Deer Ham

[Loyalist Dave]

So I tried to turn the "ham" from the back leg of a deer into venison ham, by curing it, with some Morton's Quick cure along with some salt, then smoking it. It smelled wonderful when done. I was careful to smoke it just enough in my chef-friend's "cool smoker", so as not to get a too overpowering smoky taste.

I was lucky that I just wanted a bit of smoke, as my chef-friend was making sides of bacon, which he does every year for Christmas, and when I departed with my finished ham he'd one final side of bacon to smoke (unknown to me it was to be mine for Christmas) ..., when he discovered a local raccoon had opened the smoker and removed the side of bacon. Funny thing is, apparently 'coons are as adamant about bacon as people, because my chef-friend hit him with rocks as he ran, and with water from a hose as he climbed a pine tree, and he even dinked the 'coon once with a marble from a sling shot although the raccoon was high up in the tree, spitting and showing his teeth the whole time..., and he would NOT give up that bacon. So it was decided that after all of that, my chef-friend didn't want the bacon back, and concluded that the raccoon had duly earned those calories...,

Well today it was time to try the ham...,
WOW so over did the salt and quick cure for sure...

I boiled that ham three times, and still it was waaay too salty....

WELL..., time to try it again, from-the-top....

LD

 

[kje54]

So I tried to turn the "ham" from the back leg of a deer into venison ham, by curing it, with some Morton's Quick cure along with some salt, then smoking it. It smelled wonderful when done. I was careful to smoke it just enough in my chef-friend's "cool smoker", so as not to get a too overpowering smoky taste.

I was lucky that I just wanted a bit of smoke, as my chef-friend was making sides of bacon, which he does every year for Christmas, and when I departed with my finished ham he'd one final side of bacon to smoke (unknown to me it was to be mine for Christmas) ..., when he discovered a local raccoon had opened the smoker and removed the side of bacon. Funny thing is, apparently 'coons are as adamant about bacon as people, because my chef-friend hit him with rocks as he ran, and with water from a hose as he climbed a pine tree, and he even dinked the 'coon once with a marble from a sling shot although the raccoon was high up in the tree, spitting and showing his teeth the whole time..., and he would NOT give up that bacon. So it was decided that after all of that, my chef-friend didn't want the bacon back, and concluded that the raccoon had duly earned those calories...,

Well today it was time to try the ham...,
WOW so over did the salt and quick cure for sure...

I boiled that ham three times, and still it was waaay too salty....

View attachment 49897

WELL..., time to try it again, from-the-top....

LD

Found this, hopefully it will help. Good luck!

How to Cure and Smoke a Venison Ham Roast

Here's another one;

Cured Sorghum Venison Ham

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Thanks for the recipe links, they look tasty, but I think that although the articles are titled "smoked venison ham", what they are really doing is "corning" the venison a la corned beef, and then cooking in a hot smoker instead of actually making dry, cold smoked ham, that is shelf-stable. I was trying to make dry, shelf stable ham... which I did (it would be shelf stable for sure), but it was inedible. I likely got the salt to weight ratio screwed up, and need to try again.

LD

 

[appalichian hunter]

never done a deer ham, but do make my own pastrami from the hind quarter of a deer, also with the quick cure a little goes a long way. I have never heard of a deer ham that would be shelf stable as with a country cured ham from a hog. Seems like a waste of time and good meat. Even the deer processors around where I live will cure a deer ham but it is more liked chipped beef. You could salt brine one but then it would be very salty as you said your results turned out.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I have not tried ham, however I have made venison corned beef many times with excellent results. Have been wondering if venison prosciutto would be palatable. Just made some Canadian bacon from pork loin with Quick Cure and had some for breakfast this morning.

 

[Ames]

Venison too low on fat to make a stable ham?

 

[tenngun]

Generally meat from ruminates doesn't lean them selves to ‘ham’. So beef buff deers ect were oft made in to sausages, or ‘salt horse’( I’m counting pemmican as a sausage).while pig or bear makes a good ‘ham’ or bacon.

 

[Zonie]

So I tried to turn the "ham" from the back leg of a deer into venison ham, by curing it, with some Morton's Quick cure along with some salt, then smoking it. It smelled wonderful when done...

Well today it was time to try the ham...,
WOW so over did the salt and quick cure for sure...

I boiled that ham three times, and still it was waaay too salty....

View attachment 49897

WELL..., time to try it again, from-the-top....

LD

Since Morton Quick Cure is salt and you added more salt, maybe next time you should use less of it and leave out the extra salt?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Since Morton Quick Cure is salt and you added more salt, maybe next time you should use less of it and leave out the extra salt?

Yeah it's nitrite salt..., which gives the meat the deep red color instead of it going gray with just using sea salt

On the other hand I know how to make authentic "salt pork" if I use the previous procedure and pork instead of venison.....

LD

 

[appalichian hunter]

I would look into sugar based cures, such as used for country hams, basically regular non iodized salt, black pepper , brown sugar and for the nitrate part salt peter which is also a drying agent. Long curing process but well worth the wait.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Forgot once cured dry smoke over sassafras hickory is good but once you have had a salt cured sassafras smoked ham you will not go back to hickory.

 

[George]

In 1822 Wm. Blane wrote this about venison hams, Indiana style"

"Before arriving at Hindostan, a small village on the East Fork of White River, the country becomes very hilly; and being on that account thinly settled, abounds with game of all descriptions, Some idea may be formed of the abundance of it, from the price of venison at this place, and in the neighbourhood. A haunch will bring only 20 cents (about 1 9d sterling), or the value of 25 cents, if the hunter will take powder, lead, or goods. The shopkeepers who buy the haunches, the only parts of the deer that are thought worth selling, cure and dry them much in the same manner as the Scotch do their mutton hams and then send them for sale to Louisville or New Orleans. These dried venison hams as they are called are very good eating."

You might get some ideas by checking out Scottish mutton hams, also known as "reestit hams", still made in the Shetland Islands.

Spence