature.
To really smoke venison you will want to salt it first. Not a full-on cure, but a nice salting.
You get there by using your digital kitchen scale
. Yes, you must measure things for this recipe. You measure your hunk of venison. Do this in grams. Then you measure out 1 percent of that weight in regular kosher salt, and add an equal amount of sugar. If you feel like using a curing salt — I don’t — add no more than 0.2 percent of the venison’s weight. You’ll want a cure marked No. 1 here, not No. 2. Again, I don’t use curing salts, but you can.
Mix your salt and sugar together and get yourself a big tub or somesuch so you don’t lose any of it. Now you massage the salt/sugar into the venison, taking care to get it around the femur if you’re doing a whole leg, which is a cool thing to do if you have a teeny deer; the one in the pictures is an Arizona Coues deer buck.
Now put your venison and any remaining cure into a big bag and set it in the fridge. How long? Two days per pound of venison. Then rinse the meat off, pat it dry and, if you want, let it sit uncovered in the fridge an extra day. You can skip this if you want, but it helps make the meat smokier.
Then you smoke the meat slow and low until the thickest part hits the temperature you want. I prefer 130 to 135°F. How do you know? You need an internal probe thermometer
. I happen to have one that comes with the Traeger I use.
Wood choice is your own. I prefer fruit woods, but will use oak or hickory, too, depending on my mood. (The Traeger has all sorts of wood pellets you can use.)
That’s it. Measure your venison, lightly cure it in the fridge a couple days, smoke it slow and low until it hits the right temperature, let it rest 10 minutes on the cutting board. Slice and eat.
This smoked venison is basically the best “roast beef” you’ve ever eaten. Don’t believe me? Try it.
Smoked Venison
Ingredients
- One 5- pound venison roast (See notes below)
- 23 grams kosher salt, about 0.8 ounces
- 23 grams sugar, about 0.8 ounces
Instructions
- Mix the salt and sugar together and massage the mixture into every part of the venison. Do this over some sort of tub or container - a baking sheet works well - so you don't lose any. Put everything, including any stray cure mixture, into a large plastic bag or container that will just about hold the venison. Let this sit in the fridge anywhere from a week to 10 days. Turn the meat over once a day.
- Rinse off the meat and pat it dry. If you want, you can set the venison on a rack uncovered in the fridge for a day before smoking.
- Smoke the meat slow and low - I prefer somewhere between 175F and 200F - with an internal probe thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the venison. Do not let the probe hit bone. Smoke for between 2 and 5 hours, or until it hits an internal temperature of no lower than 120F and no higher than 140F. I prefer about 130F.
- Let the smoked venison sit on the cutting board 10 minutes before slicing and serving. It will keep a week in the fridge and freezes well.
really appreciate your recipe I used a 2.5 lb hind end muscle I slated and sugared to your recommendation then I black peppered it. I cooked it at 275 for 3.5 – 4 hours, this was my most successful smoked meal yet!!
thanks
Ty
I made this with an 8 lb leg. It was good, leftovers were good as well. Made some french dips. I will try again with a 5 lb leg next then maybe just roasts. The outside was great, the rest was just OK. Juicy and fork tender. It just needed more seasoning for such a chunk of meat, smaller will probrably be great.
Amazing recipe!
I’ve been planning to try this ever since I saw the recipe. Just waiting until I had a small deer leg. I followed the recipe to a tee for a 5lb Sika hind leg and it came out great! This is not a traditional smoked piece of meat but as you said its amazing “deer roast beef.”
I followed the recipe to a T with a venison hind quarter. I smoked it on New Years Eve to an internal temp of 135F, rested for a half hour, and tried a bite that night. It was a little rare for me, so I refrigerated it overnight, and served it on New Years Day as an appetizer of thinly sliced roast beef on crackers with a smoked plum chutney. I was impressed at how much coagulation occurred over night, and preferred it the next day. If I were going to eat it the day of smoking, I would maybe consider taking it up to 140F. Great recipe!
Hank, you mention the Santa Maria rub in the article but not in the recipe. Should I rub my venison down? I absolutely love Santa Maria tri-tip.
Nathan: It’s just an option. Absolutely, if you like the Santa Maria rub, use it!
How long can I leave a hind in a weight brine
Doug: Several weeks in the fridge.
Hank: I am trying this recipe with a 12 lb hind quarter of a deer bone-in. I follow the recipe and applied the cure and put it in a plastic airtight bin. Following the recipe, it will sit for 24 days. After 4 days a large amount of liquid is in the bin. With such a long cure time should I drain the liquid? Also, would you think I would need to add more cure at any point?
