# venison belly meat



## supercajun (Oct 14, 2014)

looking to make some bacon from venison belly meat instead of ground bacon. anyone ever try this? tried to search with no results.


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## Bearcarver (Oct 14, 2014)

supercajun said:


> looking to make some bacon from venison belly meat instead of ground bacon. anyone ever try this? tried to search with no results.


If you cure & Smoke Venison, it will never taste like Bacon. 

It will be closer to cured & smoked Beef, like Dried Beef is similar to Venison Dried Beef.

Like these two:


> *Smoked Venison Dried Beef  *
> 
> **New-----Dried Beef (Best Ever)  8-12-2014*


Bear


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## pc farmer (Oct 14, 2014)

For one thing you cant get a slab of meat off of venison like a pig.  ( at least here)

Venison is very lean.  No fat like in pig bacon.


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## Bearcarver (Oct 15, 2014)

c farmer said:


> For one thing you cant get a slab of meat off of venison like a pig.  ( at least here)
> 
> Venison is very lean.  No fat like in pig bacon.


Yup---That too, if you're serious about getting the meat from the Belly:

Not much more than skin on a Deer's belly, and Venison fat is terrible, unless you're making candles.

Bear


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## sb59 (Oct 15, 2014)

Bearcarver said:


> Yup---That too, if you're serious about getting the meat from the Belly:
> 
> Not much more than skin on a Deer's belly, and Venison fat is terrible, unless you're making candles.
> 
> Bear


Second that! I eat a lot of deer and I've given up on trying to find ways to make ribs, belly or flank meat palatable for human consumption. Even when mixing into ground meat that venison suet just fouls the rest. I now just grind it separately and cook for the dogs. Then I have to listen to them lick their chops for hours while I try to watch TV. One tip I've tried recently if you want to do something diff. with neck meat instead of grinding is to remove spinal cord trim and section the bones and use like oxtails in soups and stews. Really great for both.


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## bladebuilder (Oct 24, 2014)

SB59 said:


> Bearcarver said:
> 
> 
> > Yup---That too, if you're serious about getting the meat from the Belly:
> ...


Amen to that! I do all my own butchering. ALL the fat and bones are tossed. I age the whole animal for at least a week. Trim the dry, and debone and remove all the fat. Most I keep for fresh meat, but will now be trying sausage. Last year, myself and my brother in law, processed 7 deer, and 2 elk. Drawn for elk again this year, am wondering if anyone has had luck with elk ribs?


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## ajbert (Oct 25, 2014)

Bladebuilder said:


> Amen to that! I do all my own butchering. ALL the fat and bones are tossed. I age the whole animal for at least a week. Trim the dry, and debone and remove all the fat. Most I keep for fresh meat, but will now be trying sausage. Last year, myself and my brother in law, processed 7 deer, and 2 elk. Drawn for elk again this year, am wondering if anyone has had luck with elk ribs?


My cousin's father-in-law apparently does fantastic elk ribs, or so he says.  I've never had them so I can't say for myself.  I just get as much meat of the ribs as I can for grind and give the bones to the dogs. 

I will say the dogs can't get enough of them!


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## Bearcarver (Oct 25, 2014)

Bladebuilder said:


> Amen to that! I do all my own butchering. ALL the fat and bones are tossed. I age the whole animal for at least a week. Trim the dry, and debone and remove all the fat. Most I keep for fresh meat, but will now be trying sausage. Last year, myself and my brother in law, processed 7 deer, and 2 elk. Drawn for elk again this year, am wondering if anyone has had luck with elk ribs?


Here's some Awesome Elk Ribs from a Great Smoker:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/83671/elk-ribs

Bear


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## cedar eater (Oct 15, 2015)

I second the lack of value in the belly meat, unless you happen to have dogs. Grind that stuff up and cook up about a pound per week and add it into the dog food. every day. It's good for the dogs. I'm planning to try some ribs though. If I can figure out how to melt that fat off, I might be able to make a decent meal out of it.


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## alaskandude (Oct 6, 2016)

Cedar Eater said:


> I second the lack of value in the belly meat, unless you happen to have dogs. Grind that stuff up and cook up about a pound per week and add it into the dog food. every day. It's good for the dogs. I'm planning to try some ribs though. If I can figure out how to melt that fat off, I might be able to make a decent meal out of it.






supercajun said:


> looking to make some bacon from venison belly meat instead of ground bacon. anyone ever try this? tried to search with no results.



This is an old post but one I'd like to update:

Ya'll got it all wrong. Venison belly makes fine eating. 2 ways. One to make bacon, dead simple and no grinding. Take your flanks and mix 70% salt 30% sugar, enough to coat your meat well and refrigerate over night or for 2 days when ever you have time to get back to it. Rinse in the morning. Smoke for a few hrs enough to get some flavor on it and it's ready to slice and fry. It'll blow you away. 

The 2nd way is to cut cross hatches in the flank. Some of my friends swear by this as the best cut of the deer. Make a marinade of soy/teriyaki/ginger/what ever and let it sit for 15 mins and pan fry hard and fast. Super good. 

I have another for deer ribs that I've showed other friends all over on simple easy tender ribs. Plus they are amazing. If anyone is interested.


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## broz (Nov 12, 2016)

Alaskandude,

'I have another for deer ribs that I've showed other friends all over on simple easy tender ribs. Plus they are amazing. If anyone is interested'. I am allways looking for something to do with the ribs, Thank you


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## sjergens (Dec 2, 2020)

I see this is a really old post, but thought I would provide a response anyway. I am following a recipe I found @foragerchef. I am using the belly meat from the bottom of the deer and on the outside of the ribs. This is a two and a half year old buck, and it's only about an inch thick. I used a maple sugar cure and I'm almost finished smoking it. Took a taste test and it is outstanding. Because of the smaller size, I won't get wide strips like with traditional pork bacon. But it will be great diced up and eaten plain, or on crackers, or as an ingredient in venison chili or stew. I'm very excited to do this from now on with a cut that we used to grind or throw away. Something magical happens to the fat because of the cure and slow smoke. It turns gelatinous, like you get if you make pork bacon in the oven. If anybody happens to see this post I would be curious on other attempts at making bacon from venison.


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