First off, these only seem to work well with deer from the Southern/Western states. Northern deer have way too much tallow to get away with cooking like this unless they are eaten right away while still hot. If they cool, its like eating a candle. As you can see in the pictures, these are more the St Louis style cut. I cut straight across the ribs about 2 inches below the loin/backstrap with a hand saw. The rib plate that is left is trimmed up, any broken bones are sawed off clean and all the hanging scraps are removed for grind meat. If i did my part, there should not be a lot of damaged meat in this area with the exception of the front most end of the ribs. If you can get away with it, a head shot saves a lot of waste and kills instantly.. When you skin out the deer, take your time, use a very sharp knife and just remove the hide and the topmost layer of fat, just under the skin, as you skin it out. This leaves as much meat on the ribs as possible. Sometimes, like this buck, its thicker than most pork ribs. I don't like to brine red meat, but a salt water soak for a couple hours to help remove any blood left in the vessels is worth the effort. Then, just salt and pepper and pop in the smoker. I have an Oklahoma Joe that has been modified with a taller stack, a 90 degree elbow inside to draw the smoke at the grate level and a steel plate with gradually larger holes to diffuse the heat from the fire box so I don't have a hot spot right inside the smoker box. Smoke until the surface starts to look dry and a bark is forming. Caution here, if you allow a lot of bark to form, you have already gone too far and the meat will be dry and almost inedible. You want the meat to be smoky, but not leather, so wrap earlier than you normally would and always include some form of moisture and a little oil or butter- the fat will not evaporate as steam if your foil is not fully sealed like other liquids will. One other thing to remember is these always get smoked as a rack or they will dry out in less than an hour and be ruined. Remove the ribs when they feel firm and done to your liking. If you like a medium rare rib roast like meat, pull it at 135-140, if you want smoky ribs with a little chew, pull at 180. If they go over 190, they will be fall off the bone tender- good for pulled venison filling for sandwiches or a pasta sauce.
