[Sca-cooks] xmas dinner- Perfect venison roast

[Jim and Andi Houston]

My husband and I had been saving a 6-pound whole venison haunch (labeled
“ham” by the butcher) in the freezer specifically for Christmas dinner. We
looked at dozens of recipes. It was so exciting to finally cook it, and it
turned out better than we ever imagined.

 

Please note- this takes 2 whole days!

 

2 nights before serving: take roast out of freezer, put in a cooler with
plenty of cold water. Let thaw overnight.

Next morning: Unwrap thawed roast and rinse thoroughly. Put in non-reactive
container large enough for the roast to be completely submerged. Cover with
cold water and one cup of salt. Cover tightly and place in fridge overnight.
This brining draws out blood and starts tenderizing the meat.

That evening: Take the roast out of the brine and rinse. Rinse any extra
salt out of the bowl. Rub the roast all over with your favorite herb rub.
Put the roast back in the bowl and pour over enough buttermilk to cover the
roast. Cover tightly and put back in the fridge.

About five hours before it’s time to serve: gather together a bunch of fresh
rosemary and thyme, a dozen or so cloves of roasted or fresh garlic, peeled,
about a pound of fresh pork fat or unsliced bacon or salt pork, more herb
rub, olive oil, and kitchen string. Slice the pork fat into long strips a
little shorter than the height of the roast and freeze for 30 minutes. Take
the roast out of the marinade and drain. Pour the marinade down the drain.
With a long, narrow knife, cut deep slits all over the roast. In each slit,
stuff a clove or so of garlic, some crushed rosemary and thyme, and then
drive a frozen pork fat “nail” into each slit. Then add more herb rub. Then
tie the roast up carefully with kitchen string so it stays tight, this will
help it cook more evenly. The last step is to rub the roast all over with
olive oil to help it brown. Then leave the roast alone to come to room temp.

 

If you have a pan big enough, sear the roast all over in plenty of oil or
lard. We didn’t, so we turned the oven up to 450 and roasted it for about 30
minutes, then turned it down to 375. I don’t remember how long it took,
maybe two hours plus a little, and we took it out when the internal temp was
135 and let it rest at least 20 minutes, covered. It was the most moist
venison roast imaginable, the outer surface a lovely red color from the
buttermilk, perfectly between medium-rare and medium. You could cut into the
slices with a butter knife. Totally 100% worth the work and a really
spectacular centerpiece to our Christmas table, which also included homemade
dark multi-grain rolls, baby arugula salad with pears, walnuts and mild blue
cheese, a layered carrot-celeriac and spinach-gruyere soufflé, sweet
potatoes anna in a rosemary crust, braised endive with stout Roquefort and
walnuts, and homemade cranberry sauce. 

 

The only tragedy is that no one had room for pie!

 

With all good wishes,

Madhavi