12 lb leg quarter deer smoke on treager. How long and what temps?
James: A long time! I’d smoke around 200F and it might take you 8 hours. I’d sink a probe thermometer into it’s thickest part, just above a bone without touching it. Pull when that center hits about 125F to 130F.
Is it necessary to drain fluid from the bag during curing process? Or should I leave any accumulated fluid in the bag?
Jake: I leave it. It makes a sort of brine.
Thank you applied the notes to smoking shoulder of deer uncertain what type bought from large meat distributor added other items to the cure spices herbs
all good smoked it low and slow in smoker on rack low temp no wrap
final stage at higher temp
wrapped in baking wax paper
at about 70 deg cel internal
final internal temp of about 91 deg cell to 95 deg cel
Have you tried herbs or spices in your cure such as onion or garlic powder, thyme, ginger?
Clay: I tend to keep it very simple.
When smoking it do you wrap it in aluminium foil or bacon or anything? New at this smoking so forgive me
Melissa: no I do not. I just leave it open on the smoker rack.
Did this with an elk ham roast and will now make sure I do this with a roast from any big four legged critter I get here on out, fabulous! Thanks once again.
So you dont use any water? How do you keep it from drying out?
Melissa: It works. Try and you’ll see.
Ever sub in brown sugar with this recipe?
Rory: I haven’t but there is no reason it would not work.
Do not let the simplicity of the ingredients stop you from trying this. Weigh it out and take the time. I did this with a two pound caribou roast and smoked it low. It was delicious and will be making this throughout the years now for lunch meat.
Is there a way to slow roast a venison ham like this in an oven or a standard charcoal grill?
JR: Sure. Do the same thing, using either an oven or a charcoal grill. Simple as that. Hardest part on charcoal is keeping a consistent low temperature. You’ll need to put coals on one side, the meat on the other.
Hank,
I dried thru the night with just salt, will add sugar now. cure/brine will only be about 20 hrs. Thoughts? Should I do something different from a cooking perspective? its a 5lb roast, bone in.
BWags: It should be fine, but you might need to salt the meat when you slice and serve, as the salt will not have reached the center of the roast.
This recipe is ridiculously GOOD!!! I’ve done venison tenderloin and backstrap using these guidelines and it turns out amazing! Make sure to closely monitor smoke times when doing these smaller cuts. I also found that allowing the meat to form a good pellicle definitely enhances the flavor. Another winning wild game recipe from Hank! Thanks!
Hank, is there any reason I can’t put the roast in a vacuum sealed bag while it is in the cure?
Eddie: Nope. But typically the legs I smoke are too big for that.
Great article, can’t wait to give this a shot.
Hey Hank, just curious if you have ever injected venison with fat from pork (or any form of “artificial marbling “) and, if so, does that increase the time you can smoke venison without ruining the cut? I’d think you could inject with chunky fat then refrigerate for some odd days, then smoke for 3-4 hours. Just spitballin’ and getting tired of my same ol’ elk/deer/fish recipes and came across this great article. Thanks
Matt: I have not. I generally don’t use an injector for smoking or barbecue.
Made this for a holiday party. Used an 11 lb hind quarter and cured for 10 days. Smoked it on a treager with applewood until internal temp was 130 deg F. Came out awesome. Everyone loved it even people who don’t eat wild game. Thanks for the recipe
So is this recipe cured not brined? So you are not soaking this in a brine for days. Just rubbing with a cure? Can you rub the meat with a seasoning before throwing on the smoker?
I’m doing an 11 lb hind quarter without the shank on a treager with apple pellets.
Any other advise?
Bob: This meat is salted. The waiting time is for the salt to penetrate to the center of the meat. If you felt like adding seasonings to the outside before smoking, I’d coat the meat in oil and then roll it in the seasoning right before you set it in the smoker.
This is a phenomenal recipe for big Iowa white tails! Quick question, I froze a couple of hindquarters roasts after they were smoke roasted. What is the best way to reheat without drying out?
Joel: If it was me, I’d just slice and eat cold as “roast beef.”
I did this with 2 year old backstrap(vacuum-sealed) and it came out tasting great! Thanks Hank
Do I need to inject this brine too?
DJ: Nope.
Hank, would this work with a front shoulder or even a backstrap?
