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Venison Pastrami
Cured lunch meat made with wild game - venison or elk meat.
Course
Main Dish, Preserving Food
Cuisine
American
Prep Time
30
minutes
minutes
Cook Time
8
hours
hours
Brine Time
5
days
days
Total Time
5
days
days
8
hours
hours
30
minutes
minutes
Servings
4
pounds
Calories
41
kcal
Author
Kathy Berget
Equipment
Smoker
Measuring Cups
Measuring Spoons
6 Quart Container
Digital Meat Thermometer
Cooling Rack
Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
Meat
4-5
pounds
venison roasts
can also use elk roasts, we use small several smaller 1 pound roasts
Brine
1
gallon
water
1
cup
kosher salt
¾
cup
brown sugar
3
tablespoons
pickling spice
2
tablespoons
pink cure salt
also called Prague #1 powder
Rub
2
tablespoons
black peppercorns
1
tablespoon
coriander seeds
1
tablespoon
mustard seed
1
tablespoon
garlic powder
1
tablespoon
smoked paprika
Instructions
Brine
Combine water, kosher salt, brown sugar, pickling spice and pink cure salt in a large container. Stir until dissolved.
1 gallon water,
1 cup kosher salt,
¾ cup brown sugar,
3 tablespoons pickling spice,
2 tablespoons pink cure salt
Place roasts in a separate container and pour brine over the top so all meat is well covered.
4-5 pounds venison roasts
Cover and refrigerate for 5-7 days, turning roasts at least once on day 3 or day 4.
Remove meat from brine and discard brine. Rinse meat removing all spices.
Soak meat in fresh cold water for 2-3 minutes
Place meat on a baking rack and let the water drain off. Pat meat dry with paper towels.
Rub
Place peppercorns, coriander seeds and mustard seeds in a spice blender or food processor. Blend just until spices are broken up.
2 tablespoons black peppercorns,
1 tablespoon coriander seeds,
1 tablespoon mustard seed
Mix in garlic powder and smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder,
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Rub mixed spices all over meat
Smoke
Place meat on racks in smoker. Set smoker temperature to 160°.
Place one pan of wood chips in smoker. We used alder wood chips.
When wood chips stop smoking (approximately 1 hour) add a 2nd pan of wood chips
Continue cooking in smoker until meat reaches 145°. This may take 4-6 hours.
Remove meat from smoker and place on a baking rack over a cookie sheet
Steaming
Preheat oven to 275°
Pour hot tap water into cookie sheet, filling pan about half full. This will become your steam tray.
Wrap meat and pan with foil so that no steam will escape during cooking
Carefully move pan to oven
Bake in preheated 275° oven for 1 hour
Remove from oven and allow to sit covered for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove foil.
Slice when meat is cooled
Notes
There are a lot of steps to this recipe. Be certain to read through the entire recipe prior to starting.
We often prepare 4-6 small venison or elk roasts all at the same time. The amount of brine does not change.
Plan ahead for the size of brining container you'll need and the amount of fridge space needed.
It may take a bit of time for the salt and sugar to fully dissolve in the brine. Once you stir it well, let rest for 5 minutes and then stir again.
Brine for at least 5 days, but no longer than 7 days. This gives you a bit of flexibility on which day to smoke and steam.
The actual smoking time will vary depending on your smoker and the size of your roasts.
Use only 2 pans of smoke for the pastrami. We've experimented with 3 pans, but the smoke flavor was a bit too strong.
When slicing meat, slice across the grain
Nutrition
Serving:
1
slice/ounce
|
Calories:
41
kcal