Smoked Whole Venison Shoulder Barbacoa

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Keep your venison shoulders whole this year for this mouth-watering recipe!

Serves: 8-10 | Difficulty: EASY | Preparation Time: 15 min | Cooking Time: 6 hr

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A venison shoulder roast has a lot of connective tissues that require a long slow cooking process to break them all down. That's exactly what deer shoulder roast recipe does!

Start it out by smoking the shoulder at low temperature (225F) for a few hours, then transfer it over to a large aluminum pan, add onions, peppers, spices, and a beer (or broth) for a bit of moisture, then seal it all up with foil and continue cooking until the meat falls from the bone. All that connective tissue in the shoulder melts into the meat for a wonderful flavor.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Whole Deer Front Shoulder

• 3-4 Bell Peppers, chopped

• 3-4 Onions, chopped

• 3-4 Chipotle Peppers in adobe sauce. (3-4 will give you a mild heat, add more for a kick).

• 2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced

• 1 12oz Bottled of Beer (or broth)

SPICE RUB

(You may certainly use your favorite BBQ rub, but this will give you a more authentic taste.)

• 1 Tbsp Salt

• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder

• 2 tsp Oregano

• 2 tsp Onion Powder

• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

• 1 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1 tsp Cumin

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: How to Cook Shoulder of Venison to Perfection

Trim the upper shoulder and lower of any outer fat. (Deer fat, unlike beef fat, can have an off-putting flavor and mouthfeel)

Season the shoulder on both sides and allow to rest while the grill/smoker heats up.

Preheat your smoker/pellet grill to 225, and place the shoulder directly on the grill rack to smoke for 3 hours.

I added a few slabs of Ramp Butter that I had in the freezer

After smoking, place the bone in shoulder in a large aluminum pan and add the peppers, onions, garlic, chipotle peppers (and sauce!), and beer/broth. I added a few slabs of Ramp Butter that I had in the freezer, but it’s not necessary. Cover with aluminum foil, and place back on the grill/smoker and raise the temperature to 300 to cook for 3-4 hours. In the end, the shoulder blade meat should easily fall off the bone and should be extremely tender.

Use it to make tacos, throw over a bed of rice, stew meat, or even top off a salad. Pulled venison shoulder is my personal favorite. You can thank me later!