Accidental deer “ham”

[Desk Jockey]

So I smoked a few back straps and a roast of a deer for Memorial Day. I brined both in separate containers and obviously put WAY to much SALT in with the roast. It came out of the smoker with a nice bark and smoke ring but it was crazy salty. Way too salty to eat too much straight. not quite country ham but salty than your average bacon.

So…I thought about different ways I could salvage it and there it in the fridge in the meantime. a couple of days ago I was having a Caesar salad and diced some up and threw it on top. It was great. In small bites and pieces it wasn’t too salty and it went well with the salad. I diced some more up and threw it in an omelet. It was great. A bit more diced up and thrown in a bowl of grits with cheese. Fantastic.

it basically has Enough salt flavor to replace bacon bits or diced ham so I plan to chop up the rest and use it that way.

makes me want to experiment with some ham or bacon like brines to see if I couldn’t improve the outcome with a more deliberate approach.

anyone else ever tried something similar?

 

[fishdart]

I wet-cured a hind quarter this past season. It was in the soak for 2 weeks, then a rinse and then into the smoker to cook through. This was following a Hank Shaw recipe for corned venison. Delicious stuff for a sandwich with sauerkraut.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Use sparingly on Pizza? Anchovies are pretty salty.

 

[go_deep]

I make venison ham every year, great on sandwiches.

 

[mahnemgreg]

I make venison ham every year, great on sandwiches.

Do you do it bone in? If you've done it both ways, do you find it makes a difference to consistency?

 

[awasome]

I have done my own bacon, corned beef, pastrami, and hams before. One tip I can offer is to do a fry test to taste the salinity of the meat before you smoke/cook it.

Slice off a small piece, fry it up and taste it. If it is too salty, soak it in water in the fridge for a day or two changing the water out once a day, then fry test it again.

I do use the book "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing" by Michael Ruhlman for recipes and knowledge

 

[go_deep]

Do you do it bone in? If you've done it both ways, do you find it makes a difference to consistency?

I just do boneless since we primarily use ours sliced, or diced.

 

[DawnPatrol]

Try throwing bits of smoked ham into a pot of mac n cheese!

I brined and smoked a couple big muscles out of the hind quarter of an elk last year to make “ham”. I was skeptical and my wife was downright incredulous. But it turned out really good—even made a believer out of her.