Andy Rowland
New member
I'm not sure if this belongs in "Charcuterie", but here it goes. I recently cured a venison back strap (back loin) and it turned out good enough that I wanted to let others know about it.
I basically copied this recipe: http://www.huntingnet.com/foru...ed-venison-loin.html
I made a brine with Morton Tender Quick using half as much TQ as the back of the bag calls for and then added a cup of brown sugar. I left it in the refridgerator for 4 days and then rinsed it and let it soak in clean water for 1 day before smoking.
I rinsed it again and patted it dry before putting it in my WSM at 250-200 for about 2 hours. I used 4 big chunks of hickory. I took it off with an internal temperature of 140-145 and wrapped it in foil and let it rest for a while before slicing thin and serving with turnip greens and corn bread.
It tasted just like "country ham". It was salty and smokey and delicious. It had no wild flavor at all, but it was a little tougher than ham should be. The leftovers made some pretty amazing omelets the next morning.
I will definitely be making this again. Does anyone have any suggestions for improvement? I think the next time I make it, I will take the meat off at around 130-135 to try to retain a little more moisture and tenderness. Everyone raved about it and it tasted great, but I still think I can make some improvement.
I basically copied this recipe: http://www.huntingnet.com/foru...ed-venison-loin.html
I made a brine with Morton Tender Quick using half as much TQ as the back of the bag calls for and then added a cup of brown sugar. I left it in the refridgerator for 4 days and then rinsed it and let it soak in clean water for 1 day before smoking.
I rinsed it again and patted it dry before putting it in my WSM at 250-200 for about 2 hours. I used 4 big chunks of hickory. I took it off with an internal temperature of 140-145 and wrapped it in foil and let it rest for a while before slicing thin and serving with turnip greens and corn bread.
It tasted just like "country ham". It was salty and smokey and delicious. It had no wild flavor at all, but it was a little tougher than ham should be. The leftovers made some pretty amazing omelets the next morning.
I will definitely be making this again. Does anyone have any suggestions for improvement? I think the next time I make it, I will take the meat off at around 130-135 to try to retain a little more moisture and tenderness. Everyone raved about it and it tasted great, but I still think I can make some improvement.
