# Venison shoulder..ideas needed



## meat magician

Hey friends, I was thinking the first good size doe I take this year I would try to smoke the whole front shoulder minus the shank. I never done this before but was wondering if those of you who have may have some pointers like

What kind of rub/marinade/brine
Cook temp
Internal temp for doneness 

Thought about doing like a pork shoulder, rub, smoke for 2 hours, cook without smoke till it hits 180 foil cook to 205-210, rest and pull. Again I never have done a venison shoulder so any and all opinions/pointers are needed and welcomed. Thank you in advance, good smoking folks!


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## mossymo

Marinate it in milk for a few hours prior to rub/marinade/brine choice, you will much more pleased with the finished product.


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## pops6927

It's not going to have the fat that pork does, much leaner and it will be drier, but still should be good!  I'd 10-4 on the milk too!


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## richtee

I did one a while back. Used bacon grease as a rub base to hold onion, garlic, CBP, kosher, and a bit of rosemary and thyme. Mopped with red wine, brown sugar and olive oil. I do not remember the temp I took it to, but it was until the meat easily came off the bone. Basically pulled it. Was pretty tasty in a pile or on a sammy. HTH!


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## tommiegunnz

Ok this may sound strange but I like to use Root beer in a marinade for my deer, I use about two cups add a cup of brown sugar , salt, fire roasted garlic and jalapenos and let it sit over night in the fridge, then I make a brown sugar rub with seasoning salt (a vitamin in my house) chili powder onion and garlic and smoke over apple or hickory to 160.  No complaints so far. :)


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## meat magician

Thanks for the ideas guys!


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## davidmcg

210 is far too high, I take mine off between 160 and 165 and I generally keep my smoke chamber between 195 and 200.  I generally use just a little more mesquite with venison than beef or pork and add in some apple and cherry.  No fat in vemison so that cut will dry out very fast.  I have never done an entire shoulder so I am not speaking probably entire accurately here, but hopefully very close.  But I also use bacon grease to baste it.  You really need something that can penetrate the venison and also stick to it.  Sometimes I'll even spritz with a little apple juice but not always.  I also use brown sugar as a base in my rub along with sea salt, some paprika, garlic, fresh cracked black pepper, onion powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Up until about the cut itself hits about 120 I am just a calm happy hunter/smoker.  But after it hits 120 I begin to get a little edgy and most everybody in this house stays away.  In years past I have always used water in the pan and although I have been experimenting with sand the last couple of weeks I know for a fact that when I cook wild game again I'll go back to water in the pan.  Wild game is too precious for me, a chunk of meat or pork or some yardbird is easy to replace.  That piece of venison or upland bird is far too valuable to gamble with.  Take everyboyd suggestions here and mull them over real well.  Some of the advice may seem a little or odd, but consider it.  Lots of fine smokers on here, we are a collection of know it alls aren't we.  After you make your choices for brine, marinades, rubs, fuel, temp, smoke time and etc. post a pic or two.  I love to see venison just golden brown on the outside and pinkish perfect on the inside.


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## white cloud

Lots of interesting tips here. I have a venison hind leg curing, and it has been since last sunday. And as David said it is valueble to me as well even though my neighbor shot it. The cure is TQ and brown sugar in equal parts. Although it will have cured for 6 days tomorrow ( including injecting cure ) I am tempted to smoke it because my brother is stoppin by from TN and I would like to show off, LOL. even though it has been 6 days it is only 4 inches thick including the bone. My plans are to smoke at 225 till the meat hits 160 - to 165 useing apple and rubbing with bacon fat. Wish now I would of soaked overnight in milk, that sounds interesting. Good Luck, I will post some pics of mine and let you know how she ( doe ) turns out>


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## mossymo

White Cloud
Your prep sounds like you will be having a ham or canadian bacon type finished product or as I call it "Bambi Candy" with your brother. Should be good stuff !!!


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## walking dude

Book Marked..............


