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    Home » Meat and Game

    Smoked Venison Kidneys

    Published: Dec 25, 2020 Modified: Aug 11, 2023 Author: Alan Bergo

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    Smoked venison kidneys are not only one of the best ways I've had deer kidneys, it's one of the best recipes for offal and organ meats I know. If you've had kidneys are didn't care for them in the past, or if you're new to cooking kidneys and want something that everyone will eat this is a great place to start. 

    sliced smoked kidney charcuterie

    Besides the trotters/feet and gut bag, kidneys are right up there with the most discarded parts of venison.

    Even after my years of nose-to tail and whole-animal cooking and tutelage in professional restaurants, kidneys were still a mystery to me until I started harvesting my own animals. 

    More than Steak and Kidney Pie

    Kidneys are wobbly bits, and, if you've ever held one warm, fresh from a creature, you'll know they have a certain aroma that is probably about as close to smelling fresh animal piss as most people will ever come.

    After a couple years of eating and enjoying lamb kidneys and goat kidneys from animals I butcher, I can tell you that kidneys are one of the best pieces of offal there is to be had. If you like liver, even if you don't like liver, you will like kidneys.

    Smoked venison kidney recipe
    They kinda end up looking like magic beans. Don't worry, even though they look a bit wrinkled, they're still soft and tender in the middle.

    It's tough to overcook kidneys 

    Unlike liver, venison kidneys are hard to overcook. The timeline of the smoked venison kidney recipe here I'm sharing might catch you off guard: you cook them for 1.5 hours.

    For reference, most of the time I cook liver it's either hot and fast, or manipulated in some way like pate or my venison braunschweiger dumplings.

    Soaking and brining  

    Soaking and then brining to calm the gamey flavor is really the secret here, and it's one that I borrowed from another recipe of mine for offal: smoked testicles.

    How to Serve  

    Charcuterie and snack plates 

    Smoked kidneys will be a great conversation piece for a holiday cheese or charcuterie plate, just slice them thin and have a little hot mustard and crackers ready. 

    Salads, pasta, sandwiches and more 

    Kidneys are firm, which means they can be cut into slices or slivers and added to recipes. Imagine thin, smoky slivers tossed in a salad with dried fruit and nuts, stirred into carbonara with bacon at the last minute, or in a sandwich of cold cuts with cheese and pickled peppers.

    Bonus: smoked kidneys are a great dog treat 

    If I have a lot of them, I might smoke kidneys for a good, natural dog treat. If you want to try that, skip brining them since too much salt isn't good for dogs.

    Rescue pitbull eating smoked venison kidneys for a treat
    Offal is great for your dog, although small dogs and those with kidney or bladder stones shouldn't eat tons of kidneys.
    sliced smoked kidney charcuterie
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Smoked Venison Kidneys

    Smoked venison kidneys are a delicious way to eat one of the most under-utilized parts of the deer. Serve with a good mustard.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Soaking and Brining1 day d 8 hours hrs
    Total Time1 day d 9 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Charcuterie, Kidneys, Offal, Venison
    Servings: 8 Servings
    Calories: 100kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 5

    Equipment

    • 1 2 quart container for brining
    • 1 Smoker

    Ingredients

    Kidneys

    • 1 lb kidneys or up to double that amount (see note on the brine)

    Brine *see note

    • 1.5 T 10g Kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon 2g pink salt (sodium nitrate)
    • ¼ cup 50 g brown sugar or maple syrup (use a little extra than ¼ cup if you use maple to account for the water it contains)
    • 1 tablespoon cooking oil for smoking
    • Aromatics you can adjust to your taste and what you have
    • 1 large clove garlic grated, minced or mashed
    • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    2 bay leaves

    • ½ inch piece cinnamon
    • 10 allspice berries
    • 5 whole cloves

    Instructions

    Removing the fat

    • Remove any membrane from the kidneys, then inspect the middle portion where they attach to the body and remove the fat from the inside of the kidneys, I like to do this with a sharp knife or pruning shears.
    • The fat can be tricky to remove without a thin, sharp tool. If you don’t have a sharp shears, you could also remove the fat inside by freezing the kidneys half-way to make them less wiggly. That being said, if you can’t get the fat out, or don’t want to, don’t worry, it will still be ok.

    Soaking and brining

    • Soak the kidneys in water for 24 hours in the fridge. Meanwhile, bring the brine ingredients to a boil, then cool completely.
    • Add the soaked kidneys to the brine, and leave for 2 days.

    Smoking

    • Lightly oil the kidneys, then smoke at 250F for 1.5 hours or until an internal temperature of 150 F. Cool, slice, and enjoy fooling your friends and family into thinking they’re eating fancy smoked bologna.
    • Smoked kidneys will last in the fridge for 5-6 days, and can be frozen.

    Notes

    Brine

    You will have enough brine for a few batches. You can use the brine for another purpose or re-use it 1x. You can also kidneys soaked in milk. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1oz | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 233mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 796IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 3mg
    sliced smoked kidney charcuterie
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michael

      April 01, 2025 at 12:37 am

      Do you mean soaking in milk as a replacement for the 24 hour water soak or as a replacement for the 2 day brine?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 01, 2025 at 5:05 am

        Water soak

        Reply
    2. Jacqui

      January 02, 2021 at 7:41 pm

      oooh. I have a pair of moose kidneys in my freezer.
      This looks great, but it might wait for barbecue season.

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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