DRIED VENISON OR SMOKED PORK BUTTS OR LOIN

DRIED VENISON OR SMOKED PORK BUTTS OR LOIN image

We got this recipe from a friend of my husband's that had a meat processing plant & made dried beef. We tried it with deer & is even better than beef. We use it on sandwiches or in appetizer recipes,or use it in grill cheese sandwiches, etc. While picture appears raw, it is actually not. It is fully cooked & cured. We also make...

Provided by Peggi Anne Tebben

Number Of Ingredients 3

Ingredients

27 lb deer roasts
14 oz ** dry seasoning (sweeter than sweet, premium cure/ nitrate)
1/2 gal cold water

Steps:

1. Use deer roasts cut from the hind quarters & loins of deer. Trim & remove all outer silver skin.
2. Mix dry seasoning & water in gallon pail. **Can get dry seasoning from Sausage Maker, online. We buy ours in Des Moines, but I see now that Sausage Maker has it.
3. Put meat in net bags for hanging & smoking. Inject liquid into meat from every angle so that it is thoroughly distributed inside the meat. Cure in fridge in covered container for 7 days. I put these in a deep hotel pan & cover the pan with plastic wrap & then invert a shallow hotel pan on top of it.
4. At the end of 7th day,set out on counter the night before you smoke it to get to room temp. So... if you inject it on a Monday morning, then the next Sunday night before you go to bed, set it out to room temp.
5. Smoke meat @ 130 ° for 2 ½ hours, With smoke on it.Take away the smoke chips,& increase temperature to 175° for 6 more hours or so until internal temperature of meat is 156°. Hams should only be about 136°. May take longer. May take less.
6. Take meat off & immerse meat in a sink of ice water to bring the internal temp. of meat down, to stop the cooking process. When cooled off, drain & return to fridge to cool overnight. Next day, remove the netting & slice thin on electric slicer. Slice against the grain, not with the grain. I freeze in 1# pkgs. Double wrap with freezer paper or vacuum pack it.
7. IF DOING PORK: We use a pork butt & remove bone & cut in half. Follow all steps above, except internal temp. should only get to 140° We freeze it whole & use as a small ham.
8. ALSO POR LOIN: Follow all steps above , except temp. should be 140°. The loins, we slice thin & freeze also & when ready to use, just heat in oven on a broiler pan with water in the lower pan & cover with foil, to just steam it slightly. Then place several heated slices on warm hamburger bun or hoagie & slather with thin, warmed BBQ sauce, like at Arby's.