Smoked Venison Ham

Saturday 29 of September, 2007 From Claus Ernst

With the Xmas season coming closer I wish to share my favorite recipe for Smoked Venison. It's another recipe which has been in our family for hundreds of years It's easier to make than smoked ham and it melts in your mouth. Venison is a great tasting, healthy meat and has a whole host of benefits for you.

Healthy naturally lean meat Tasty wonderful flavors

Venison is a very lean and healthy meat but still has great flavour. It has rapidly been gaining popularity over the last few years with people viewing it as an alternative to red meat pork and chicken.

Venison is good for you and your heart - providing a welcome alternative for people on a variety of diets, such as low fat, low calorie and low carbohydrate. It offers twice as much iron content as beef or lamb, as well as being a valuable source of essential Omega 3 acids.

Historians suggest that venison has been consumed as a food longer than other meats, including beef, chicken and pork, that are more popular today. While venison and other wild game have roamed the lands for millennia, the practice of domesticating venison for food seems to have begun in ancient times, during the Stone Age. While the ancient Greeks seemed to be the first civilization that printed a guide to hunting, the ancient Romans lauded the pleasures of hunting and consuming wild game. Today, venison is enjoyed by many cultures who still rely upon hunting to gather their food. In addition, for a variety of reasons including maintaining the natural population of the animals, farm raised venison is becoming more popular. Today, New Zealand and the United States are the leading countries specializing in the domestication of venison.

How to Select and Store

There are a few clues you can look for that will help you choose fresher quality venison. Look for younger venison, which will have darker, more finely grained flesh and whiter fat, since it will offer the most flavorful taste. Always examine the sell-by date, if there is one, on the label and choose the venison with the latest date. Venison is generally available fresh and frozen.

Since venison, like other meats, is highly perishable, it should always be kept at cold temperatures, either refrigerated or frozen. Refrigerate the venison in the original store packaging, if it is still intact and secure, as this will reduce the amount of handling involved. Venison roasts, steaks and chops will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days.

If you have more venison than you can use within this period of time, you can freeze it. Cling wrap individual pieces of venison carefully so that it is as tightly packaged as possible. It should keep frozen for between three and six months.

Tips for Preparing Venison:

As with other meats, be careful when handling raw venison that it does not come in contact with other foods, especially those that will be served uncooked. Wash the cutting board, utensils and even your hands very well with hot soapy water after handling the meat.

If your recipe requires marinating, you should always do so in the refrigerator as the meat is very sensitive to heat which can increase the chances of spoilage. When defrosting a frozen venison, do so in the refrigerator and not at room temperature, placing it on a plate to capture any liquid drippings.

Free Recipe of Venison Jerky or Biltong

Venison jerky is delicious and easy to make. Cut 2 pounds 1kg venison steaks into ¼ inch thick slices, marinate for 12 hours in

1 table spoon of salt

1 table spoon cracked coriander seeds

1 table spoon of cracked pepper

½ tea spoon cayenne pepper

3 garlic gloves minced

1 onion finely sliced

1/3 cup of teriyaki sauce

1/3 cup of Worcestershire sauce

Dry meat with a paper towel prior to place on aerated roasting rack and smoke at 150°F 65C for 6 hours.

How to prepare and smoke venison like a ham…

You can find out in my Ebook http://smokeovenplans.com