I’ve been wanting to try some venison in the smoker for some time. As with any very lean meat, you have to be careful not to dry it out when smoking. For this recipe, my buddy Jason gave me some gorgeous venison chops.
I have been told that the best way to lessen the gaminess of the meat is to marinate it ahead of time. I used my marinade box on these chops. It’s an accessory for my FoodSaver, and sucks all the air out of the container to marinate the contents more quickly.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Mix ingredients together, put in a ziploc bag and marinade in the refrigerator for up to three hours or overnight.
Get your smoker up to temp – 225-240°. As the smoker is getting up to speed, prepare this game rub and get a pan smoking hot on the stove.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 Tbsp paprika
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp ground mustard
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together and place in a shallow dish.
Add a Tbsp of olive oil to the hot pan and sear each chop on both sides. Then dredge in the rub, and transfer to a wire rack to use in the smoker.
The smoking will be very quick for a medium rare finish. I kept mine on full smoke for about 30 minutes. Upon reflection, I think I could have gone as long as an hour.
The finished product was very tender, juicy, and flavorful! My wife, who claims she can “taste the venison” in anything (sausage, etc.) really enjoyed the taste and said she could not taste the gaminess at all.
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