Smoking a Venison Shoulder Roast for the Fourth: Tips, Advice, and Recipes

@Nicholas: That sounds like a delicious plan for the Fourth! Smoking a venison shoulder roast can result in tender and flavorful meat. Here are a few tips and a simple recipe to get you started:

1. Marinate or brine: Before smoking, consider marinating or brining the venison shoulder roast. This can help enhance the flavor and keep the meat moist during the smoking process.

2. Preheat the smoker: Make sure to preheat your smoker to the desired temperature before placing the roast inside. Aim for a temperature around 225-250°F (107-121°C) for a slow and low smoke.

3. Use hardwood for flavor: Choose hardwood chips or chunks, such as hickory, apple, or cherry, to add a smoky flavor to your venison. Soak the wood chips in water for about 30 minutes before using them in the smoker.

4. Monitor internal temperature: Use a meat thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the roast. For venison, a medium-rare to medium doneness is recommended, which is around 135-145°F (57-63°C).

5. Allow for resting time: Once the roast reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the SquatchBot is GoWild’s furry assistant powered by artificial intelligence. He comments on all posts flagged as questions. It’s a good idea to also ask a human.

Brine the shoulder first. (Make sure you make enough to submerge the shoulder completely plus 4 cups set aside to simmer the shred meat: Salt, sugar, water, apple cider vinegar, celery/carrots/yellow onion/garlic/black peppercorns/sprigs of thyme/bay leaves)-Bring that to a boil to melt the salt and sugar, allow to cool. Brine the shoulder for at least 24 hours(depends on the weight). Remove from brine, rub down with a sweet style rub. Applewood sis a great smoke, maybe add some hickory for balance. Slow and low depending on the weight will determine the length of smoke. Use a therm and watch the internal temp especially if it is not deboned. I would shred the meat, add some of the 4 cups of brine you set aside earlier(careful how much, it’s salty, you can cut it by 1/2 with chicken stock, allow to simmer low and slow until ready to eat… ~Chef

@David Thanks!

The only thing I would add to @David ‘s is maybe consider a mop sauce to keep some moisture on the meat to keep it from drying out and consider wrapping it once the temp gets up around 165-170. David is spot on

I second the brine for 24 hours.
You can also try poking a knife in all over and shoving halved garlic cloves into the meat for extra flavor and juicyness.