# venison hindquarters



## rlgiv (Dec 9, 2018)

a buddy of mine is giving me a venison hindquarters to smoke. Bone in and it is the  entire upper leg to the knee. I plan on brining it for 24 hours then using a spg rub, smoking at about 250 for a couple of hours then wrapping in foil with some juice until i hit internal temp of about 145 or so. From there Im not real sure what exactly im going to do.  What is the consistency of this meat going to be? will I slice it or pull it? If i pull what kind of finishing sauce works well with venison


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## buzzy (Dec 9, 2018)

I did a hind quarter by boning it and curing in Pop's Brine. It was Pastrami like and very good.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131711/cured-venison-ham-s

Try this for sandwiches


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## smokerjim (Dec 9, 2018)

I did one last year but I brine mine for 20 some days in pops brine, and cold smoked it for 6 hours then slowly bumped up temp until internal temp of 155 tasted just like ham. I don't think you will be able to pull  at 145, will be good for slices .


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## motolife313 (Dec 9, 2018)

Deer is tough meat. No way will it pull at that temp. I’d grind it into ground meat myself and cut off few steaks first myself. There’s good steaks u can get out of there and I cut it 1” or so thick pieces then pound on it with the meat tenderizer


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 9, 2018)

Lots of Sinew in a leg. You may consider taking it to 195 to 205 like a brisket, probe tender. Disclaimer...I never cooked a whole leg. The two I just got, from a friend, had all the sinew removed then we're cut in small cubes for Chili, 1" Stew Chunks, Steaks and thin Fajita/Stir Fry Strips...JJ


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## rlgiv (Dec 9, 2018)

how would the meat be if i cooked it up to 190-200?


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## smokerjim (Dec 9, 2018)

Probably  over cooked deer meat,  you could chop it in   food  processor  if it doesn't pull for you  and add some bbq sauce.


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## chilerelleno (Dec 9, 2018)

rlgiv said:


> how would the meat be if i cooked it up to 190-200?


Leather.

Smoking or roasting venison hindquarters, steaks and roasts, they're tender if cooked properly and not above medium at the very most.
Rare to med-rare is the way to go for steaks and roasts.

The only way you're going to get a tender pulled venison is to slow braise it.
See my Recipe Index for Braised Shanks, a good example of what can be done with the toughest meat.


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 9, 2018)

chilerelleno said:


> Leather.
> 
> Smoking or roasting venison hindquarters, steaks and roasts, they're tender if cooked properly and not above medium at the very most.
> Rare to med-rare is the way to go for steaks and roasts.
> ...



So there you go. I too learned something new today. Points...JJ


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## archeryrob (Dec 11, 2018)

145 is good but I prefer deer at 140 whole. Remember it will still climb in temp after you pull it. If you cook it to 160 or better, the dog is going to eat well.


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## tallbm (Dec 12, 2018)

I've taken lean little feral hog back legs, cured, and smoked to 165F (for food safety reasons) and it came out just like ham and didn't have any tenderness issues... but it also was a little young 60 pounder.

No my experience wasn't a deer BUT it was super lean wild game so maybe some of the info is helpful :)


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## banderson7474 (Dec 12, 2018)

Hope this helps if you decide to carve it up beforehand.


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## tallbm (Dec 12, 2018)

banderson7474 said:


> Hope this helps if you decide to carve it up beforehand.




That's a pretty good video on separating the muscles.
My guestion is... WHAT IN THE WORLD did he do to get such a black/purple deer leg?????
Also I highly recommend moving all the skin on the outside of the leg that you wouldn't throw in a skillet and eat.  

General rule of thumb... if you won't throw the stuff in a skillet and then eat it then remove it from your steak, grind, and/or jerky cuts :)


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 12, 2018)

I just butchered 2 quarters a friend got. They were that dark, hung a week. One is now 10 lbs of 1/2" Cubes for Chili. The other was cut in Steaks, Stew Chunks and a couple pounds of Fajita Strips...JJ


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## chilerelleno (Dec 12, 2018)

tallbm said:


> My guestion is... WHAT IN THE WORLD did he do to get such a black/purple deer leg?????


Hung in a refer to dry age for about two weeks?


