Slow roast haunch (for those who don’t like it pink)

[JockStalk]

I have asked this before but not for a while. Does your venison taste so bad that you need to cook it in wine or other spirits?? It seems every recipe involves this component. My slow cook haunch involves a wipe with olive oil, a rub with spices, two hours to set, and then into the smoker over hickory for 4 or 5 hours. You get the smoke flavor but it doesn't kill the taste of the meat. ~Muir

I guess you could say the same about smoking meat?
My culinary skills are purely amateur, but I’ve always found the alcohol boils off entirely and you are left with the addition of flavour in the same way you would from spices/ herbs/ fruit/ or maybe even smoke. Cider is a particular favourite of mine with venison, I think the dry apple base really compliments it. Just a difference in style I guess. And I am not preaching either viewpoint - I love slow cooked barbecue.

 

[Crowstalker]

Lovely!
Despite the "trend" for smaller cuts cooked hot, fast and rare, there's something immensely satisfying about a big lump of meat cooked low and slow. I came home today to a whole haunch of mutton that had been ticking away in the Rayburn at low temp for a good few hours and it was outstanding - serious melt-in-the-mouth stuff.

Is your rayburn solid fuel?

 

[bogtrotter]

Well, I pulled the leftovers off the bone, mixed the gravy and veg with it, portions bagged and frozen.
Tonight was one of those split into two flaky pastry parcels (bridies/ pasties or whatever you like to call them).
Braised red cabbage and carrots. Pretty fine if I say so myself! A small pack of shop bought flaky pastry (life’s too short) does two. Seal edges well, bit of beaten egg to help them brown. In the oven for 15 mins at 200c (fan) then 180 for 25/30. Cover if they get too toasted.
View attachment 178311

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Well, I pulled the leftovers off the bone, mixed the gravy and veg with it, portions bagged and frozen.
Tonight was one of those split into two flaky pastry parcels (bridies/ pasties or whatever you like to call them).
Braised red cabbage and carrots. Pretty fine if I say so myself! A small pack of shop bought flaky pastry (life’s too short) does two. Seal edges well, bit of beaten egg to help them brown. In the oven for 15 mins at 200c (fan) then 180 for 25/30. Cover if they get too toasted.
View attachment 178311

The scraps of the bones ideal for a pot of stovies, just what I did tonight ,perfect!

 

[VSS]

Is your rayburn solid fuel?

No. Oil, unfortunately.

 

[Crowstalker]

No. Oil, unfortunately.

Ahh still nice though, a lot easier to keep heated than a solid fuel I would imagine!

 

[aris]

I have a buck haunch in the freezer and might give this a go.
Does anyone have any cookery ideas on how to get the liver/iron taste out of your venison?

Try wet brining it. Never tried with venison, but it may work as it draws blood from the meat.

For low/slow cooking, I also like to cook in red wine.

 

[tozzybum]

White wine ,red will really ramp the iron taste up
a notch too much imho.
Bed of stock veg ,carrots onions parsnips ,couple of chopped bell peppers 2pints of your favourite stock .
Give it 2 hours high temp then drop it low overnight, in the morning add peas n mushrooms and an airline sized bottle of chardonnay then turn the heat off .
When your ready boil some spuds and celeriac separately then mash together with lots real butter whilst heating the meat /veg combo through again and serve.

 

[EssBee]

I like my venison quite rare.
My wife prefers slower cooked and not rare.
So this recipe was to accommodate her preference today.

Started with a nice, 2.5kg roe haunch.
Haunch places on a mix of sliced red onion and a couple of carrots.
2 good tablespoons of red currant jelly given a quick spin in the microwave to soften then mixed with a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. The haunch covered in this as a glaze.
Salt & pepper then into fan oven for 20 mins at 190.
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Then oven turned down to 135. Roast out, a bottle (500ml) of dry cider added (with a swig for the chef) And the joint basted then sealed over with foil to stop liquid evaporating.
Back in oven for 3 hours, basting when the mood takes/ every half hour. Removed from oven and juices drained from roasting pan into a saucepan, joint left covered in foil to rest for half an hour whilst spuds and veg cooked.
Juices thickened with some water and cornflour as sauce.
Very tender, carved beautifully. Clean plates.
Leftover meat picked from bone and mixed with leftover sauce/ gravy for a ‘stew’ or pie filling.
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It might be worthwhil wrapping your haunch with Caul fat - available from proper butchers, it's the fat that covers the pigs Mesenteric organs (gralloch). If you are really careful when gralloching you may be able to retrieve caul fat from larger species of deer. Pigs caul has a nice crisp texture and imparts some fat and succulence to the meat. You can place herbs, butter etc under the caul as well.