Jon: Backstrap yes, front shoulder? Sorta. Smoke it as this recipe calls for, or even more, and then braise it until it’s tender.
Do you need to use a meat injector for the brine?
same here friend of mine gave me a roast today. I was looking for a recipe to smoke it this sounds interesting I can’t see past I want to taste it and hate to wait the week.. but I will..
Thanks
I had a leg I was trying to figure best way to cook. Found your recipe and it is now in my fridge curing. Can’t wait for the end results. Thank you for sharing this with us.
What about the silver skin? Do you recommend removing it completely or is it useful for smoking purposes?
Charlie: It’s useful to a point. I take off the heavy stuff but don’t worry about the thinnest layer of silverskin.
Can you do this with blackstrap? That’s what I have left other than a bunch of burger
Jon: Yes, you can do it with backstrap, but watch your internal temperatures.
I’m stuck with an electric smoker. Any tips on getting the most out of it with this recipe? Also, is 2 days in the fridge sufficient?
I am assuming that you deboned the leg, and tied the meat..?? I am looking forward to making this come the next hunting season.
Barbara: Nope. It’s bone in. But you can debone it if you want.
What do I serve this with? Potatoes. Baked? Oven roasted? What kind of sauce?
Allain: Whatever you want. I just made sandwiches.
Hank: how do you deal with all the tendons and other chewy/tough bits when you’re doing a whole leg or shoulder? I tried low and slow with a small front shoulder off a whitetail doe a few weeks ago, cooked it to medium rare, and it was nearly inedible due to all the silverskin and tendons. Thanks!
Cam: I don’t do this with shoulder. As for a hind leg, it’s pretty clean in terms of tough bits.
I made this this week. It is Awesome. 789 grams Mule deer doe top round roast. 8 g of salt and 8 of sugar. 5 days in fridge. Smoked in my Smokin’ Tex smoker at 210 degrees with peach wood foe smoke. Got out right at 130 degrees. My family loved it.
Wish I could post a pic. It is beautiful too!
hank how about barding with pork fat or bacon
I have a whole front leg of a mule deer. Do you think this recipe would be a good use a front leg?
This looks wonderful. if only it wasn’t nearly impossible to get a deer in southern/central California without connections or $3,000 to spend on a guide…
I built a Santa Maria BBQ last spring because I fell in love with tri-tip during visits to my wife’s uncle in central Cali. This is a great way to prepare and serve elk roasts to a crowd.
With this past seasons harvest in the freezer I think we will give this a try. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks.
Funny, I just did a shoulder and r tenderloins this weekend. I rubbed mine with a jerk rub and smoked with apple wood on my Camp chef. Wife didn’t know it was venison.
Hank – two questions: if you are doing a whole leg, does one subtract (a guesstimate of) the weight of the bone or let it factor into the ratio of salt/sugar? And, if doing a whole leg, should one delve into the inner reaches and try to remove the glad(s) present? Thanks, can’t wait to try it!
Thatcher: I include the wright of the bone in my calculations, and no, I don’t remove the glands until I get to them while slicing.
I’ve smoked venison before, but it never looked that good, can’t wait for it to warm up outside. Just happen to have a teenie hind quarter in the freezer.
Reminds me of Kasseler, German pork loin, cured & lightly smoked to medium.
Though I’d never do it with pork from the Americas.
Hello Hank,
All of the venison is in the freezer. My son and I are arguing about whether it can go in the bag with the cure and defrost or defrost first-rub in the cure, and then cure in the bag. my feeling is that if the venison is not defrosted its like rubbing a brick with the cure. He’s a smart young guy but we only have one leg left and I don’t want to experiment.
Sincerely,
Mac
Jeffrey: Thaw first.
Can’t wait to try this one!!
I started eating wild game meat, because of the high antibiotics in store bought meat and recipes hanks has, are unbelievable. A good example is the elk Korean BBQ. love it!!!
Hi
I’m a newbie and don’t have a smoker, sorry.
Can I prepare the meat the same method but just place it in a normal electric oven at 175F…?
I know I’m probably giving up quite a lot but I only have the 1 leg of venison and I’m unlikely to get another for at least a year.
Thanks
Paul: You can. Use smoked salt as a “cheater’s” move. Roast until the interior is a bit below where you want it, then remove the leg. Jack the temp up to 425F and return the leg to crisp the outside — no more than 15 minutes.
Hank,
If using a whole leg, I assume you do not trim any of the protective membrane off of the leg?
Josh: I trim a little, but yeah, leave some as protection.