18 Nebraskaland • March 2024
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
CORNED VENISON
I finally made corned venison last year and was pleasantly
surprised by how simple the process was. The roasts turned
out tender with that recognizable corned meat flavor. If you
are hoping to have corned venison ready by St. Patrick's Day,
make sure you start the process about a week ahead. This is
not a recipe to think about at the last minute.
I corned the top, bottom and eye of rounds, which are
located in the hindquarters, and I separated each muscle. The
brine was able to penetrate throughout the cuts, giving me
edge to edge pinkness. Although not aesthetically pleasing,
a little gray in the middle is still safe to eat if this happens.
Using thicker, larger cuts may require longer brining time.
Corned venison goes well with boiled cabbage, potatoes,
carrots (not pictured) and horseradish cream sauce. I did not
include a recipe for the sauce because there are loads of them
online. Store leftover cooked corned venison submerged in
the boiling water; venison is lean and will dry out in the
refrigerator if you do not do this. Waterfowlers can try this
recipe with goose breasts.
Prep Time: 6-7 days
Ingredients:
•
3½ to 5 pounds of venison round roast(s)
•
Horseradish cream sauce
•
Cabbage, cut into wedges
•
Red potatoes
Brine
•
1 gallon of water
•
1 cup + 3½ tbs. Morton's Coarse Kosher salt
•
5 tsp. pink curing salt (Prague powder #1)
•
3 tbs. McCormick pickling spice
•
1 cup brown sugar
•
1 stick of cinnamon
•
1 tsp. ground ginger
•
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1. Combine brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a
boil. Take brine off the heat, and when cool, chill in the
refrigerator until cold. Next, add the venison roast and
completely submerge it in the brine. Use a heavy plate to
weigh down the roast if needed. Brine in the refrigerator for
6 days.
2. When you are ready to cook the corned venison, rinse
the roast with cold water. Then submerge the roast in a large
pot of fresh water. Simmer the venison until tender, about 2
hours.
3. You can boil the potatoes and cabbage in the same pot,
but do not add them too early because they will become
mushy. Red potatoes, depending on size, take 20-30 minutes
to become tender, and cabbage takes about 10 minutes.
Slice the corned venison against the grain and serve with
horseradish cream sauce.
IN THE FIELD
A venison roast from the hindquarter corned for St. Patrick's Day dinner. JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