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## tallbm (Dec 12, 2018)

I guess the aging process does it.  In TX we don't have the luxury of hanging in ambient temps that are at cooler/freezer levels... unless you have a walk in cooler.  It's always a mad dash to get it out of the ice and processed to get into the freezer.  I've never seen one so dark down here and I guess that is why :)


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 13, 2018)

At a minimum you have to rest the meat 24 hours to get past rigor. Freezing sooner will result in very tough meat. My family in San Antonio quarter and rest a week in a beer refer...JJ


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## archeryrob (Dec 13, 2018)

We have out beer/extra fridge in the basement. Deer are boned out in the garage and we use 4 gallon square buckets with lids to place all the meat into. One is 2/3 full with round roasts, loins, extra loin and back straps. Second one is almost full with deboned shoulders and scrape meat from everywhere else to be ground. We strip the hind roast while its hanging. The football first, and then the two back flatter rounds separate right out. 

I have sealed hind roasts in 48 hours and in over a week and can't tell an aging difference in deer. The biggest thing, IMO, that ruins deer is poor field cleaning, not getting cold quick and over cooking. As cold Miser said "I never want to see a steak over 145°" :D 

Here is my youngest learning this year. She's getting big, daddy's tired of carrying her. She cut a few roasts and learned. Apologized to slicing part of a flat round off. I said "It will just make more sausages, chorizo or bologna." ;)


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## tallbm (Dec 13, 2018)

My normal situation is hunting 4-5 days straight and animals we kill are dressed and usually hanging in a walk in cooler within a few hours of being shot.  If no walk in cooler then into the ice chests with ice.

Even if we kill on the last day it takes 6 days of processing and sitting in ice chests and a garage fridge before it hits a freezer.  

I do think that how an animal is dressed and stored before processing makes a HUGE difference in flavor of the meat.
This year I hunted on a different property and there was no walk in cooler so we used ice chests and the field dressing and breaking down of the animal was quite sub par compared to the previous 7 years I've hunted.
This years meat has a little bit of what people would call a "gamey" flavor.  It is just noticable but not bad.

The previous 7 years with the facilities and care in dressing, hanging, and breaking down the animal, you could not distinguish the difference between the venison meat and the beef other than noticing that the venison was leaner.

If we hunt the same ranch next year I will be much better prepared to handle the animals.  This year was the 1st time at the new ranch and we were a little mislead on the facilities and such that were present. :(


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 13, 2018)

Nice. I started my girls cutting up meat around 5 years old. In their early teens they were breaking down chickens and this year my middle girl cleaned her first venison  leg quarter. It was perfect. The bone was clean and all silver skin off with very little meat sacraficed. She wasn't fast but a fine job none the less...JJ


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## tallbm (Dec 13, 2018)

chef jimmyj said:


> Nice. I started my girls cutting up meat around 5 years old. In their early teens they were breaking down chickens and this year my middle girl cleaned her first venison  leg quarter. It was perfect. The bone was clean and all silver skin off with very little meat sacraficed. She wasn't fast but a fine job none the less...JJ



Nice!
Any chance that you may be able to sit back and relax while the kids handle the dirty work? :P


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 13, 2018)

That's the plan. She's getting her hunting license next season. She is 25 and just started showing a real interest last year. All three girls can cut meat and cook but this middle child is the first to get interested in meat on the hoof rather than just coming off foam trays...JJ


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## archeryrob (Dec 13, 2018)

Mine loves to hunt, but work for possessing she has always found other things to do. This year she said, "I'm going to kill three deer this year."

I said "NO!, Unless you are going to start butchering, processing and cooking for turning it into food, IE bolonga, sausages, hot dogs or epanadas." I want to make chorizo this year for meals and epenadas for the freezer. Like homemade hot pockets, but a lot healthier.

I think my daughter will be lucky if she kills a second one. This year is colder and since she got a car with heated seats, its becoming a struggle to sit in a cold tree stand. :D


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## archeryrob (Dec 13, 2018)

I'm waiting on the OP to get that hind quarter on the smoker and start posting pictures. You still planning this adventure? ;)


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## chilerelleno (Dec 13, 2018)

archeryrob said:


> Mine loves to hunt, but work for possessing she has always found other things to do. This year she said, "I'm going to kill three deer this year."
> 
> I said "NO!, Unless you are going to start butchering, processing and cooking for turning it into food, IE bolonga, sausages, hot dogs or epanadas." I want to make chorizo this year for meals and epenadas for the freezer. Like homemade hot pockets, but a lot healthier.
> 
> I think my daughter will be lucky if she kills a second one. This year is colder and since she got a car with heated seats, its becoming a struggle to sit in a cold tree stand. :D


