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Venison Leg?

Mr. Hyde
Mr. Hyde Posts: 99
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Just got my hands on a couple of deer legs, one has a bone, the other doesn't (no wonder the hunter was able to get this little buck, he only had bones in one leg!). I have never cooked one of these guys...and suggestions? Rubs? Time and temp?[p]As always, thanks.

Comments

  • Boccie
    Boccie Posts: 186
    6lbRoast.jpg
    <p />Mr. Hyde,[p]I have two methods in my file. The first says:[p]"Venison is like lamb in that there is not much fat. I am not so certain low and slow is best for this cut. With leg of lamb I cook at 350º or so for an internal in the low 120's, sort covered rest, and serve."[p]=====================================[p]The second says:[p]"A truly wonderfully moist Venison Roast is easy."[p]Venison Roast[p]1. Sear all sides of Venison Roast in hot oil in a frying pan until lightly browed all around the outside as best as possible.
    2. Place roast into baking dish or roaster pan with some quartered onions, 2 or 3 depending upon the size of the roast.
    3. Place on cover and place in a 250 degree oven for about 3 - 5 hours. That's it. So simple.
    *note* Many folks like to put in some carrots and potatoes during the last hour or so of a pot roast type meal. This does not work here well as to keep the meat moist, the temperature is too low to properly cook these vegetables. Turning up the heat to cook the vegetables will dry out the roast. It is best to cook them separately for this meal.
    This will make for as good a meal as there is. The slow baking with low heat will prevent your Venison Roast from becoming dry which is the biggest complaint of Venison Roasts.
    Remember to cook Wild Game Meats at no more than 250 degrees[p]=======================================[p]If I remember correct I cooked my last one at 350 deg using the following rules:[p]Approximate Cooking Time:
    3-4 lbs. meat cook at 325 degrees F. for 2 1/2 - 3 hrs.[p]5-7 lbs. meat cook at 350 degrees F. for 3 - 4 hrs.[p]I pulled when the internal temp was 120 - 125deg. I smoked with hickory. Cant remember which rub was used... but the roast came off juicy (as juicy as lean deer can be) and tasted wonderfull.[p]I decided my next venison roast would be injected, but havent done one in awhile.[p]The image here is a 6 pound hind quarter.[p]Hope this helps![p]Boccie

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Boccie,
    good god you boys are driving me mental with all this talk of venison...[p]anybody wanna send me a frozen one for some ca$h? i'm dyin here.[p]might hafta start drivin I-93 in contoocook county late at night.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Mr. Hyde,[p]I was wonderin how ya'll coulda gone and got one of them deer legs what had no bones in it...so's I went to ask poppa bout that..sometimes it don't pay to try to get information outta poppa..most specially late at night and if'n he and momma'd been hittin the shine real hard..and that's how it was this night..but just call me lucky..cause I got the information anyway..just by waitin round and watchin..on accounta as I was walkin in to ask poppa...I heard momma sayin something bout deer..it was like she knew I was gonna come ask them questions..(though truth be tol I wasn't gonna be repeatin it over and over again like that...I think maybe grampa is right when he says sometimes momma sounds like a broken record..tho mommas records almost always seem to be broken at night) so I just walked into mommas room and waited for her to finish....and that's when I seen it...seems poppa had caught himself one of them boneless deer legs too...(tween you and me..poppa sure isn't much of a hunter..but one look at that funny hoof will tell you that it musta been one cold and slow deer..so that's why poppa done caught this one)..that must be one good leg too..cause it looked like momma and poppa was fightin over it somethin fierce.[p]I don't know what poppa was thinking....he shoulda been using his hands..stead of holdin his end with somethin.. where it prolly wouldn'ta tasted much good if'n he won the tuggo war anyway..but I suppose if'n he did use his hands..he couldn'ta held onto the headboard the way he did....folks sure must love deer meat...most specially them boneless ones..but I can say this..them legs is tricky..cause in the middle of the fight...it made itself to look like one of them ones with the bones in it...I think to confuse momma into thinkin maybe she autta just give up the fight..and I thought momma was gonna too..cause her eyes got real big..and then she started lookin like a mad women..grinnen from cauliflower ear to cauliflower ear...and I think maybe all that pullin and tuggin did do somethin to mommas thinkin..cause it was then that she musta decided that deer meat needed no cookin at all.[p]Poppa..prolly cause he was soo tired from all that fightin..sure seemed to be happy to let momma eat deer without cookin it..but..momma..not two minutes later..bein as nice as she was..apparently to the great relief of poppa...decided to share with him after all..cause she left him a small piece..though from what I seen I think maybe momma got the most of it.[p]I would say this..if'n you gots two of them deer legs..it's prolly best to share right off the bat..you sure don't wanna go though what poppa went through..all that fightin..and makin up them words like that...he was so tired he couldn't even eat his half..he just stuck it in his pants for eatin later...[p]Ahhh..the life of a Stump...[p]StumpBaby
  • Wise One
    Wise One Posts: 2,645
    Mr. Hyde, that was what I cooked at EGGtoberfest. I removed the bone and flattened it out as much as I could, sprinkled some Grrek seasoning on it and then put a lot of peta cheese and spinach. Rolled it back up, tied it with butcher string and then cooked direct for a few minutes all around to get it brown and then cooked indirect until it registered 150 or so. It really came out good. 150 is higher (i.e. more well done) than most people recommend for venison but it was moist and delicious.

