Legs of 1 whitetail deer or 2 pork trotters peeled and cut into pieces that fit in a crock pot
1large venison shankroughly 20 oz
1cupeach chopped carrotsonion and celery
1garlic bulbhalved
1gallonwater
1.5cupsdry white wine
Bouquet
5sprigs of thyme
½bunch of parsley
2fresh bay leaves
10black peppercorns
5cloves
½whole nutmeg
5whole allspice
1tablespoonyellow mustard seed
Serving (Pick a few or use what you like)
Grilled bread
Pickled mushrooms
Grated Horseradish
Mustard
Instructions
Brine + Prep
Combine the brine ingredients and whisk until dissolved, then add the trotters, bones, and venison shank and leave for 48 hours. Tie the bouquet mixture in cheesecloth for easy removal and reserve.
Smoking
Remove the bones, trotter and shank from the brine and rinse lightly, then smoke for 2 hours at 250F. After smoking, transfer the bones and shank to a large crock pot with the water, vegetables, and bouquet garni.
Cooking
Cook the mixture on high heat for 5 hours, or until the shank is falling off the bone, then remove the shank, wrap in clingfilm while still warm to prevent it from drying out, refrigerate and reserve.
Continue cooking the hooves and bones for roughly 20 hours.
Cleaning
Remove the trotters and bones, meticulously pick out all bones and separate out the tendons and connective tissue. While still warm, mince the connective tissue and tendons as fine as possible with a heavy chef knife. Cut the chilled shank into ½ inch dice and add to the minced trotter mix.
Reduce the aspic
Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid, then transfer to a wide-ish pan, about 8-10 inches is ok, and reduce slowly until a thick syrup is formed, you should have about ¾ cup of liquid (you may not need it all).
Pack the terrine
Line a lightly oiled loaf pan with clingfilm. Mix the chopped meat mixture with the reduced aspic/liquid (how much liquid you add can be a matter of personal taste—see note*) pack into the mold, and chill for a few hours or overnight until very firm.
Cut the terrine into slices and serve with garnishes like grilled bread, mustard, pickles, grated horseradish, pickled mushrooms, etc. The terrine will keep for a week in the fridge, and can easily be frozen.
Video
Notes
Venison Trotter Substitution
I know most people won't use venison trotters here, and that's fine. All you need is a piece of meat with lots of bone and connective tissue. Deer bones don't have a lot of that, so if you don't want to use venison trotters, substitute 2 pork trotters and make the recipe as written. You will need to skim extra fat from the cooking liquid.
Pink Salt
Some people worry about pink salt. Know that most of the pink salt and nitrites stay in the brine that's discarded.