Tell her to stick a toe warmer on each butt cheek.:D


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## tallbm (Dec 13, 2018)

archeryrob said:


> Mine loves to hunt, but work for possessing she has always found other things to do. This year she said, "I'm going to kill three deer this year."
> 
> I said "NO!, Unless you are going to start butchering, processing and cooking for turning it into food, IE bolonga, sausages, hot dogs or epanadas." I want to make chorizo this year for meals and epenadas for the freezer. Like homemade hot pockets, but a lot healthier.
> 
> I think my daughter will be lucky if she kills a second one. This year is colder and since she got a car with heated seats, its becoming a struggle to sit in a cold tree stand. :D



One of these has done wonders for me hunting in thin pop up blinds near the windier and much colder Oklahoma border:

It is just enough to keep the feet and toes warm and you can bend down a little and put your hands in front of it to keep the fingers warm.  I got it after the time change one year and I found myself in the blind over 2 hours before day light and my damn toes nearly froze off hahaha.  I only made it about 90 minutes through day light before I had to go back to camp and warm up.  
After that I got MUCH better cold boots (-20F to -30F boots though I think that's a lie), major wool socks, and this heater.  I think the heater helped the most of the 3 things.  I've never had to leave a blind early since :)


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## archeryrob (Dec 13, 2018)

LOL, we hunt out of hang on stand and a couple of doubles. I got her quilted over boots and she has insulated bibs. She needs more layers. I got her military fleece bibs and she liked them, but a girl needs to undress in them to pee in the woods, opps. :oops: :D I am making her a skinning knife for Christmas. Ordered one and my buddy might forge one, if he'd hurry up and USPS would deliver the other blank. She shot one and has a full time teacher sub job through Christmas into early January. 

I'm not sure I'm going to see her in the woods much more this year. Maybe when I shoot another one she will get interested again.


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## buzzy (Dec 13, 2018)

She’s going to need youth model gun just to fit with all the layers. Lol. That’s great she’s into hunting. Mrs. Buzzy won’t even shoot a gun at targets. Came from nonhunting family plus a LPN. She’d shoot something then want to bandage it up & care for it. No complaints here. Great help with processing


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## tallbm (Dec 13, 2018)

archeryrob said:


> LOL, we hunt out of hang on stand and a couple of doubles. I got her quilted over boots and she has insulated bibs. She needs more layers. I got her military fleece bibs and she liked them, but a girl needs to undress in them to pee in the woods, opps. :oops: :D I am making her a skinning knife for Christmas. Ordered one and my buddy might forge one, if he'd hurry up and USPS would deliver the other blank. She shot one and has a full time teacher sub job through Christmas into early January.
> 
> I'm not sure I'm going to see her in the woods much more this year. Maybe when I shoot another one she will get interested again.



Seem's like she is almost completely geared up... if there ever is such a thing.  The knives sound awesome!  I may look into having one crafted for me, I never thought of that.

Also until the OP post his results I guess I'll have to spearhead hijacking this thread with hunting and processing talk until he gets back :D



buzzy said:


> She’s going to need youth model gun just to fit with all the layers. Lol. That’s great she’s into hunting. Mrs. Buzzy won’t even shoot a gun at targets. Came from nonhunting family plus a LPN. She’d shoot something then want to bandage it up & care for it. No complaints here. Great help with processing



Hahaha a youth model.  Any help that gets the processing moved along is good help :)
My ol'lady got behind the rifle this year after really enjoying sitting with me in the stand last year and helping spot.
She dropped 3 does and 1 crazy horned cull buck this year.  I'm very proud of her!
She didn't do so well on the processing side of things but she took it upon herself to really really clean up the house while the guys cleaned the meat so it actually worked out well in the grander scheme of things :)


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## banderson7474 (Dec 13, 2018)

That's a lot of meat for the freezer.  Well done!


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## tallbm (Dec 14, 2018)

banderson7474 said:


> That's a lot of meat for the freezer.  Well done!


Yeah we meat hunt on trophy ranches... translation we shoot the types of deer they need to remove and we eat them :)
She took 4, I took 4, and my brother took 1 doe and 1 small hog.
She and I walked away with like a combined 128 pounds of processed meat!  I'm don't really have a need to buy beef now unless it's a steak or a brisket.  Also no need to buy sausages :)


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