A simple smoked venison leg roast cooked low and slow. You can carve and eat like a roast, or save to slice thin for sandwiches, etc. Pass the horseradish!
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 ½ 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
½ cup brown sugar Optional *see note
Instructions
Brine
Bring the brine ingredients to a boil then cool completely. Submerge the venison in the brine in a small pot or similar container where it can fit snugly, covering all sides of the roast with brine. You can also use 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, pat dry, rub with a light coating of olive oil, 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.
Slicing and Serving
Remove and rest in a warm place for AT LEAST 15 minutes before slicing against the grain on a cutting board. 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 covered with aluminum foil, you can reheat it in an oven a bit to flash it before you carve and serve it.
Adding sugar to the brine
Only add sugar to the brine if you want to slice the meat cold to serve like ham. If I add sugar, I also add 1 teaspoon of pink salt (sodium nitrate) to the brine to keep the meat pink.