Smoked deer venison ham

[cluckinchicken6]

I recently smoked a deer ham I cured for 14 days using tq and waited seasoned and let rest 2 days today I smiled and sliced and I came out with a grey spot in the middle like the cure didn't reach it the entire roast was probably 1.5 inches thick so the cure should have made it all the way through will this still be ok to eat ?

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• cluckinchicken6
• Feb 9, 2017

 

[cluckinchicken6]

The grey dot is about a quarter inch across and about 1/2 inch long

 

[pc farmer]

It looks like it didn't cure long enough.

Did you cook it yet?

 

[pc farmer]

14 days should have been long enough

 

[cluckinchicken6]

Yea I cooked it to an it of 165 the thing was tiny and there was plenty of cure on the meat as well as cure time by my calculations I cured a porkbut the same amount of time that I cured this deer ham and the deer was about 4 pound and 1 inch smaller I don't know why I got the grey spot my question is it safe to eat

 

[SmokinAl]

I'm going to PM Chef Jimmy J.

He will have an answer for you.

I'm also moving this to the food safety section.

Al

 

[cluckinchicken6]

I'm going to PM Chef Jimmy J.
He will have an answer for you.
I'm also moving this to the food safety section.


Al

10-4 thanks al

 

[chef jimmyj]

Perfectly fine... Intact muscle is sterile and we are only curing for flavor and color in this case. You did everything right. Just an anomily...JJ

 

[Bearcarver]

Yea I cooked it to an it of 165 the thing was tiny and there was plenty of cure on the meat as well as cure time by my calculations I cured a porkbut the same amount of time that I cured this deer ham and the deer was about 4 pound and 1 inch smaller I don't know why I got the grey spot my question is it safe to eat

I'm thinking maybe your Fridge was too low in Temp, because 14 Days is plenty for 1.5" Thick, if you used the right amount of TQ.

That's one of my favorite things---Been doing it for 7 years, and been eating it for 50 years. Around here we call it "Venison Dried Beef".

Mighty Tasty Stuff !!!

Here's a couple of my Step by Steps on that:

From Hind Quarters:

Smoked Venison Dried Beef    

From Backstrap:

Venison Backstrap Dried Beef  

Bear

 

[Bearcarver]

Cluck---FYI:

Years ago, before I had a Smoker, I got my Deer Hind Quarters made into "Venison Dried Beef" every year.

One year I got mine back, and it looked just like yours in the picture. I got an apology from the Meat Processor. He said he removed the bones from my Hind Quarter, and when he cured the Hams the cure didn't get into some of the areas where the bones had been, and it spoiled while it was in the Smoke House. (Smelled Bad Too)

From that day forward, when I took Hind Quarters to be processed, I removed the bones myself, and separated the sections of hind quarters before I took them to the processor.

To this day I Debone & separate the 3 sections of Hind Quarters, before I cure & Smoke my Venison Dried Beef.

Bear

 

[cluckinchicken6]

s far as temp I was sitting at about 32-34 degrees in my fridge it's was cold for a couple nights and my garage isn't insulated so it may have gotten colder for a couple nights tasted cured I ate some I'm just hoping my venison pastrami caught the cure all the way through im smoking that today and I kind of had big plans for it

 

[cluckinchicken6]

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• cluckinchicken6
• Feb 10, 2017

Thanks for y'alls help bearcarver and jimmy

 

[Bearcarver]

s far as temp I was sitting at about 32-34 degrees in my fridge it's was cold for a couple nights and my garage isn't insulated so it may have gotten colder for a couple nights tasted cured I ate some I'm just hoping my venison pastrami caught the cure all the way through im smoking that today and I kind of had big plans for it

FYI: I keep my Curing Fridge at 37°.

32° to 34° is a little too cold---Slows the curing up.

36° to 38° is Ideal.

Bear

 

[cluckinchicken6]

Alright update same deer different roast this one was pastrami and it was red all the way through I have no idea why the ham turned out like that

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• cluckinchicken6
• Feb 10, 2017

 

[chestnutbloom]

Amazing pic....I have drool slobber on my shirt.

 

[Bearcarver]

Alright update same deer different roast this one was pastrami and it was red all the way through I have no idea why the ham turned out like that 

That Pastrami Looks Excellent !!

---

Mighty Tasty!!

Bear