Elk or Deer Top of Round Roast Brine

Brining meat is a great way to infuse flavor and retain moisture when cooking. It also tenderizes typically tough cuts of the animal. This is a classic Italian-inspired brine that can be used for many types of preparations and well as reduced for sauces. You can refrigerate the roast after cooking and use it sliced thin for hot or cold sandwiches. Try this brine with your venison top round roast and enjoy a delicious Chicago-Style Italian Roast Venison Sandwich. Link below.

Ingredients

1 large elk top round or up to 2 deer top rounds (approximately 6 pounds)

BRINE

1 gallon of water

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons Better Than Beef Bullion or 4 cubes of beef bullion

1 tablespoon sugar

8–10 garlic cloves, smashed to release the oils

6 sprigs fresh oregano

6–8 fresh sage leaves

6–8 sprigs of fresh thyme

6 fresh basil leaves

2–3 stocks of celery, coarsely chopped

¼ onion coarsely chopped and layers separated

Directions

In your large pot, add the water and all the ingredients for the brine, and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the mix to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and allow it to cool. 

After the brine has cooled, gently drop the roast into the pot to brine in a cool place for 24–48 hours. If you have a garage that maintains a temperature of 35 to 45 F, you can place the pot or bucket there. You can also remove a shelf in your refrigerator to accommodate the pot.

After the meat has brined for a day or two, it is ready to either sous vide or smoke on a pellet grill. 

Sous Vide

Pull the roast from the brine, and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the roast in a large vacuum seal bag with 2 tablespoons butter, remove all the air, and seal it with a vacuum sealer. You can also place the roast in a large zip-close bag with the 2 tablespoons of butter and seal it after removing as much air as possible. Be sure to double bag the zip-close bag in case of a leak.

Place the sealed bag in a water bath, set the sous vide to 130 F, and cook for 12 hours. 

Oven, Barbecue or Pellet Smoker Cooking

Pull the roast from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Heat the oven, barbecue or pellet smoker to 350 F. While cooking the roast with one of these methods, you will want to catch and reserve any liquid or fat that cooks out of the meat. To do this, place a metal drying rack over a large 9 by 13 lipped cooking tray, and fill it half way up with the leftover brine. The pan of brine will catch all the juices that cook out of the meat. It is necessary to add the brine to the tray before it is placed in the heat so that the drippings don’t dry out at the bottom of the tray in the heat. Cook the roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 F. The cook time will vary depending on the size of your roast.