Cured Venison Ham(s)

[woodcutter]

It was very good! Sadly this was from last year and I didn't get one to replace it this year. I'll using a lot of pork butts this year.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
It looks like you boned out the leg prior to brining?  Is there any benefit to this?  I still have several venison legs that are completely intact.  Would it be better to cut out the roasts / de-bone before I brine and smoke?  I have room to brine / smoke the entire leg if it doesn't make a difference. 

Thanks!

Just to add to what Todd said:

For many years, before I had a smoker, we used to get at least one hindquarter from each Deer made into "Venison Dried Beef". The butcher used to debone the hindquarter, but leave it in one piece. Then we'd pick them up & take them to a processor (smokehouse). Then one time we got a bad one. The guy said the brine didn't get into the inside areas, where the bones had been. From that day forward, we got the hindquarters deboned, and then I took them apart in two pieces, before taking them to the processor. He bitched about it every year, because he didn't like so many small pieces. I didn't care what he liked, I didn't want another one spoiled. You can see how I cut mine into even more pieces in the link I provided above. The smaller pieces are easier for me to handle them while I cure & smoke them too.

Bear

 

[andy riley]

I used to take mine to a butcher to have dried too, but they were way too salty. I could handle it but my wife hated it, and you know what happens if the wife hates it. Plus, this was several years ago before I did my own de boning. The processor would charge $10 to de bone a hind quarter, but the last time I went to a friends butcher and he showed me how to do it and it was in pieces like yours, so that's how I've been doing mine, but I've just been making roasts. Now I have a smoker and I had a very good year hunting this year.

This recipe is why I got a smoker, but I plan on doing much more now.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I used to take mine to a butcher to have dried too, but they were way too salty. I could handle it but my wife hated it, and you know what happens if the wife hates it. Plus, this was several years ago before I did my own de boning. The processor would charge $10 to de bone a hind quarter, but the last time I went to a friends butcher and he showed me how to do it and it was in pieces like yours, so that's how I've been doing mine, but I've just been making roasts. Now I have a smoker and I had a very good year hunting this year.

This recipe is why I got a smoker, but I plan on doing much more now.

All of the butchers Dried Beef comes out too salty. In fact a good friend of mine was the third generation owner of the biggest Dried Beef processing company on the East Coast "Knauss' Dried Beef", and theirs was even too salty. I think it had to do with commercial regulations. Plus they dry theirs more than I do, and the drier you make it the more salt flavor you get, because the water leaves, but the salt stays.

Bear

 

[daveomak]

It looks like you boned out the leg prior to brining?  Is there any benefit to this?  I still have several venison legs that are completely intact.  Would it be better to cut out the roasts / de-bone before I brine and smoke?  I have room to brine / smoke the entire leg if it doesn't make a difference. 

Thanks!

Boning the leg can save the meat from incomplete curing... bone sour if you don't inject correctly... and the meat comes out exactly the same... just not a presentation piece.... AND it takes a lot less time to cure due to the thickness of the pieces.... Dave

 

[woodz]

This post is the reason I joined this forum. I was researching this very process when I stumbled upon SMF.... Congrats on your success and thanks for a great post! I am actually sitting here now waiting to put the hams in the brine to start the process. 

I have all my brine in a 5 gallon bucket and was thinking of just adding all the meat to the bucket, covering it with wrap and sticking it in the fridge. Is this acceptable? Are there certain ways that the curing vets use to store their brining meats in the fridge? Ziplock bags, Tupperware bowls or stainless pans? 

I'm downright excited to get this thing going!

 

[Bearcarver]

 
This post is the reason I joined this forum. I was researching this very process when I stumbled upon SMF.... Congrats on your success and thanks for a great post! I am actually sitting here now waiting to put the hams in the brine to start the process. 

I have all my brine in a 5 gallon bucket and was thinking of just adding all the meat to the bucket, covering it with wrap and sticking it in the fridge. Is this acceptable? Are there certain ways that the curing vets use to store their brining meats in the fridge? Ziplock bags, Tupperware bowls or stainless pans? 

I'm downright excited to get this thing going!

Depends on which method you use----If you Dry cure in pieces, you can keep it in ziplocks, like this:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/101317/smoked-venison-dried-beef

However if you brine cure it, you'll need room in a fridge for whatever container you're using.

Bear

 

[woodz]

Thanks Bear, after doing some searching, I found this:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/75411/brine

It pretty much answered my question... 

This place is loaded with info! 

