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Venison spare rib help

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So I have some venison spare ris that I am going to cook on Saturday. I don't cook a lot of ribs, and never spare ribs, let alone venison spare ribs. ANY help, recipes, techniques would be greatly appreciated because I really don't want to screw these up. Thanks guys.
 

mdwest

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Key thing to remember about venison is it is MUCH lower in fat than pork.. and even beef.. so "slow" cooking a thin piece of venison is a much bigger challenge.. you have to watch it a lot more closely.. and your cook times are generally going to be shorter (or youll dry the meat out)...

What I usually do is put the ribs into a baking pan, and douse the crap out of them in wet sauce.. I cover the ribs with foil for about an hour and a half.. keeping the grill below 200 degrees (175 is optimal if you can do it)... this will help keep the ribs "moist"...

I then take them out of the pan for about 25 minutes and lay them directly on the grill surface... I mop them heavily with sauce again.. then close the grill and dont open it again until theyre ready to pull off...

Once pulled from the heat, theyre going to need to rest for a few minutes before serving... they dont need as long as a larger/thicker cut of meat.. about 15 minutes should do it... just wrap them in foil and leave them alone for a little bit.. then serve...

For a mop sauce/marinade... I like something thats a little salty/sweet on venison... or something with a little bit of pepper behind it (I do a jalapeno/butter based mop sauce thats pretty good).... just make sure you keep those things wet.. or theyre gonna dry out..

another key with venison (IMO) is to make sure you brine it 24 hours in advance... youre gonna want to take out some of that "game" flavor... dropping them in a bowl of brine overnight will help pull some of that out of the ribs...
 
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Key thing to remember about venison is it is MUCH lower in fat than pork.. and even beef.. so "slow" cooking a thin piece of venison is a much bigger challenge.. you have to watch it a lot more closely.. and your cook times are generally going to be shorter (or youll dry the meat out)...

What I usually do is put the ribs into a baking pan, and douse the crap out of them in wet sauce.. I cover the ribs with foil for about an hour and a half.. keeping the grill below 200 degrees (175 is optimal if you can do it)... this will help keep the ribs "moist"...

I then take them out of the pan for about 25 minutes and lay them directly on the grill surface... I mop them heavily with sauce again.. then close the grill and dont open it again until theyre ready to pull off...

Once pulled from the heat, theyre going to need to rest for a few minutes before serving... they dont need as long as a larger/thicker cut of meat.. about 15 minutes should do it... just wrap them in foil and leave them alone for a little bit.. then serve...

For a mop sauce/marinade... I like something thats a little salty/sweet on venison... or something with a little bit of pepper behind it (I do a jalapeno/butter based mop sauce thats pretty good).... just make sure you keep those things wet.. or theyre gonna dry out..

another key with venison (IMO) is to make sure you brine it 24 hours in advance... youre gonna want to take out some of that "game" flavor... dropping them in a bowl of brine overnight will help pull some of that out of the ribs...
Thanks a lot Dave. What kind of brine do you use?
 
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I agree with the brine, I usually use kosher salt, pepper, sage, basil, and garlic powder.

Another way to ensure that they stay moist is to put a pan of water under the cooking racks, this helps ALOT with keeping stuff moist on the smoker.

OR, wrap them in suran (sp) wrap then tinfoil, this will keep all the moisture inside with the ribs.


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mdwest

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forgot to mention that brining helps to keep meat moist as well... (water gets absorbed)... I know some people prefer taking the "game" flavor out other ways (buttermilk, etc..).. but for thin cuts like ribs, I dont think there is a better option than a simple brine.. (you need to get moisture in.. as well as blood/game flavor out...)....

I use a very basic brine.. just water, sugar, and salt...

For every quart of water I use, I add about a half cup of sugar and a half cup of salt...

