This is simply marvelous. It tastes exactly like corned beef, but without the slimy, fatty and grisly bits that you pay for and end up cutting off. And – bonus – you know exactly what goes into preparing it. Venison is an extremely lean meat, so you end up with little to zero waste. Corned venison is fairly simple – you boil the brine and let it cool to room temperature before setting your meat in it. Then you let it sit for 5-7 days in your fridge. Then cook it up – I prefer a crockpot. There is little room for error. I prefer using roasts from the hindquarters, but you can corn any roast.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 gallon of water
- 1c kosher salt
- 1/3c white sugar
- 1 tsp Intsacure #1 (or similar cure) per 5lbs of meat
- 1tb cracked black pepper
- 12 bay leaves
- 1tb red pepper flakes
- 1tb thyme
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cloves
- 5 minced garlic cloves
- 3-5lb venison roast (or a couple smaller roast to equal the same weight)
Method:
- Boil all ingredients except the meat. Turn off heat, cover and let cool to room temperature. This may take a couple of hours.
- Trim roast of any silverskin and visible fat.
- Once brine is cooled, pour it into a glass container and insert your roasts. Be sure the roasts are submerged. Cover and set in the fridge for 5-7 days. I like to use glass gallon jars for this.
To Prepare:
The only way I have ever prepared corned beef or corned venison has always been in a crockpot. This ensures I don’t mess it up. When we purchase it at the store, its quite expensive. And making it at home – it takes a lot of effort to process a deer. I don’t want to risk screwing anything up 😉 So I don’t change what works. I take the roast out of the brine and place it into the crockpot. I add about half a cup of water and add 2 tablespoons of pickling spice on top of the roast. Then I add some carrots and potatoes, then quarter a head of cabbage and set that on top. I put the lid on the crockpot and walk away. About 8-10 hours later, dinner is served.
If you have leftovers, you may enjoy making corned venison hash – I put some olive oil and butter (same ratio of each) in a skillet and heat it over medium-high. Then I add leftover potatoes and carrots, and dice up some corned venison, throw it in the skillet, season with some pepper and seasoned salt and cook until heated through and a bit crispy. I move the hash away from the center of the skillet and add an egg or two, scramble them up if you wish and heat until cooked through, and serve.