Corned Venison

Corned venison

Being blessed with two deer this last December our little freezer in the garage was pretty full. We are a family who enjoys venison, and we have a few friends who also like it so it will be consumed. I'm always looking for a new preparation for this wild meat, and I have found just that. It's corning. I'm sure all of you have had corned beef, be it in a dinner with cabbage and potatoes, or perhaps thinly sliced on a crusty rye bread. Well this is the same only substituting venison for beef.

The preparation involves making a brine in which the venison will cure. The brine consists of spring water, sea salt, bay leaves, garlic cloves, mustard seed, peppercorns, and pink salt. The spices are placed in a pot and brought to the boil then allowed to cool completely. The raw venison is cleaned of silver skin and unwanted bits of fat. I usually use meat from the hind leg, but meat from other parts of the deer can be used. When the brine is cooled the deer is placed into a canister. A large stainless steel pot, a sturdy plastic container, or a crock. Make sure that the venison is completely covered with the brine. The vessel holding the meat should be placed into the refrigerator and allowed to cure, this will take about 7 days. Each day the venison should be turned so that it cures evenly.

At the end of 7 days the corned venison is taken out and placed into a pot of cold water. The water is brought to the boil then the heat reduced and allowed to simmer for 3 hours, at which time the vegetables are added and allowed to cook until tender.

When served like this one can not determine it is deer and not beef. The benefit is the natural goodness of lean deer and not fatty beef.

One of the best ways to enjoy corned venison is in a hash. This is my favorite.