# Smoked Venison Shanks Questions



## tallbm (May 9, 2017)

Hi guys.  I'm looking to smoke some venison shanks here very soon.  I figured I would reach out and see if anyone had some very detailed and tried and true info for this type of smoke.





What I am shooting for is something to look like this below:















BBQ-Venison-Shanks-5.jpg



__ tallbm
__ May 9, 2017












I read the way the guy smoked the shanks above but I think there are some details lacking and some details that I don't think are all that accurate.  For instance taking a meat like this that is full of tendon to 180F IT and then saying all the stuff melted away and it was tender just seems off.  Collagen begins to break down at 190F so either the reported information is incorrect or I am ignorant of something else going on to cause the tendon to have been broken down and for everything to be fork tender and juicy.  I'm just not all that convinced that what I am reading pans out.





The biggest issues I am wrestling with are the following:






*How long to apply smoke and what kind of smoke *- I am ruling out 100% Hickory and 100% Mesquite but could use either wood if it is blended in less than 50% blends.  I'm thinking to use my tried and true Pit Boss Competition blend (50% Mapple, 25% Hickory, 25% Cherry) or 50% Pecan and 50% Cherry.  I'm thinking to apply double smoke for 3 hours with the AMNPS and pellets lit from both ends.  My chicken smokes seem to absorb good smoke and stand up doing the same thing.  I think these shanks would fair as well or better but not worse.

*How to avoid drying out the meat while still getting it tender* - I am thinking I will do a simple salt brine on the meat to help retain moisture.  I am also thinking I will foil the shanks after about 3 hours of smoking.  I know they can dry out in the oven at 325F when I braise them in a covered foil pan and the liquid gets low from escaping steam so I think I will really need to foil these guys.  I'll add a little sprits/splash of wine to the meat and foil from whatever wine is sitting in the fridge.

*What IT to hit for the cartilage and tendon to melt and fall apart* - shanks are full of cartilage and tendon that becomes flavorful heaven when it breaks down.  I just don't know what IT to shoot for so the stuff is fall apart.  Normally I wouldn't be too concerned about the IT and would let it do it's thing but I am also at a severe risk of drying this meat going by my braising experiences.  I think if I foil with a little wine and go to an IT of about 203F I may be OK.  I can then simply check for tenderness as I go and not worry about it drying.


I plan to finish with some BBQ sauce or maybe a light coat of straight from the tree molasses I got my hands on a couple of months ago.





Please feel free provide any experiences, thoughts, or suggestions concerning the points above that I am wrestling with.  Thanks!!


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## crankybuzzard (May 9, 2017)

No clue!  I had the same questions you did. But I'm watching this one...


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## crazymoon (May 11, 2017)

TBM, I was hoping someone had a good recipe, all my shanks end up as stew meat and your picture looked better than any stew !


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## shyzabrau (May 11, 2017)

Boy, sounds like a good candidate for smoke followed by sous vide...


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## tallbm (May 12, 2017)

CrazyMoon said:


> TBM, I was hoping someone had a good recipe, all my shanks end up as stew meat and your picture looked better than any stew !


I have an amazing Braised Venison Shank recipe that is my go-to for shanks.  I just wanted to try something new/different.


Shyzabrau said:


> Boy, sounds like a good candidate for smoke followed by sous vide...


I bet it would be.  I don't SV though :(

Good news is I have a another 5 shanks left after this attempt so I can maybe do another 2 attempts to get it right or get it perfected until I go hunting in November :)


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## tallbm (May 15, 2017)

Well the attempt was made.  I would give the outcome a grade of a "D" lol

Below are pictures of two back leg shanks and one front leg.  You will notice that I leave the "heel" meat on my shanks for more meat and the fact that it is full of tendon and thick sliver skin so it benefits from the same cooking approach as the shank :)













DSC_0311[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ May 15, 2017


















DSC_0313[1].JPG



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__ May 15, 2017


















DSC_0314[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ May 15, 2017






Brussle sprouts, a sweet potate done like a regular baked potato, and shank with bbq sauce rubbed on half of the meat.













DSC_0316[1].JPG



__ tallbm
__ May 15, 2017






So total time took 5 hours and 45 minutes or so.  I applied smoke for 3 of those hours.  I started at 275F and then bumped to 325F for the last hour and 45 minutes.

After the 3 hour smoke applications (double smoke with Lumberjack Maple, Hickory, Cherry blend) I "foiled" with some left over white wine from the fridge.  Now my foil job was horrible and there were at least 3 good tears in the foil.  I figured what the heck it would be about equal to wrapping with butcher paper... wrong!

I took the shanks to 198F IT like SmokingAl does his ribs.  I wanted to see if I could get less fall apart texture and I did BUT these things need to be cooked more for sure.

*Findings:*

I can say that the 24 hour salt brine was a good idea and may have been the only thing to save the dish
In the end the meat had WAY too much crust.  Not bark but crust.  LIke a almost a half inch of dried crunchy jerky flavored crust.
The meat was still too firm so could have probably gone to 205-208F IT or more for the proper texture
The meat below the crust layer was moderately dry but not unbearable.  I don't think this was caused by not cooking enough but just he nature of a venison meat being so lean, even though this cut has a bunch of connective tissue it is thick and doesn't really do a melt down thing at 198F.
I think the meat could also have benefited from smoke the entire time but there is no way that can happen with the drying out situation
I think these need a hardcore foiling with a good amount of liquid so they can basically braise to break down while not drying out
I think you can possibly get away a mopping/spritzing every 45 minutes or so after about 2.5-3 hours into the cook to avoid foiling, however this will drastically lengthen the cooking time
In all it was a good attempt and I learned that smoked Venison Shanks likely needs a lot of moisture, and a higher cooking temp to avoid drying out while being able to break down and become the super tender and amazing cut of meat I know and love.

I deboned cubed up the leftover meat and it will be going into some foil with some bbq sauce and a little water to then braise in the oven for a couple of hours at about 400F.  Or maybe I'll throw the meat in a pot with some bbq sauce and a little water and simmer until it gets tender and then add some root veggies and some elbow noodles to be a kind of hearty bbq noodle dish!

I still have 5 more shanks so I may try again but I'm thinking that with the lack of fat in the venison shanks should probably be smoked for no more than 3 hours with heavy smoke and then transferred to some other cooking approach or thrown in a foil pan, liquid added, foil covered, and then left to braise in the smoker just like it were an oven.

Please offer up any thoughts or feedback you may have.  I'm sure it will be helpful for the future attempts or for anyone wanting to try their own attempt :)


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## gnatboy911 (May 15, 2017)

Look up steven rinella's recipe for shanks. I made them and they were outstanding. I made them with slices of elk shanks. I believe he calls it venison osso bucco.  I wonder if you could do a smoke on them for a couple hours, then into a pot with veggies like Rinella's recipe.


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## tallbm (May 15, 2017)

gnatboy911 said:


> Look up steven rinella's recipe for shanks. I made them and they were outstanding. I made them with slices of elk shanks. I believe he calls it venison osso bucco. I wonder if you could do a smoke on them for a couple hours, then into a pot with veggies like Rinella's recipe.


Thanks for the suggestion!

I have an amazing Braised Vensions Shank recipe I use and they turn out amazing!

I bet these things could be smoked and then added.  People that SV do that kind of stuff.


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