Venison Pastrami - Goose, Wild Turkey, Pheasant

You can use about any cut of venison you’d like for this recipe, but I went with an eye of round because it was thinner and would require less curing time. Any roast cut from the round or even a blade steak from the front shoulder would do.


Ingredients
Cure:
- ¼ cup Tender Quick
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. onion powder
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. allspice

Rub:
- 3 Tbsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions
1. Mix cure ingredients and coat venison roast thoroughly. You really want to pack on the cure, leaving no surface uncovered. Place roast in gallon-size plastic bag and stick in the refrigerator.
2. Turn the roast once or twice a day. After a day or two, liquid will start to appear in the bottom of the bag. This is normal. Total curing time depends on the thickness of your roast, but consider five days the minimum.
3. At the end of the curing period, remove the roast from the bag and rinse thoroughly. Soak the roast in a bowl of cold water for a few hours or overnight. Remove roast from soaking water, rinse, and dry thoroughly.
4. Coat the roast with the rub and place in pre-heated smoker. Smoke to 150 degrees.
5. Place the roast on a sheet of tinfoil, splash with a little beef stock and seal foil tightly. Let this steam for about 30 minutes. Remove from tinfoil, slice and enjoy.

Venison Pastrami

How to make it

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• Mix everything except the meat and ice from the corning list and bring to a low boil.
• Add the ice, then add the meat.
• Let sit in the fridge for 10 days in a sealed bag making sure the meat remains submerged.
• Drain off the brine, then you have an option: if you smoke this as is it'll be salty, damned salty. It's not bad if you stick it on a sandwich at the end with a slice of swiss and some burn your sinuses German mustard, but will be a little much straight up. If you want to cut the salt I suggest at least half an hour soak in cold water before proceeding.
• For the next step, you'll need a rub and to put it on smoke (I used hickory, but applewood or mesquite could both work depending on taste [sweeter vs. southwestern]).
• Give it the first two hours fairly cold, around 130 F, then give it 2-3 hours at 210 F to cook the meat. When you get done you should have a smoke ring in the meat that comes in a third of the depth on both sides and leaves the meat fully cooked.
• Look for it to be tender, have some bark to it, then slice it thinly across the grain with a sharp knife

Ingredients

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• First of all, this is a first pass recipe, adjust as you see fit.                                             

 Corning:                                                 

• 2-2.5 lbs lean venison (I use an inside round, halved to 3/4 inch thickness)
• Quart of water
• half cup salt
• large handful brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2/3 t black mustard
• 2/3 t peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 4 allspice
• 6 juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• 1 lb ice

For the rub before smoking:                                                 

• 1-2 T salt (depending on original salinity)                                                 
• 1.5 T paprika
• 2 T coriander
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 T pepper
• 2 T black mustard seed (crushed, and this can make it fairly hot, feel free to cut down some)                                                 
• 4 t garlic powder