VENISON BRINE RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large pot, add the water and all the ingredients for the brine, and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the mix to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool.
• After the brine has cooled, gently drop the meat into the pot to brine in a cool place for 24 to 48 hours. If you have a garage that maintains a temperature of 35 to 45°F, you can place the pot there. You can also remove a shelf in your refrigerator to accommodate the pot.
• After the meat has brined for a day or two, it is ready to either sous vide or smoke on a pellet grill.
• Sous Vide
• Pull the roast from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Place the roast in a large vacuum seal bag with 2 tablespoons of butter, remove all the air, and seal it with a vacuum sealer. You can also place the roast in a large zip-close bag with the 2 tablespoons of butter and seal it after removing as much air as possible. Be sure to double bag the zip-close bag in case of a leak.
• Place the sealed bag in a water bath, set the sous vide to 130°F, and cook for 12 hours.
• Oven, Barbecue, or Pellet Smoker
• Pull the roast from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Heat the oven, barbecue, or pellet smoker to 350°F.
• While cooking the roast with one of these methods, you will want to catch and reserve any liquid or fat that cooks out of the meat. To do this, place a metal drying rack over a large 9-by-13 lipped cooking tray, and fill it half way up with the leftover brine. The pan of brine will catch all the juices that cook out of the meat. It is necessary to add the brine to the tray before it is placed in the heat so that the drippings don’t dry out at the bottom of the tray in the heat.
• Cook the roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F. The cook time will vary depending on the size of your roast.

Steps:

• Prepare the brine. Blend half the water (12 cups), kosher salt, sugar, pink salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, and mustard seeds together in a large stockpot. Bring to a gentle boil and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool. Stir in the remaining 12 cups of cold water. You can add some ice to speed up the cooling process. The brine needs to be completely cool before adding the meat.
• Prepare the meat. While the brine is cooling, prepare the ham. Use a sharp boning knife to remove the shank and femur. The shank has more connective tissue and takes almost twice as long to break down as the rest of the meat. Reserve it for another cooking application. Removing the femur is optional. Keep in mind that the meat cooks quicker, more evenly, and is easier to slice when boneless. Trim any tough outer silverskin but keep the fat on. Don’t cut away too much tissue or the muscles won’t stay intact. Use kitchen twine to truss the ham into an even, round piece of meat if desired.
• Submerge the hog ham or hams in the brine and refrigerate for 3-5 days, or about 8-12 hours for every pound.
• Prepare your smoker according to manufacturer’s instructions using your choice of wood: hickory, apple, or cherry. Set the temperature to about 180 degrees.
• Remove the meat from the brine and rinse very well with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and set it on the top rack of the smoker if possible. Have a small bowl or tray of foil filled with water sitting on the bottom rack directly underneath to release steam.
• While the ham is smoking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, stir the mustard, vinegar, honey, and pepper together until smooth.
• About 2 hours into the smoking process, and every hour after, lightly baste the ham with the glaze. Smoke the ham until it reaches 160 degrees internally in the thickest part of the meat. If smoking a venison ham, smoke to 150 degrees. If you find that the meat begins to stall, you might need to increase the heat of the smoker to 200 degrees. The total cook time will be anywhere between 8-12 hours, depending on the size of the ham.
• Serve warm or let it cool to room temperature and chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.
• *Brine the shanks with the rest of the hind quarter and add to the smoker for a few hours. It will absorb plenty of wood-smoked flavor and can then be transferred to a crockpot to finish tenderizing with onions, beans, and greens for a smoked hock stew.