Venison Pastrami

User Reviews

5.0

186 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    15 mins

  • Cook Time

    4 hrs

  • Total Time

    4 hrs 15 mins

  • Servings

    2 pounds

  • Calories

    106 kcal

  • Course

    Main Course

  • Cuisine

    American

Venison Pastrami

This recipe can be scaled up if you need to. Remember the salt and cure ratio is this: 2% of the weight of the meat in kosher salt, plus 0.25% - that's one-quarter of one percent - of the weight of the meat in curing salt No. 1. Can you skip the curing salt? Yes, but it won't look or taste like store-bought pastrami. 

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Ingredients

Servings
  • A venison roast, hind leg or backstrap
  • kosher salt (see recipe notes)
  • Instacure No. 1 (see recipe notes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed juniper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus 3 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup brandy, red wine, vinegar or water
  • 3 tablespoons coarsely ground coriander
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Instructions

  1. Weigh your venison. For every pound of meat, you’ll need 10 grams of kosher salt and about 1.5 grams curing salt. Mix the salt, curing salt, sugar as well as the thyme, celery seed, caraway, juniper and the teaspoon of black pepper and grind them all together in a spice grinder.  Pack the venison with this mixture, massaging it into the meat. Vacuum seal or put the meat into a Ziploc bag or closed container and set it in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. A general rule is 2 days per pound of meat. If you’re unsure, leave the meat in one more day than you think you need to. This salt ratio will prevent the meat from getting overly salty. 
  2. Rinse the cure off the venison and pat it dry. It’s fine if you have a little bit of the cure stuck to the meat, but you don’t want too much. Put the venison on a rack in the fridge and let it dry uncovered for up to a day.
  3. Dip the meat into the brandy — or really any other liquid you want — and then coat thoroughly in the 3 tablespoons of remaining black pepper and ground coriander seed. I like to grind this myself so the texture is a little coarse, a little fine. Press it into the meat well. 
  4. Smoke the venison at about 165°F to 200°F until the interior hits 145°F, which takes me about 3 hours. Let the pastrami cool and eat as lunch meat, or on crackers or whatever.

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Calories 106kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 7g (2%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 2g (3%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 4mg (0%) Potassium 95mg (3%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 53mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2pounds

Amount Per Serving

Calories 106 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories 106kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 7g 2%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 4mg 0%
Potassium 95mg 2%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 53mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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