Deer on open pit ?

[tercel89]

I built me an old fashioned open pit this past summer. It is the kind made of concrete block and I have a metal grate in it . I lay the meat on the grate and slow cook/smoke the meat for like 12 -15 hrs and use a wooden top for it . I burn oak and hickeory wood in a old burn barrel then shovel the coals from it to my pit and cook that way. SSSSSOOOOO my question is this : Have any of you guys that cook with a pit like mine ever cooked a whole deer ham/leg in a pit ? If so how did it turn out and how long did you cook it ? And what temperature did you keep it at ? I keep my pork and chickens at 200-225.
Any information is appreciated .

[vontar]

no idea but I bet it would be good.

[Raoul]

Wouldn't the fact that there is very little fat in deer be a problem?

[Guest Razz]

[quote name='Raoul' timestamp='1353542810' post='849270']
Wouldn't the fact that there is very little fat in deer be a problem?
[/quote]
This was my initial thought, as well. You can fake it and wrap smaller cuts, 5-10 lbs, in pork belly or bacon. I'd go so far as wrapping in caul fat and then pork belly. The caul fat will essentially baste the meat in fat while cooking and the belly will protect the caul fat from disintegration.

Other than that...treat venison like lean beef. If you slow cook it until it's fall-off-the-bone, you'll have to add sauce to it before you eat. Edited November 22, 2012 by Razz

[tercel89]

[quote name='Raoul' timestamp='1353542810' post='849270']
Wouldn't the fact that there is very little fat in deer be a problem?
[/quote]

This is why I asked about this . But I have heard of lots of people doing it with no bacon. I am just trying to see what temperature they use and how long to cook it .

[Parrothead]

If you cook something over a long period of time it better have some fat. I think i would go a differant direction with deer. You can smoke fish (very low fat) but it gets to a low internal tempature and it is done very quickly.

[UncleJak]

200 degrees, and wrap in bacon. I have no idea how long. I use a meat thermometer and check periodically. Thinking about it is making me hungry.

[Guest Aces&8s]

I roasted a whole goat (very much like a deer in terms of meat/fat ratio) in the ground, like we sometimes do whole hogs, and it worked great. Stuffed the body cavity with citrus fruit, garlic and onion. In the ground, you can wrap the whole thing in burlap soaked in juice or soda and it helps keep the meat moist and flavorful. I don't know if that would work on your setup or not.

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[DaveS]

Main thing with deer is to keep it basted, moist and cooked over low heat. I cook mine to an internal temperature of 160-180. That's medium...just how I like it!

Dave S

[tercel89]

Thanks for the replies so far guys ! Keep them comming. I think that I may try a deer neck roast on my pit first. The neck has a lot of good meat that has fat running through it really good so the fat may keep it from drying out so bad . When I cut the neck meat off of the neck it comes off in what looks like a big long layer of meat around the neck . SO I will roll the meat up in a large roll and then tie it with baker's twine and cook it on my pit . I'm gonna do it next week when we make our grocery store run . That way I can get some pork butts to cook with it so I dont waste a lot of wood on cooking just a deer neck . I will post some pictures. Thanks for all the replies and help !

[UncleJak]

I never have, but I think I would cook the neck with the bones and tear off afterwards. I always crock pot the neck...