# Brining Venison Roast Question



## dj54

I have a small venison roast off a buck that I would like to smoke. I want to make a basic brine and soak it in, drape bacon on it and then smoke it. My question is how long should I soak it in the brine, and it should be smoked at 225-250 until an IT of 140-145 ?


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## terry colwell

If it was me I wouldn't waste my time with a brine. I would do the bacon wrap and cook it straight off. If I did anything I might shoot it with my favorite injection and then cook. I dint brine red meat.


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## rbranstner

You can brine it if you want or just do a marinade or injection but whatever you decide definitely pull it off at around 140 and putting bacon over the top is a good idea because venison is very lean and it can get dry very easily.


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## mdboatbum

Terry Colwell said:


> If it was me I wouldn't waste my time with a brine. I would do the bacon wrap and cook it straight off. If I did anything I might shoot it with my favorite injection and then cook. I dint brine red meat.




I understand this is conventional wisdom, but what I don't know is why. I mean, a meat like venison seems (to my untrained brain) like it would benefit from a brine as it's extremely lean and tends to dry out easily. I'm not arguing, and I believe you when you say not to brine red meat, I'm just curious as to the reasoning.


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## plj

Cooking temp... IMO venison needs to be cooked quickly, so smoking at 225-250 isnt ideal. May I suggest that you allow your roast to warm up to room temp, then cold smoke it for 20-30 minutes (without the bacon). Then add the bacon and turn on the heat (ie roast) to about 300-325.  OK to keep a TBS on it while roasting, but the key (IMO) is to cook it quicker.

IT of 140, yes, venison loses a LOT of flavor & moisture if cooked beyond medrare. 

Regarding the bacon, I used to do that to mask the dryness and gamey flavors.  Then I learned that the gamey flavors and dryness were my own doing, now I process better & cook hotter/quicker & less well done. I dont use bacon anymore.  (No offense intended - just trying to share my view, it took me a long time to learn that.)

No comment on the brine, because I dont brine venison.  Oops, thats a comment!


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## plj

Mdboatbum said:


> I understand this is conventional wisdom, but what I don't know is why. I mean, a meat like venison seems (to my untrained brain) like it would benefit from a brine as it's extremely lean and tends to dry out easily. I'm not arguing, and I believe you when you say not to brine red meat, I'm just curious as to the reasoning.


IMO it only gets dry if you overcook it.   OK OK OK, I'll have to qview next time I cook some, very juicy, med-rare.


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## terry colwell

Mdboatbum said:


> I understand this is conventional wisdom, but what I don't know is why. I mean, a meat like venison seems (to my untrained brain) like it would benefit from a brine as it's extremely lean and tends to dry out easily. I'm not arguing, and I believe you when you say not to brine red meat, I'm just curious as to the reasoning.




I guess its just from a lack of knowledge and experience, But I haven't heard of to many ppl Brining red meat.  I don't know if red meat accepts brine like white meat does..  Guess I should have just left this post alone since I can not back up my comment any better then this..


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## flyweed

don't brine, but DO let that venison roast soak in cold water to let the blood leech out....keep changing the water until it stays clear...this will also rid the venison of that gamey taste as well.  I've bee doing this to my venison for years.


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## terry colwell

This is from vituarlweberbullet.com,,,,

*[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Meats That Benefit From Brining[/font]*

[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Lean cuts of meat with mild flavor tend to benefit most from flavor brining. The usual suspects include:[/font]

[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]*Chicken:* whole, butterflied, or pieces[/font]
[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]*Cornish Hens:* whole or butterflied[/font]
[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]*Turkey:* whole, butterflied, or pieces[/font]
[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]*Pork:* chops, loin, tenderloin, fresh ham[/font]
[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]*Seafood:* salmon, trout, shrimp[/font]
[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Poultry is probably the most commonly flavor brined meat because it is naturally lean and gets quite dry if overcooked. Lean cuts of pork are also good candidates for the same reasons as poultry, except that in the case of pork, much of the fat (and thus flavor) has been intentionally bred out of the animal by an industry intent on providing meat that appeals to health-conscious consumers.[/font]

[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Beef, lamb, duck, and other meats with high fat content and bold flavors do not benefit from brining—they're naturally moist and flavorful. They also tend to be cooked to lower internal temperatures and thus don't lose as much of their natural moisture.[/font]

[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Pork butt is not commonly brined because of its naturally high fat content, yet there are some recipes that do so. Brisket can be brined to become corned beef or pastrami depending on the seasonings used in the brine.[/font]

*[font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]http:// [/font] [font=Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif]Brining Enhanced Meat[/font]*


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## thestealth

I've smoked several deer roasts and back straps for my brother in law this season.  I've tried them several ways for the sake of experimentation.  The first ones I did, I used an Alton Brown orange juice brine.  It kept the meat very moist, however, the texture was a bit soggy in my opinion.  I've also used my 'go-to' rub with good results (no brine).  I've also just tried a simple salt and pepper rub with good results as well (no brine).  We all decided that the no brine meat had a much better texture, even if it was a bit drier (still good and tender though and plenty juicy).

I generally cook them at around 250* to an internal temp of 145-150* then thin slice them like I would roast beef.


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