Curing Venison First Time - Recommendations?

From Pops.....

real simple curing brine:

 for every 1 gallon of water, add:

1/3 - 1 cup sea salt (depending if you're on a lo-salt diet)

1 cup granulated sugar or Splenda[emoji]174[/emoji]

1 cup brown sugar or Splenda[emoji]174[/emoji] brown sugar mix

1 tbsp cure no. 1 pink salt

stir thoroughly until clear amber color, pour over meat, inject if necessary to cure from inside-out as well as outside-in

weight down with a partially filled 1 qt or 1 gal. ziploc bag or bags to keep meat immersed

Curing times vary with meat, but generally overnight to 2-3 days for chickens and turkeys, 8-10 days buckboard bacon, 10-14 days belly bacon, pork shoulder, whole butts, 3-4 weeks whole hams, 10-20 days corned beef (fresh beef roasts, briskets, rolled rib roasts, etc.)   If whole muscle is more than 2" thick, then inject so it can cure i/o as well as o/i, and/or in and around bone structures, etc.

You can add any other flavorings you'd like, this is just the basic curing brine. 1 heaping tablespoon of cure is about 1 ounce.  The maximum concentration allowed safely is 3.84 ounces per 1 gallon of brine (24 lbs.per 100 gallons: 16 oz. x 24 = 384 ounces, 1/100th is 3.84 ounces).  You can experiment with different concentrations as long as you keep it between those parameters.

xpnsvtoys, morning.... I locked your previous thread.... Duplicate threads create confusion.....  Please post once and wait for answers.... At times, it takes awhile for someone to answer the questions who feels qualified to answer with some certainty.....   Dave

Here's how I do mine....

Smoked Dried Venison (or any lean meat)

The Meat:

Any lean cut will work.  I use the loins cut in 6-8” lengths, the Sirloin, and Rump cuts,  and any portion of the hind quarters.  Remove as much fat and Silverskin as possible.  Cut into uniform pieces for uniform cooking times. Try to have the maximum thickness of no more than 4” for uniform curing without having to inject the meat.

The Brine:

1 Gallon Water

1Tbls Cure #1

½ cup Kosher or Sea salt

1.25 cups brown sugar

3 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic crushed (or 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic)

1 Tablespoon Onion Powder 

1 Tablespoon Juniper Berries, slightly crushed (or 1-½ shots of gin)

½ Tablespoon Black Peppercorns, slightly crushed

Put all ingredients except cure #1 in a pan and stir to dissolve the salt & sugar while bringing to a boil.  Hard boil for 10 minutes to get everything all happy.  The brine must be cooled to around 38-40 degrees before you can add the cure #1 and meat. I usually set the pan in the sink with some Ice and water to cool it down and then put it in the fridge overnight.

If you have pieces of meat thicker than 4” it is best to inject some brine into the centers before putting in bags. Divide your meat up into a few gallon sized  Ziplock bags so it is not overcrowded and then divide the brine up between all the bags.  Squeeze out any air and seal the bags up.  You can also use a plastic container but you will have to weigh the meat down to keep it submerged. Put in the coldest part of the fridge and let them set for 5-7 days, turning and kneading the bags (or stirring if in plastic container) every day or so.

The Smoke:

Take the meat out of the brine and rinse the pieces off and pat dry.  If you are concerned about the meat being too salty, cut a piece off and fry it up to taste test. Do not be concerned with the texture of the meat….only the taste. If it is too salty you can soak it in cold water for about an hour and try it again. Make a mental note if you have to do this as you can adjust on future batches.

Set your smoker up to run at about 225 degrees and put the meat in.  If you have a water pan for your smoker….use it…it will help to keep the meat moist. Keep smoke on it for the first 3-4 hours, after that you can just use heat.  I’ve used apple, cherry, hickory, and pecan wood and it is all good…just pick one you like and use it. Keep Meat in smoker until the internal temp reaches 155-160 degrees. This can take anywhere from 4-8 Hrs. At this point the meat is done and can come out.  Let the meat rest on the counter or shut the smoker off, open it up, and let it cool.  When cool put it in the fridge overnight as it will be easier to slice when it is cold. Slice the meat up and put in Ziploc bags if you are going to use it within a week, or vacuum pack if you plan on freezing it for later.

Try This:

Chipped Venison Dip 

1 Cup finely minced dried venison
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 med. green pepper, chopped fine
¼  Cup minced onion
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c. chopped Walnuts or Pecans (optional)

Combine all ingredients but nuts and place in small casserole dish (about 3-4 cup size). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sauté nuts in 1 tablespoon butter with a dash of garlic salt until nuts are slightly browned. When dip is heated through, remove from oven and top with sautéed nuts. Serve with crackers. Good cold as well.

Have Fun!

Barry.

Here is a link to Bearcarver's CB and Dried beef.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/109617/canadian-bacon-and-dried-beef-cured-smoked

DaveOmak said:

xpnsvtoys, morning.... I locked your previous thread.... Duplicate threads create confusion.....  Please post once and wait for answers.... At times, it takes awhile for someone to answer the questions who feels qualified to answer with some certainty.....   Dave

Click to expand...

Sure did confuse me. I couldn't figure out why a new post was locked, thought maybe the OP really ****** in someone's Wheaties.. Any how, now that I'm at the right post, Here's a little number I did with some backstrap. This was like meat heroine, it was hard to stop eating it.

Elk backstraps

Barry's Recipes look GREAT!  Bearcarver's recipes give great results and have been used frequently by many here. Good Luck...JJ

I just took apart 1 hind quarter today and injected all the little hams and put in the fridge. I used Pop's brine and added 1/4 cup of garlic powder. I would like to smoke in 20 days. First time for me but from what I have been seeing it looks good.