How To Smoke a Venison Roast (that isn't dry!)

A quick lesson in smoking meat + BBQ Smoked Venison Roast and Spicy German Potato Salad for your Easter menu

When I think of Easter in Texas, I think of three things that I hold dear: Jesus, wildflowers, and barbecue. After church on Easter Sunday, we get together with family to enjoy a combination of smoked brisket, chicken, ribs, or beef tenderloin. It’s been an unspoken tradition for many years, and we all leave with the meat sweats! This year I decided to smoke a tender, top round venison roast from an Axis buck shot in the Hill Country, the heart of our state. It’s seasoned with a homemade Texas-style BBQ rub that’s light on sugar and heavy on black pepper. It was very juicy and it did not disappoint!

There are some challenges to smoking meat, particularly with wild game. To be successful, it helps to have a basic understanding of how smoking meat works. Here’s my quick sermon that briefly explains two different ways to go about it, depending on the cut of meat you’re working with.

Brisket - the King of Texas BBQ

The first is a traditional smoke application to a very tough cut, like brisket. This type of muscle is interwoven with connective tissue made up of collagen, and in order to tenderize it, you need to convert it to gelatin. This won’t happen until the internal doneness of the meat reaches 180°F at a minimum (although most people pull brisket at around 225°F or higher). When cooking, high heat will squeeze and contract muscle fibers and “wring” out their natural juices, so to mitigate excessive amounts of moisture loss, we smoke at low temperatures. And because we’re smoking a huge hunk of meat, it’s going to take a LONG time for it to reach 225°F internal doneness. This is why it takes hours to smoke a brisket and why you’ll always see it cooked well done. Of course, there are some other variables and things to know here, but you get the gist.

Tenderloin - the “Special Occasion” BBQ

The other approach involves a much shorter smoke time for a tender cut, like a beef tenderloin. Here, the meat is already tender; it doesn't need to reach 180°F to break down. So instead, we smoke until the meat hits our desired internal doneness, which is medium-rare of course (130°F). Again, we use low temperatures to keep the meat juicy, but the overall smoke time is significantly less than a brisket. This recipe uses that second method and is intended for a large, tender roast. With venison, I like using the top (or inside) round found in the hindquarter, although it will work with the backstrap or sirloin tip. You can also use the bottom (or outside) round, but it isn’t quite as tender.

Now that we understand the basic principle of what we’re trying to achieve (and how), let’s take it one step further by integrating the reverse sear method. This means that instead of just throwing it on the smoker and pulling it right at 130°F when it’s done, we are going to pull it off 15 degrees early and sear it over a ripping hot cast iron with some beef tallow. The circulating smoke not only adds flavor but also dries the outermost layer, enabling you to get a beautiful, savory crust. It’ll make you drool.

The obvious challenge with smoking venison is that it is incredibly lean and can dry out very easily. If you’re worried about it being dry—don’t! The picture of the sliced smoked venison with juice pooled on top of the meat is proof enough that it can be incredibly juicy and delicious. It’s imperative that the temperature of the smoker is low, but it’s also really helpful to apply the dry rub several hours ahead of time to act as a dry brine. Salt has an osmotic effect and will help the meat retain juice when cooked (another lesson for another day, my food-nerd friends!)

Don’t Forget About the Sides!

I like serving the smoked venison hot, but it’s also delicious chilled and then thinly sliced for sandwiches. You’re also going to want some traditional BBQ side dishes, like my spicy German potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and maybe even some mac-n-cheese.

For the salad, the potatoes are dressed in what is essentially a vinaigrette: bacon fat replaces the oil, and the pickling juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños replaces vinegar. Because it uses bacon fat, you’ll need to serve this hot. If you’ve got a handful of things going in the kitchen, you can make this an hour ahead of time and toss it in a baking dish with a splash of water, cover with foil, and transfer to a warm oven until it’s ready to serve.

Happy Easter, and God bless Texas!

