Venison Pastrami

I love this stuff!! :)
I used a small roast from the hind quarter of this year's little white tail buck

For my dry cure, I mix...
5 tablespoons Tender Quick
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon ground bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

This is enough for 5lbs of meat



I trimmed the roast and butterflied it a bit to even out the thickness of the meat. (for even curing)



Rub the cure into the meat on all sides, shake off any excess.....



Wrap and place in a container to catch any drippings. Let it cure in the fridge for 5 to 7 days depending on the thickness of the meat. ( I cured this for 5 days)



After the venison has cured, RINSE well and soak in fresh cool water for about 2 hours to remove some of the saltiness...



Before smoking, rub the meat with a mixture of allspice, garlic, crushed bay leaves, crushed juniper berries, onion powder, black pepper and mustard seeds.... I use about a tsp of each, and 2 cloves of the garlic minced. You can add more if needed.



Into the Hasty Bake on the "smoke" setting... also added hickory for the smoke.



I caramelized a few onions...



made a cheese disc by mixing several of my favorite cheeses and adding crumbled crisp bacon...



After the venison pastrami smoked to an internal temp of 145 F... I sealed it in foil with some beef stock...



Back onto the smoker to "steam".
I also added my cheese and added kraut to the caramelized onions to catch a bit of smoke.



Last.... I toasted some buttered bread...





I pulled the venison pastrami from the heat at an internal temperature of about 160F.. and let it "rest" covered in the beef stock until it came up to an internal temperature of 165F.



The venison pastrami is so moist and tender...



The "make your own" sandwich fixin's..
Venison pastrami, smokey cheese, kraut with caramelized onions, brown spicy mustard, russian dressing and assorted toasted bread.



I love venison pastrami. :)


This recipe works well with beef too!