SERVES 4-5 | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE | PREP TIME: 5 Days | COOK TIME: 2-3 hrs

This is by far one of the best ways to prepare a deer’s hind leg roasts!

It’s been said that venison is too gamey to cook with or that it’s too dry to really make anything with other than tacos and spaghetti. If you’ve ever searched the outskirts of venison recipes, you may find a few options that many people don’t particularly venture to. Deer pastrami is in that baron wasteland that many hunters are either too lazy or too intimidated to try.

If you are not familiar with what venison pastrami is, it’s a spice cured, smoked meat that can be thinly sliced for making amazing sandwiches or even just eating on its own. While most store-bought pastrami is uniform and marketably eye-pleasing, this style of pastrami is more authentic and has a more rustic look. It uses single-muscle venison roast or venison roasts from either the rear quarter or even a loin (backstrap).

the best venison pastrami — Venison Pastrami sliced thin

The process of making pastrami can either be done by submerging the whole muscle in either a spice salt brine or by coating the muscle in a salted spice cure to sit for a period of time. There are arguments as to which way is better and more flavorful, but it ultimately accomplishes the same result.

INGREDIENTS

BRINE

(4 - 5 lb roast)

2 quarts of water

½ cup kosher salt

½ cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon #1 Pink Curing Salt

2 Tablespoons Pickling Spice Mix

RUB

4 tablespoons cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons coriander powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon Monterey Steak seasoning

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Place all ingredients for the brine into a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and remove the pot from the heat and allow the brine to cool completely.
Place the meat into a non-reactive (plastic or glass) container ( or plastic bag) large enough to let the meat be completely submerged in the brining liquid. Pour the cooled brine over the meat, cover the container tightly, and refrigerate for five days. Open the container and flip the meat daily so that everything brines evenly.
*** If the meat won’t stay submerged, place a weight on top of the meat to keep it until the surface. A small plate work perfect
Rinse the cure off the venison and pat it dry. Place the venison on a rack in the fridge and let it dry uncovered for up to a day. This is to develop an outer skin called a “Pellicle” which helps the smoke stick to the meat.
Coat the meat thoroughly with the rub mixture
Smoke the venison at about 225°F until the interior hits 145°F, which takes me about 3 hours. Let the pastrami cool and eat as lunch meat or serve paired with crackers, stone ground mustard, and your favorite cheese (we suggest Swiss cheese)