A simple smoked venison leg roast you can carve and eat like a roast, or save to slice thin for sandwiches, etc. Pass the horseradish!
Prep Time30mins
Cook Time1hr
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Smoked Venison, Venison
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3lbvenison leg roasttrimmed of sinew, or multiple, smaller roasts. I like the sirloin for this one, the long rectangle with the visible grain
Brine
23 inch strips lemon peel use a vegetable peeler to do this
2dried bay leaves
10Tbsp kosher saltthis is 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
2qtwater
1small onionchopped
2large cloves garliccrushed with the back of a knife
1teaspoonblack pepper corns
1rib celerychopped
1carrotchopped
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary or thymeoptional, use a good pinch of dried if you don’t have fresh
Instructions
Brine
Bring the brine ingredients to a boil then cool completely. Submerge the venison roast in the brine in a small pot or similar container where it can fit snugly (or a thick plastic bag set into a flat tray or Tupperware to prevent spills). You may not need all of the brine. Refrigerate the venison roast in the brine for at least 12 hours, and up to 5 days. I like to aim for a solid 24 hours.
Smoking
Remove the roast, then cold smoke at 225F until an internal temperature of 130-135 F. Remove the roast, pat dry, and prepare to sear it.
Searing
Heat a heavy cast iron skillet, grill or other surface until nearly smoking hot, brown the roast on all sides until golden with a drizzle of oil, about 1 minute per side, then remove and rest in a warm place for AT LEAST 15 minutes before slicing. After resting, this should give you about a medium-rare to medium doneness.*see note
Notes
Serving Hot
* If you keep the roast in a warm place, you can reheat it in an oven a bit to flash it before you carve and serve it.