Corned venison...YUM

[dburt]

Any of you tried it? Corned beef has a distinct flavor so if you don't know that you like it I wouldn't recommend potentially wasting a deer roast. But we just prepared it for friends, 2 roasts worth, and it was incredible! My wife found the recipe on pinterest and it was very easy, just has to sit in the fridge for a few days in the brine. Here's a pic that definitely doesn't do it justice. I am happy to post a link to the recipe we used too if anyone wants it!
Cheers!

 

[GOODWIN]

Looks great post it up!

 

[TAFKAP]

We just did about 4 lbs of it a couple weeks ago. it'll certainly ruin your taste for storebought corned beef. We love it in our house, and I usually like to give it to people that say deer is gamey.

It's easy to calculate your brine, too. Cover meat with water, then weigh that water. Add total weight of water plus the meat, and multiply that total by 0.02. That's your salt. I like to use 0.015 brown sugar, as well. For the corning seasoning, I do about 5 tbsp of it, and it's always the stuff from Penzeys. Pink salt is hard to find, but you can order some online. I only use (TOTAL WEIGHT x 0.0025), which will never be more than about a teaspoon or so.

With that cure, it can go as short as 3 days, but for the best results, leave it for at least 7 days.

 

[WTM]

We just did about 4 lbs of it a couple weeks ago. it'll certainly ruin your taste for storebought corned beef. We love it in our house, and I usually like to give it to people that say deer is gamey.

It's easy to calculate your brine, too. Cover meat with water, then weigh that water. Add total weight of water plus the meat, and multiply that total by 0.02. That's your salt. I like to use 0.015 brown sugar, as well. For the corning seasoning, I do about 5 tbsp of it, and it's always the stuff from Penzeys. Pink salt is hard to find, but you can order some online. I only use (TOTAL WEIGHT x 0.0025), which will never be more than about a teaspoon or so.

With that cure, it can go as short as 3 days, but for the best results, leave it for at least 7 days.

so then what, do you cook it or something?

 

[TAFKAP]

Once the cure period is over, throw out the brine. Cover the meat with stock (or half stock, half salted water), and add 2 tbsp of fresh corning spice. I always chop up at least 4 cloves of garlic, as well. Chop a head of cabbage up, pack it in the pot (it'll cook down dramatically), bring it to a boil, cover the pot, and pop it in a 225° oven for a few hours.

When you're ready to serve, either shred the meat with forks, or slice the roast into 1/2" thick slices. Serve with cabbage. I like to eat mine with horseradish and a fresh rye bread.

 

[dburt]

Here's the recipe my wife used. Delicious!!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/151224/cor ... dslot%2055

 

[dburt]

Once the cure period is over, throw out the brine. Cover the meat with stock (or half stock, half salted water), and add 2 tbsp of fresh corning spice. I always chop up at least 4 cloves of garlic, as well. Chop a head of cabbage up, pack it in the pot (it'll cook down dramatically), bring it to a boil, cover the pot, and pop it in a 225° oven for a few hours.

When you're ready to serve, either shred the meat with forks, or slice the roast into 1/2" thick slices. Serve with cabbage. I like to eat mine with horseradish and a fresh rye bread.

Little different method, ours we just simmered on the stove for around 4 hours. Guessing it turns out about the same. We found ours was difficult to slice even with a razor sharp knife...it just falls apart along the grain with any pressure. LOVE the horseradish idea...why didn't I think of that!?

 

[TAFKAP]

We've gotten away from "simmering on the stove". I like how the oven gives a gentler, more even, and surrounding heat to the large pot....plus, it eliminates the possibility of sticking stuff to the bottom, hot spots from the heating element, and overall necessity to babysit. We've also gotten rid of our old Crock Pot for the same reason. A large cast iron or ceramic "Dutch oven" vessel is great for this method. We do stews, stocks, whole muscle roasts, and soups all in the same pot. It's a great way to cook.

As for slicing, yeah, the meat tends to fall apart.

But for the brine, i don't like the Morton's Tender Quick. I like calculating the precise measurements, and applying them separately. I don't trust the TQ to mix evenly, so there's a possibility of being over salted, or even worse, over nitrated. The ingredients are easy to come by, and calculating a formula makes your results perfectly repeatable every time.

 

[WTM]

so which cut are you guys calling a "roast". are you doing a whole ham or are you doing something like the large bottom round(which would sound perfect considering its more grainy and fits nicely with slow roasting). i imagine a whole shoulder would be too sinewy?

 

[dburt]

I'll have to try that out! Does sound easier in the oven. Thanks for the tips!

I'm not good with meat cuts...but both of the ones we used were off the back ham, one was that big heart looking cut and the other the rectangular one. Ha, gotta read up on what I'm using.

 

[WTM]

I'll have to try that out! Does sound easier in the oven. Thanks for the tips!

I'm not good with meat cuts...but both of the ones we used were off the back ham, one was that big heart looking cut and the other the rectangular one. Ha, gotta read up on what I'm using.

k sounds like the sirloin tip(shaped like a football with some sinew interwoven) or the bottom round and the flat rectangle shaped top round. i think i may try this with my next 2 bottom rounds and use them to make reubens.

do you think i could fool my wife to make her think it was corned beef reubens lol?

 

[dburt]

I think so actually. ...it was as good as any Corned beef I've had. I will say this, and maybe TAFKAP can offer suggestions. ..reheated in microwave tonight was significantly less tender and moist and even flavorful. Feel like we should have saved some of the water we boiled it in and stored it in that. We just stored it dry as pictured. Maybe could be boiled again to heat up? ??

 

[TAFKAP]

so which cut are you guys calling a "roast". are you doing a whole ham or are you doing something like the large bottom round(which would sound perfect considering its more grainy and fits nicely with slow roasting). i imagine a whole shoulder would be too sinewy?

Any of the sub-muscles on the rear leg. Because of the cooking method, the sinewy shoulder muscles would break down nicely, but I don't care much about de-boning front shoulders.

 

[TAFKAP]

I think so actually. ...it was as good as any Corned beef I've had. I will say this, and maybe TAFKAP can offer suggestions. ..reheated in microwave tonight was significantly less tender and moist and even flavorful. Feel like we should have saved some of the water we boiled it in and stored it in that. We just stored it dry as pictured. Maybe could be boiled again to heat up? ??

I always save the cooking liquid, mainly because I use stock. Even when the meat and cabbage is gone, I'll drink the leftover stock. When I reheat for lunch at work, I'll pull the meat out and microwave the stock & cabbage first. Then I'll put the meat back in the now hot liquid, and zap it for another 30 seconds.

If yours is disappointingly dried out, make a hash with it. Chop roughly, sautee an onion & parboiled potatoes in a skillet, then mix in the corned venison. When it's all but cooked through, make a hole in the potatoes/onions/meat, and crack an egg in there.

As for a reuben, you'd have a hard time identifying the meat as being venison, so a rookie wouldn't know any better.

I swear, you'll be done buying corned beef at the store. If nothing else, you can cure your own beef at home, and it's still a hundred times better than the storebought packages.