We brined a venison round in a similar way to corned beef and then seasoned it with a ton of spices to ready it for tacos. The result is an incredibly flavorful venison appropriate for tacos, but still reminiscent of corned beef.
Makes 10-15 (it all depends on your portions - you can always save some for later sandwiches)
- Ingredients -
5 lb venison roast/round or beef brisket - elk is good too!
Brine
1 cup water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 teaspoons pink salt
3 cinnamon sticks
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon whole allspice
2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Rub
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon roasted ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
For Serving
20-30 corn tortillas (we like to double wrap)
1/2 cup
Chiltomate Sauce (click for recipe)
1 pint Jalapeno Sauerkraut, heated (we snagged some, homemade, by our own Ken Wilson)
a few limes
one handful cilantro
1 pint sour cream or, better: crema fresca (crème fraîche)
2-4 avocados, sliced
- Tools -
Weston Vacuum Sealer & Bags
Weston Smoker
wood smoking chips
Weston Meat Slicer
Mix together all brine ingredients in water, except cinnamon, cloves, and garlic. Place the venison into a large
vacuum sealer bag, then pour in brine. Sprinkle in the cinnamon, cloves, and garlic.
Vacuum seal and allow to brine 3 days, refrigerated.
 |
| Sealing the venison in its brine with a Weston Vacuum Sealer, to be flash-corned. |
Remove and rinse well under cold water.
Preheat your
Weston Smoker to 150 degrees and fill the water bowl. Soak your woodchips for at least 30 minutes.
 |
| Smoke rolls from the Weston Smoker. |
While the smoker preheats, mix together the rub ingredients, then dry rub the meat, covering it in a thick, cake-y layer all over.
Smoke at 150 for 3 hours, keeping the water bowl filled, and the wood chips fresh. Turn the smoker up to 275 and smoke for another hour. Remove the corned beef/venison when the internal temperature reads 150 (145 is safe for properly brined corned beef).
 |
| Our corned venison is properly smoked and ready to be tacos. |
Allow to rest for about a half hour. Use a
Weston Meat Slicer to thinly slice the corned beef/venison.
 |
One of the great things about having your own Weston Meat Slicer
is that you can slice the corned beef as thick or thin as you like. |
Serve hot on corn tortillas with a generous amount of jalapeno kraut,
chilomate sauce, cilantro and avocados. Add a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche if you need to cool down from the sauce and seasonings. Squeeze a half of a fresh lime over the taco to complete the flavor pairings.
 |
| Corned Beef Tacos, garnished, and ready to be eaten with Chilomate Sauce and a little sour cream. |