BBQ Smoked Venison Top Round Roast

Serves 4-6

2 lb. venison roast (see note)

BBQ Rub (recipe below; see note)

Beef Tallow for Searing

Texas-Style BBQ Rub (Makes ½ cup)

2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

2 teaspoons coarse ground peppercorns

4 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

2 teaspoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon ground mustard

½ teaspoon brown sugar

1. Make the BBQ Rub: Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Transfer to an airtight container in a cool spot for up to a year. Yields about 1/2 cup; you will not need all of the rub for this recipe.

2. Trim any silverskin from the outside of the roast and generously season with the BBQ rub. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24. You can uncover it a few hours before cooking to dry the outside. Remove from the refrigerator an hour before smoking and pat very dry.

3. Using butcher twine, truss the roast to give it an even shape so it cooks evenly. You can truss it like the professionals do using a butcher’s knot, but you can also cut several 10-12 inch-long pieces of twine and wrap them around the meat at 1-2 inch intervals, tying them off with a square knot. Place an oven-proof thermometer in the thickest part of the meat so that you can monitor the internal temperature as it cooks.

4. Heat a smoker between 180°F and 200°F, using mesquite or oak wood. Smoke the roast until it reaches 115°F. Depending on the size of your roast (a white-tailed doe is significantly smaller than a mule deer buck!), this could take 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours. But generally, it will only take about an hour.

5. Remove from the smoker and heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Once it’s ripping hot, add a big dollop of beef tallow, let it melt, and sear the meat on all sides for 3-4 minutes total. You can press into the meat with your tongs to feel the density as it cooks to check for doneness, much like a steak. You can also leave the meat thermometer in as you do this so you know when it’s done. Pull when the meat reaches 130°F. Transfer to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

6. Slice against the grain and serve immediately while warm, or allow it to completely cool and chill in the refrigerator for several hours and then slice it thinly for lunch meat. It’s easier to slice thin when it’s cold.

Note: In my opinion, the best cut of meat to use is the top (inside) round found in the hindquarter. It’s a rectangular-shaped muscle with a long grainline. You can also use the loin (backstrap), sirloin tip, and the bottom (outside) round, although the last one is a little bit tougher. Of course, you can’t go wrong with using a beef tenderloin! The image shown is the top round from an axis buck weighing roughly 2 pounds, which will serve 4-6 people depending on how hungry you are. Bigger-bodied animals, like elk, will obviously serve more, and smaller-bodied animals, like pronghorn, are going to serve less. You can use a couple of different cuts from the deer and smoke a bunch at one time to serve a crowd or have leftovers for sandwiches.

German Potato Salad with Pickled Jalapeno and Mustard

Serves 4-6

1 ½ pounds baby red potatoes, sliced ⅛” - ¼” thick

8 bacon slices

4 large spring onion bulbs, white section thinly sliced (about ½ cup)

¼ cup pickled jalapeño juice

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup sliced spring onion tops

Minced pickled jalapenos for garnish (optional)

1. Place the sliced potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt to season the water, and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water, drain the excess water, and transfer to a large platter or bowl. See note below if making this ahead of time.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon. Work in batches as needed and fry the bacon until crispy on both sides. Remove and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess fat. Take four slices of the bacon and roughly chop them for the salad. Set aside and reserve other bacon slices for snacking or breakfast. (Note, even though you’re only using 4 slices, you still need to cook 8 slices to render enough fat for the vinaigrette.)

3. Reduce the heat of the skillet to the lowest setting, and add the spring onion. Cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes, then briskly stir in the jalapeno juice, 2 tablespoons of the cooking water from potatoes, mustard, and honey. Stir vigorously until emulsified. Pour the bacon vinaigrette over the potatoes, gently tossing to combine. Season to taste. Garnish with chopped bacon, fresh spring onion, and minced pickled jalapenos if you’re feeling extra spicy.

Note: You can make this up to an hour in advance and toss it in an oven-proof baking dish with an extra tablespoon or two of the cooking water and cover with foil. Keep warm in the oven set at 200°F. Until ready to serve.