  • Boccie, I have a shoulder promised to me and should be acquired tomorrow. I figure it is like a leg of lamb, but less fatty. I do the lamb low and slow to break down the collagen, and that works for me. All this talk about the venison being dry makes me think a brine may be in order. Possibly one heavy on the rosemary.[p]Comments?

  • Wise One,[p]Boy, I thought that I had tasted about everything at that fest, but I keep reading about things that I missed. Sounds great. Thanks Bill.[p]Larry

  • Boccie,[p]So which method did you prefer?

  • Boccie
    Boccie Posts: 186
    Mr.Hyde,[p]I never tried the searing method #2. I basically followed the #1 method.[p]I just showed both in case someone wanted options.[p]I would be interested in hearing the results if someone does do the searing first.
  • Boccie
    Boccie Posts: 186
    The Other Dave,[p]It was my opinion the roast could have been juicier, but it was fine the way it was. Its venison and not exactly the juiciest peice of meat out there.[p]This is why injecting came to mind. A brine would probably do good, but I figure injecting would be the best method to increase the moisture and get the flavoring as well.[p]Ive got a frozen roast, but its been down there since last season. If I can get ahold of a fresh one I'll go ahead and cook one using the injection.[p]Of course now the question will be "what injection solution should I use for venison roast"? :-)... anyone have input?[p]Boccie
  • Squeeze
    Squeeze Posts: 717
    StumpBaby,
    You Rule!!

    Kevin Jacques
    The University of Que L.L.C. ®
    Killen, AL
    www.uofque.com

    Take Your Taste Buds to School!
  • Boccie
    Boccie Posts: 186
    stike,[p]If I get an opportunity to cook one I'll see what I can do to send some your way. IF it comes out ok :-)[p]I guess I should make a few phone calls and see if anyone has some deer to get rid of. Hunting season is in right now in WVA.
  • djm5x9
    djm5x9 Posts: 1,342
    The Other Dave:[p]Not from the DOT again is it?
    [/b]
  • djm5x9
    djm5x9 Posts: 1,342
    venisonribroast3.jpg
    <p />Mr.Hyde:[p]Here is a venison rib roast seared and cooked to an internal of about 118º and allowed a short rest. Regardless of your cooking method, do not over cook.[p]
    Mike: Sorry for posting about my personal cooks . . .[p]venisonribroast1.jpg[p]venisonribroast1.jpg
    [/b]
  • djm5x9,[p]Do you mean roadkill? Not that I'm opposed to that. I was on a waiting list for roadkill moose in Alaska, but my name never came up :([p]Always thought it might be a good idea to tote a chainsaw in the truck for some quick butchering, should the opportunity arise![p]But in this case, the deer was shot two days ago.

  • djm5x9
    djm5x9 Posts: 1,342
    venisonribroast2.jpg
    <p />Sorry . . . The sear . . .
    [/b]
  • Mr. Hyde,
    Since this meat was a gift, I'd bet there has not been much real meat carving/butchering done. If this is the case, there are several lymph nodes in the hind quarters that will need to be removed. If they are not removed, they will foul the tast of your finished cook. [p]After skinning the deer, I quarter the deer and then wrap in plastic bags and put in a cooler and ice heavily for 4-6 days, draining water and reicing each day. At the end of the 4-6 days, I get to play butcher and cut the meat.[p]I use a real, real, real sharp knife and begin by removing the parataneal (sp?) tissue. From there, I begin by using the knife to start to separate the muscles from each other, and then run my finger inbetween the muscles to fully separarate them apart. By doing this, you will get several nice hunks of neatly trimmed meat and can identify and remove the lymph nodes (they are grey in color, shaped like rat turds and about the size of pencil erasers). The lymph system is easy to spot as you separate the muscles. If you see the white fatty looking spider web crap, that is the lymph system and cut it out.[p]Now that you have several cuts of meat, look at the colors of the different cuts. The darkest red piece will be the most tender. I slice this into 1/4" pieces, cross grain and make country fried steak (bisquick, salt, pepper) in a cast iron skillet. Brown on one side till blood comes to surface of uncooked top side, then flip, cook again till blood rises again to the top. Cook to an internal of 135. Save the pan drippings and make a kite paste gravy, serve with mashed potatoes.[p]There will be a few other large 1-3 pound roasts that I cook as roasts on the grill - 350 until internal of about 125-130, cover & rest. Slice cross gain, at an angle.[p]Some of the meat closest to the bone will be a light pink color with not much redness to it. I grind this into venison burger. If making burger, ask your butcher or whomever you find to do it, mix 8 parts venison, 1 part pork fat, 1 part beef fat. Venison has little fat, if any and will need the extra fat for good burger.[p]Some of the roasts I mentioned above also make great jerky too. Keep in mind that the darker red the muscle, the more tender it will cook up. [p]Just before Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to get a deer this year and got to play butcher myself. The only part I still have to do is to have the meat ground into burger.[p]Hope this helps... Enjoy. When you cook the venison, expect a different flavor from the meat. I hope the deer was harvested by a "still hunter" & was a clean kill shot, as opposed to being run by dogs and/or running off after the shot. The latter will cause an endorphine release into the meat and make the meat tough and it will have a gamey flavor. [p]Banker John

  • Banker John,[p]Thanks John, when it defrosts, I'll look for that stuff.[p]Larry
    [/b]