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    Home » Meat and Game

    Smoked Venison Ribs with Spicy Wild Plum Glaze

    Published: Mar 28, 2019 Modified: Feb 14, 2023 Author: Alan Bergo

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    If you're a hunter, and you throw away the ribs, all I have to say is you're missing out, and you might consider taking them sometime, because they can make a great meal.

    Venison Ribs with wild plum glaze
    Plum jam, vinegar, sriracha and butter make a fantastic glaze for meat, especially smoked venison ribs.

    As a chef, I never had time to hunt. Now, freelancing, consulting, and doing my own thing, I do have more time, and although I still haven't shot any deer, I have plenty of friends who do.

    When I went over to help butcher this year, I was shocked when noone thought twice about discarding the ribs and other cuts I like. Opening up my trunk to get a handsaw bought me some strange looks, and I was ignorant of the fact that most venison meat is simply stripped off the carcass.

    Smoked venison ribs recipe
    Chill the ribs to make them easy to slice after smoking.

    Everyone was fine with me taking ribs, but noone else wanted them. There seems to be a fear of venison fat, and with some deer, especially those eating things like wild sage, I could understand that, since venison fat is rich. But, if those deer are from someplace like Iowa, where deer munch on plenty of corn, the fat on them is probably pretty mild, and will only need minimal trimming, depending on the cut, breast being the exception here from my experience as it's generally more fatty.

    Anyway, I really like smoky, spicy, salty things, like any red blooded human, so I did a batch of simple ribs with a wild plum sauce made from my jam I describe here. There's a lot of different ways you could do something like this, and you wouldn't have to use wild plum jam, per se, so maybe it can give you some inspiration. The technique of glazing the ribs in a pan could be a post in itself, so put it in your hat for a rainy day.

    Venison Ribs with Wild Plum Glaze
    Venison Ribs with Wild Plum Glaze
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Smoked Venison Ribs with Spicy Wild Plum Glaze

    Smoked venison ribs glazed with spicy wild plum sauce
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time2 hours hrs
    Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Venison ribs
    Calories: 1269kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 Smoker
    • 1 large skillet

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb Venison ribs as needed
    • Sriracha or another hot pepper sauce, to taste
    • Knob or two of unsalted butter
    • ½ cup Wild plum jam
    • ½ cup Apple cider vinegar
    • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
    • Sliced green onions and fresh cilantro to garnish (optional)

    Instructions

    • The night before you smoke the ribs, season them aggressively with salt and pepper, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat an oven to 250, then put the ribs in a baking dish with ½ inch of water, cover, and bake for 1.5 hours, this is so make sure the ribs don't dry out while smoking.
    • Remove the ribs, then smoke at 250 for another 1.5 hours or until tender, then remove and cool. The meat should release from the bone, but shouldn't fall apart.
    • From here the ribs can be made ahead of time, frozen, or chilled until needed. Chilling the ribs after cooking is key for portioning, as fresh out of the smoker, they might be too soft and could fall apart. Cut the ribs into single bone riblets.
    • Meanwhile, whisk together equal parts wild plum jam and apple cider vinegar, then mix in some of the hot sauce to taste. Warm up the plum mixture in a large saute pan big enough to accommodate the ribs.
    • Meanwhile, heat the ribs up in a preheated oven until hot throughout. When the sauce is hot, stir in the butter, whisking to emulsify the sauce, then add the ribs, turning over to coat in the sauce. Remove the ribs to a plate, garnish with the green onions and cilantro if using, and serve.

    Notes

    You can substitute your favorite jam or jelly for the wild plum glaze. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 1269kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 148g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 546mg | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 1851mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 83g | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 23mg
    « American Wild Plum Jam
    Lobster Mushroom Burbot with Crayfish Butter »

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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