If you want to get fancy you can add in some "flavor".. youll just want to make sure whatever you add to your brine will go with whatever mopping sauce you are going to use... Ive seen people add citrus (lemons, oranges, etc..)... or cloves.. or fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc... I never do this though.. just water, sugar, and salt for me...
 

mdwest

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OR, wrap them in suran (sp) wrap then tinfoil, this will keep all the moisture inside with the ribs.
We call this the "texas cheat" around here.. I dont do it.. but I have seen a lot of people do it successfully.. it works really well.... just make sure you use "good" saran wrap.. and not some generic, super thin stuff..

If I understand correctly, "real" saran wrap has a melting point somewhere close to 300 degrees.. as long as you keep the grill low.. and have a layer of foil between the saran wrap and the grill surface.. youre totally safe..

"cheap" saran wrap has a lower melting point..
 

rev.b

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Zama take what he days to heart the man can grill some great snackage!
 

mwlabel

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God dangit. I might need to treat myself to a game dinner or some ribs tonight.

This sounds delicious.
 
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forgot to mention that brining helps to keep meat moist as well... (water gets absorbed)... I know some people prefer taking the "game" flavor out other ways (buttermilk, etc..).. but for thin cuts like ribs, I dont think there is a better option than a simple brine.. (you need to get moisture in.. as well as blood/game flavor out...)....

I use a very basic brine.. just water, sugar, and salt...

For every quart of water I use, I add about a half cup of sugar and a half cup of salt...

If you want to get fancy you can add in some "flavor".. youll just want to make sure whatever you add to your brine will go with whatever mopping sauce you are going to use... Ive seen people add citrus (lemons, oranges, etc..)... or cloves.. or fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc... I never do this though.. just water, sugar, and salt for me...
I'm going with your method Dave. Cooking them tomorrow, so I will brine them tonight. Ever used a vinegar and mustard based mop on venison? I have some jalapeño butter baste too, so I am still deciding on that one. I have a dry rub that I am going to use too which is a sweet heat profile.


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mdwest

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Ive never done vinegar/mustard on venison.. but Im guessing it would be good.. I've used vinegar based mops on pork and on beef several times.. and have always enjoyed it.. and a nice mustard base is what I start with on almost all my long/slow smokes (large briskets, loins, etc..).. its creates a really nice seal around the meat, helps keep moisture in, and once it gets some char on it adds some great "crunch" to the outter layer of the meat..

damn.. youre making me hungry... it might be time to go pull a little more deer meat out of the freezer.... Im thinking I might do some "finger food"... one of the things I like to do with the tenderlion is to cut it into medalions.. then pound them out very thin/pliable... I put a little bit of cream cheeze in the center and a sliver of pickled jalapeno.... roll it up.. wrap it in a half slice of bacon... put a couple of toothpicks through it.. then throw them on low heat for about 25 minutes..

mmmmmmmmm..... deer..... and bacon... and jalapeno....!!!!!!!
 
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Ive never done vinegar/mustard on venison.. but Im guessing it would be good.. I've used vinegar based mops on pork and on beef several times.. and have always enjoyed it.. and a nice mustard base is what I start with on almost all my long/slow smokes (large briskets, loins, etc..).. its creates a really nice seal around the meat, helps keep moisture in, and once it gets some char on it adds some great "crunch" to the outter layer of the meat..

damn.. youre making me hungry... it might be time to go pull a little more deer meat out of the freezer.... Im thinking I might do some "finger food"... one of the things I like to do with the tenderlion is to cut it into medalions.. then pound them out very thin/pliable... I put a little bit of cream cheeze in the center and a sliver of pickled jalapeno.... roll it up.. wrap it in a half slice of bacon... put a couple of toothpicks through it.. then throw them on low heat for about 25 minutes..

mmmmmmmmm..... deer..... and bacon... and jalapeno....!!!!!!!
Oh man, that sounds awesome. I have a couple tenderloins in the freezer too. I'll have to pull this thread back up when I cook those.


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