2lbs venison neckThis is roughly half a neck-see recipe notes
Brine
3quartswater
195gramssaltroughly ¾ cup
1ozpink curing saltsodium nitrite
3Tablespoonspickling spice
2cupsdark brown sugar
1large yellow onionsliced
3dried bay leaves
1bulb garlichalved horizontally
Final Coating
3tablespoonswhole black pepper
3tablespoonswhole coriander
Instructions
Brine
Lightly toast the pepper and coriander, then crush coarsely (I like it crunchy).
Combine the ingredients for the brine and bring to a simmer in a stock pot. After the mix boils, chill completely.
Cut the neck open a bit if one part is larger than the other so that the neck lays flat like a book. Alternately, pound it with a mallet to make it flat and even, which will make rolling it into a log easier.
Immerse the neck in the brine for 5 days, repositioning it at least once to promote even penetration of the brine.
Smoking
After four days, remove the neck and pat dry, then season the inside (meat side that was next to the spine)
aggressively with the coriander and black pepper, reserving some to coat the outside.
Roll the neck up like a jelly roll, and tie it snug with twine, then coat the outside lightly with more pepper and coriander. Vacuum seal the neck log to help the coating adhere and refrigerate overnight, or wrap very tight in cling film (optional).
Smoke the neck at 250 for 2 hours, then put in a deep pan with an inch of water and cook, covered for another 2 hours at 300, or until it’s visibly shrunken and is fork-tender, checking on it here and there and adding water to make sure the pan doesn’t dry out.
Remove the pastrami, wrap in cling film to prevent it from drying out, then cool and refrigerate before slicing with a long, sharp knife.
Notes
The brine for this recipe will accommodate up to 3-4 pounds of neck. You can scale it to do more or less if you like the recipe. For the necks, you want them filleted off the spine retaining as much meat as possible, and cut into a rectangle that can be rolled up.