Corned Venison Brine
General Topic
I've made my own corned venison a few times with Cabelas corned venison seasonings and it comes out pretty good. I typically use the round football roasts for it. I never inject the meat with the brine, but usually soak in the brine for 5 or 6 days in the fridge and flip them over every day (directions say 3-4 days with injection). When its done, I rinse them off and dry them for a bit and then cook with plain water in the crock pot. From there I use the meat for a variety of things (sandwiches, hash, etc.).
For the people that make corned venison, here, how do you do it? Can you brine for too long (meaning does it get too salty or does it affect flavor or texture)? I try to err on the side of caution to make sure the brine gets all the way through the meat for the cure. How do you cook after? Just looking to see what others do and maybe change things up a bit with my seasonings, so any and all input welcome.
Use the Hank Shaw recipe - I usually skip the cure (nitrates) and we eat it all up. It’s great and super easy!
Same I use hank shaw's recipe but do use Prague powder.
I use the Alton brown recipe and brine for 10 to 14 days depending on the size. Simmer it in celery , carrots and onions . The Prague power keeps it from turning grey.
thanks for the tips guys......wildwilderness, so basically you are marinating and not curing? Are you soaking meat for a shorter period? I see Hank Shaw mentions a slight chance of botulism without using the cure and he recommends not skipping it. Just wondering if you are doing anything different, like a shorter soak.
Yes I am doing a shorter soak, like 4-5 days in the refrigerator. I tend to use a smaller roast as well. I put some red food coloring in to keep it from going gray. I also have a nice pot it all fits in and I put a plate or heavy stone over the roast to hold it under the brine so I don't have to flip it.
As to cooking I'll rinse then put in water on the stove for a few hours. The last two my wife used the InstaPot, with no added water iirc and they turned out great in an hour!
I make elk and deer pastrami. After the brine and rinse I heavily pepper/little garlic and coriander the outside then smoke it. Delicious sandwiches. One way to check your rinse is to cut a small piece and just brown it for a taste to see if it's salty. Too salty, rinse longer.
Hank Shaw's is great, follow his recipe. Instead of simmering mine in water I put it in a vacuum bag and sous vide it, final product is way more moist.
Another vote for Hank Shaw's recipe. Use it every St. Paddy's Day!
I have 17# of elk roasts in brine right now... I’m making pastrami though which is essentially corned with a dry rub then smoked...
There is a thread on here about venison pastrami with several different peoples methods
I made corned venison a couple of times, delicious. Sliced thin, on rye with deli horse radish mustard. Cabbage, potatoes and carrots, as sides.
I have a Big Green Egg. I'm trying beef brisket pastrami next week. first time.
Thanks to this thread, I have corned venison in brine now and will start the pastrami tomorrow. Thank you.
Here's a quick easy recipe that's worked well for us.
I've found that by slicing the meat before putting it into the brine you can get by with an over night soak if your in a hurry. You can then put it in the oven with some water or in the crock pot. Makes great Reubens.
CORN DEER
5 # lbs. Meat
1 cup of Morton’s Tender Quick
2 TBL Pickling Spice
3 TBL Minced Onions
Put meat into non-metal container (ice cream bucket works good) Cover with warm water – soak for 48 hours – rotating and stirring a couple of times.
Refrigerate or place in cool place.
Rinse off spices (I like the spices on myself)
Put in Roasting Pan with plenty of water
Bake 325 degrees for 3 – 4 hours
My recipe I've been using for several years: Corned Venison * 8 cups water, divided * 6 tablespoons Morton Tender Quick * 1/2 cup brown sugar * 4 1/2 teaspoons pickling spice * 1 tablespoon garlic powder * 3-5 pounds venison roast
1.Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the Tender Quick, brown sugar, pickling spice, and garlic powder; stir until dissolved then remove from the heat. Pour 6 cups of cold water into a crock pot and stir in the spice mixture. Place the venison into the brine, cover and refrigerate.
2. Leave the venison in the refrigerator to brine for 5 days, turning the meat over every day.
3. To cook, rinse the meat well, discard the brine mixture, rinse crock pot, put back in crock pot and cover with water. Cook for ~8 hours.
Thank you for sharing, guys!
Thanks for the tips and input guys!! Very tender and pulls right apart with ease.
