I'm craving some smoked deer ham. I can't stop thinking about it.

[aceplace57]

My dad was a deer hunter all his life, He always gave me a deer ham every year. I took it to a local barbeque place and they smoked it.

Ground Venison in chili or smoked deer ham is the only way I liked venison. Venison steaks are too gamey and dry for me.

My dad passed away almost three years ago. No more venison.

I’ve been craving and even dreaming about that smoked deer ham. I may have to see if my cousins have any in their freezers.

Smoke deer ham is the best meat you’ll ever eat. That is some good stuff.

[August_West]

I shoot a couple of deer each year, if I can. I butcher them myself and vacuum-seal them for the freezer.

Somehow I have never thought of smoking a venison “ham”. When you say ham, do you mean the entire rear leg quarter, or which part of the leg? Is it brined or cured first?

Gameyness comes mostly from the tendons and silverskin, so I trim all of that away. You would have a lot of those in a ham.

[aceplace57]

It’s the hind haunch. Barbecue places here charge so much a pound to smoke them. We always sliced up some and put in the freezer. I’m not sure if the barbeque places soak it in a brine first. The smoking and sauce removes any gamey taste. It’s different from barbecue beef or pork. very tasty.

heres a cooked one. Theres a lot of meat.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/files/photo/23/WC_02.10.12-a.JPG

Cured and Smoked Deer Ham

I am starting with two hind haunches (fresh uncured bone in hams)of a white tail button buck (male yearling). I have decided not to remove the lymph nodes located in the hind legs because of the size of the deer and the level of invasiveness in removing them. If you live in an area affected by chronic wasting disease you will not only need to remove the lymph nodes but also fully de-bone the ham. Check your local/state department of conservation or natural resources to determine if you need to follow those steps. Here is a link for further reading http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/zoonoses/cwd.htm

[aceplace57]

Heres a ham with more of the bone on it.
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/541/medium/venisonham_e.jpg

[August_West]

Very interesting. We do have CWD here in Wisconsin, so I’d probably need to debone it and then roll and tie it up. It looks really good, I wish you’d posted this 4 months ago!

[Push_You_Down]

I have never heard of this “deer ham” business… but now that’s all I can think about.

[aceplace57]

Now you have something to try next season. Soak in a brine and smoke it yourself if you have your own smoker or call barbecue places to find a place to do it.

my dad always removed the lymph nodes and bone. Most of his deer was ground up with some beef fat added. Makes great spaghetti sauce and chili. He saved the haunches for smoking.

@August_West

Very interesting. We do have CWD here in Wisconsin, so I’d probably need to debone it and then roll and tie it up. It looks really good, I wish you’d posted this 4 months ago!