Venison Pastrami

Step 1

Mix everything thoroughly together in a bowl.

Step 2

Rub it thoroughly over the corned roast, getting a nice coating.

Step 3

Throw the roast in a smoker set (and pre-heated) to 220° and smoke it with a nice hardwood. About a cup of hickory chips is what I usually use. I never soak the chips. Put the wood chips in AFTER the smoker is pre-heated, otherwise they will all just burn up before it gets to temperature.

Step 4

The smoke isn't meant to last the whole cooking time, probably just about an hour or two at the most. You can experiment with that of course.

Step 5

For food safety reasons, I'll tell you 160° is the "safe" internal temperature to shoot for. From a meat moisture perspective, you'll be happier with somewhere below 160° - I usually shoot for 150-155°. It takes 3 to 4 hours, sometimes a little longer. You can make the call on what temp you are comfortable hitting...

Step 6

If your smoker doesn't have a food temperature probe built in, I strongly recommend getting one for it. It saves you from having to open the smoker to check the temperature - which drastically drops the temperature, especially if you smoke on a cold or windy day.

Step 7

When it's up to temp, let it cool, then slice up for sandwiches. I usually wrap it in foil, and toss it in the fridge till the next day when I slice it.