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## big game cook

one tip. with all the desieses in game now days folks should take hint to remove the limph nodes. and there just happens to be one in the front shoulder. if ya remove all the fat youll get it. theres a big nodule of fat in the center of the front shoulder meat between muscles about the size of a 1/2 smashed golf ball. remove that and youll get it out. the rest of the fat is ok. 

if you want to check. slice open the fat clump/ there will be an off colored knot inside thet looks bloody and or greenish. thats it.

and in the hind leg theres one too. its in another simmiler sized clump of fat about 3/4 the way down to the first joint in rear leg.

theres one on the fat of the flank meat on each side.

the rest are by the windpipe and organs and will be removed by feild dressing.

crappy pic but this is the locations of them in meat and shouldnt be used in grinding meat. if ALL fat is removed from meat they will be gone anyways. better to be safe.


and now thats done. i would take the shoulder and hit with a good rub. tuck some bacon or salt pork into the cracks and creases and mop every couple hrs. theres two ways to eat venison if ya want to enjoy it. pink or cooked very moist till it falls apart. (like in a crockpot). i would suggest foiling with a heavy mopping of liquids after a few hours to prevent moisture loss and add moisture. most venison is runied by over cooking and dryness.


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## davidmcg

Big Game Cook your picture wasn't crappy at all.  Very important info on the lymph nodes, not every hunter is aware of the danger that lurks in their game.


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## big game cook

thanks. i should have stuck some antlers on him lol. there in the same spots though on either sex.

this link shows locations too.

http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/ah/agri...fety_2side.pdf


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## coyote

good info there BGC..
heck I thought the red dots were shot placements..and was hitting them in all the wrong spots.

if it does not get special attention it will be dry as heck and not very plaetable. bacon grease injected might be the hot set up with some spices in it.I guess heat the grease up a little so it will flow in the meat better. but other then dryness I would cook it up like anything else. and venison is great rare.


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## meat magician

Thanks for the added info guys, been real busy trying to get that deer so I actually forgot about this thread 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 All I need now is the deer


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## erain

another way to eliminate the lymph nodes is when processing your deer or elk etc. separate the individual muscles, this also eliminates most of the fat and major connective tissue. even if the meat is for grinding i separate like this. this is the recommended way by many people who put out how to process your deer videos. the other advantage of this is when cooking and we will use a hind quarter for example, basically you will have a bottom round,attached to bottom round is eye of round,then you have the top round and the sirloin tip and the rump, these are the major cuts from rear quarter, the flap meat and the shank are for grinding, these major cuts are all different from each other in meat tenderness and require different techniques and or cooking times to get the best out of them, remember the last venison round steak you ate, there always a tender part and then less tender areas, different muscles...


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## cdalgo

My favorite way to smoke a Deer quarter,

cut small holes in meat to stuff 

stuff with 

bell peppers red yellow and green
jalepenos
garlic cloves
purple onion slices
cap off holes with a baby mushroom
season the meat liberally with your favorite spices

sear over charcoal quickly

next in a pan add your quarter
completly cover with your favorite veggies peppers onions mushrooms whatever else you like. Add a miller lite. add 16 ounces off orange juice, couple tablespoons of honey, lipton onion soup packet, another miller lite, jalepenos sliced, cover with foil and smoke it until a couple cases of miller lite are finifhed off! when the meat is falling off the bone, wrap it up in a tortilla and enjoy. this process also works in a dutch oven with a smaller roast if you put it cooking before you go to the deer stand it will be ready when you get back to camp,, oh yes if you are hunting dont drink the beer befor you go to the stand!


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## richtee

You almost had me...


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## cdalgo

rich see now you gotta say were i lost ya..was it the beer, or orange juice,or lipton soup? you got me curious


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## richtee

Oh  right. Sorry, my bad. You don't know me yet  MaUhooohahaha! Mainly the "beer". But the OJ... Hmm.. I'm a notorious "anti-sweet" meat guy. Sooo that might be included. But mainly the "beer"  <Choke> 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





On edit.... instead of just busting you...allow me to suggest a Newcastle brown, for a bit of the sweet. Or three, and drop the OJ  :{)


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## cdalgo

hey that's cool i can respet that. what we are looking for here is just the moisture  any of your other favorite liquids will work. ---Note--- if your pit or smoker keeps you away from direct flame the veggies will provide plenty of moisture


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## richtee

Well..I guess I HAVE had veggies on my smoker. But..they WERE wrapped in bacon!  <Insert  Tool Time Man Grunts here>


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