Southern Smoked Venison Roast Sandwich

When I first started hunting whitetails, my knowledge of whitetail cuisine was very limited. I believed that the only thing you could turn venison into was summer sausage, spaghetti, or butterflied back straps. Oh boy was I wrong! Over the years, many things have changed in the hunting community. The equipment has advanced more than we ever thought possible. I remember my first trail camera… it was a miracle to get a clear picture of anything more that a leaf blowing in the wind!! Who would have ever thought that just a decade layer you can have a camera that will text 18MP photos and videos to your cell phone anywhere you go?! Whitetail hunting as a whole has come lightyears from where it was. But in my opinion, venison recipes have largely stayed the same. Don’t get me wrong; I absolutely love venison chili, spaghetti, or summer sausage. The classics are so flavorful and hold a lot of nostalgia. But why not try to stretch the envelope a little? I am constantly inspired from chefs and other hunters that are stretching the boundaries of whitetail cuisine.

Over the years, I have found cooking to be one of my passions. Cooking allows you to stretch your comfort zone and try new things. With the massive amounts of information on the internet, the possibilities of unbelievable home cuisine is well within reach. As I ventured deeper and deeper into both cooking and hunting, I fell in love with trying new ways to cook venison and “wow” my friends and family who were not hunters. It gave me an opportunity to share my hunting experiences and the bounty of those experiences with the people that I love. It gives you an opportunity to honor that animal and share its story with those that are getting to enjoy that meal with you. In my opinion; sharing a meal that you harvested is one of the best ways to be able to share the story of your personal journeys and the hard work that you put into bringing that slice of meat to the table.

During this COVID induced quarantine; I was excited to stretch my comfort zone and experiment on preparing dishes from meat that I had on hand in my game freezer. I took a quick inventory and decided to tackle my arch nemesis: the roast. Venison roasts have always been tough for me to cook. I have either cooked them in a crock pot or chose to slice them up all together and turn them into a chili/stew. Venison tends to be a difficult meat to cook for extended periods of time because of how little fat is present within the muscles. Because of this, I have always had better luck with grilling or preparing the meat at a high temperature for a short period of time. This recipe truly changed my mind! The roast maintained moisture and was packed with flavor. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did.

Southern Smoked Venison Sandwich

Ingredients:

Ingredients for venison:

• 1 hind or shoulder roast

• Dijon mustard

• Meat Church Holy Gospel Rub

• 2 cups competition brisket injection

• 2 tablespoons worcestershire

• Apple juice (in spray bottle)

• brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons butter

Ingredients for Coleslaw:

• 1 head purple cabbage

• 1 head yellow cabbage

• 3 large carrots (grated)

• 1/2 cup diced parsley

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or more to taste)

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)

• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or more to taste)

Additional Ingredients:

• 1 pack of favorite burger buns

• Favorite bbq sauce (we used Apple Habanero from Head Country)

Directions:

Venison Roast:

1. Carefully remove all silver skin from the outside of the roast.

2. Rub the entire outside of the roast with dijon mustard to act as a binder for the spices.

3. Apply a liberal coat of Holy Gospel rub (or other favorite bbq rub) to the entire surface of the roast

4. Mix worcestershire and brisket injection in a bowl.

5. Inject 2 cups of competition brisket injection/worcestershire mix into the roast. You want to inject as much as the meat will hold

6. Allow roast to sit for at least 30m

7. Allow smoker to stabilize at 225-250F

8. Smoke until internal temp reaches 120F (spraying every 30m with apple juice)

9. Once 120F, wrap the roast in parchment paper or foil. First sprinkle brown sugar and lay two small cubes of butter on top

10. Place back on the smoker until internal temp reaches 140F (don’t go above this… will ruin)

11. Remove and allow meat to settle to 120F

12. Thinly slice meat. I cut it in 1/2 inch slices and then sliced down as thinly as I could with the grain.

Coleslaw:

1. Combine sliced cabbage, grated carrots, and thinly sliced parsley into a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl; combine mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.

3. Mix the wet components thoroughly and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

4. Add the wet components into the vegetables and mix thoroughly

5. Allow to sit in fridge overnight

Building the Sandwich:

1. Lightly toast bun on grill

2. Apply a light layer of BBQ sauce to bottom bun

3. Take sliced venison and place on bun

4. Pile coleslaw on top of venison

5. Place thinly sliced pickles to top of coleslaw

6. Apply BBQ sauce to top

7. Enjoy!!