 

[daveomak]

 
This post is the reason I joined this forum. I was researching this very process when I stumbled upon SMF.... Congrats on your success and thanks for a great post! I am actually sitting here now waiting to put the hams in the brine to start the process. 

I have all my brine in a 5 gallon bucket and was thinking of just adding all the meat to the bucket, covering it with wrap and sticking it in the fridge. Is this acceptable? Are there certain ways that the curing vets use to store their brining meats in the fridge? Ziplock bags, Tupperware bowls or stainless pans? 

I'm downright excited to get this thing going!

woodz, ,,,,Is the bone in the ham leg......  did you inject, if it is.....   If it's over 2" thick inject 10% of the weight of the piece of meat...   

 

[woodz]

 
Depends on which method you use----If you Dry cure in pieces, you can keep it in ziplocks, like this:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/101317/smoked-venison-dried-beef

I subscribed to your post as well. Thanks! Do you prefer dry over wet curing overall or does it depend on what meat your working with?

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I subscribed to your post as well. Thanks! Do you prefer dry over wet curing overall or does it depend on what meat your working with?

That's a personal preference. Probably more guys on this forum use a brine cure, but I find I get better flavor dry curing with TQ. I think the other gets washed out soaking in water, but that's me.

Bear

 

[woodz]

Thanks Bear, I am gonna try both methods. I'm brining 2 deer hams now, getting them ready for smoke in about 16 days. After this, I will try a dry cure..

 

[woodcutter]

 
This post is the reason I joined this forum. I was researching this very process when I stumbled upon SMF.... Congrats on your success and thanks for a great post! I am actually sitting here now waiting to put the hams in the brine to start the process. 

I have all my brine in a 5 gallon bucket and was thinking of just adding all the meat to the bucket, covering it with wrap and sticking it in the fridge. Is this acceptable? Are there certain ways that the curing vets use to store their brining meats in the fridge? Ziplock bags, Tupperware bowls or stainless pans? 

I'm downright excited to get this thing going!

Thanks! Good luck with your project. My brother is going to try curing for the first time and he is using moose, another first.

 

[woodz]

 
woodz, ,,,,Is the bone in the ham leg......  did you inject, if it is.....   If it's over 2" thick inject 10% of the weight of the piece of meat...   

Hey Dave, I was just reading back through this post and noticed your question...sorry I overlooked it. The hams were deboned and quartered up. I did not inject any of the meat because they are smaller pieces.

Woodcutter, I will be pulling my meat out of the brine tomorrow evening, 12/27/13. What did you do to prep the meat for smoke? Rinse? Soak? Any rubs or seasonings? Should I leave them uncovered back in the fridge overnight to dry? What type of wood did you use to smoke with? I'm thinking pecan, a little milder than hickory or mesquite..

Thanks again for a great post 

 

[woodcutter]

 

 
woodz, ,,,,Is the bone in the ham leg......  did you inject, if it is.....   If it's over 2" thick inject 10% of the weight of the piece of meat...   

Hey Dave, I was just reading back through this post and noticed your question...sorry I overlooked it. The hams were deboned and quartered up. I did not inject any of the meat because they are smaller pieces.

Woodcutter, I will be pulling my meat out of the brine tomorrow evening, 12/27/13. What did you do to prep the meat for smoke? Rinse? Soak? Any rubs or seasonings? Should I leave them uncovered back in the fridge overnight to dry? What type of wood did you use to smoke with? I'm thinking pecan, a little milder than hickory or mesquite..

Thanks again for a great post 

I rinsed them and put them in front of a fan for a few hours to form the pellicle. I did not put anything on the hams but you could add a rub or black pepper right after rinsing. I think I used oak. Pecan would be good.

 

[woodz]

Thanks, meat will be on the smoker tomorrow AM..

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

[woodcutter]

Thanks, meat will be on the smoker tomorrow AM..

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

Take lots of pictures!

 

[chew2475]

Looks great.  Was thinking of taking some of mine and smoking.  Did you use a water pan while smoking it?

 

[woodcutter]

 
Looks great.  Was thinking of taking some of mine and smoking.  Did you use a water pan while smoking it?

I did not use a water pan. All the pieces turned out like moist ham.

 

[sb59]

 
Looks great.  Was thinking of taking some of mine and smoking.  Did you use a water pan while smoking it?

Hi Chew! If you've never done this I would suggest you go to Bear's step by steps. Pretty in depth instructions with pics. I keep them bookmarked just for quick reference.