Not many people know what to do with deer shoulders so they turn it all into sausage or burgers. There are other ways to treat this tough cut of meat; my favorite is to cook it slowly on the bone.
I process all of my game animals. After several years of under my belt, I’ve gotten into the habit of freezing some muscles whole. When I first started, I thought that I had to break everything down into stews and grinds at the very beginning. Back then, I spent an extraordinary amount of time processing meat; it was exhausting. Today I’m less rigid when butchering game, and I don’t worry about silver skin as much. The reason for this is that I know low heat and long cook times can do the hard work for me. When it comes to cooking whole shoulders, I turn to sous vide.
The benefit of using sous vide is having control. These devices can hold the water’s temperature for hours or even days at the precise number you program. This means that sinuous cuts of meat can tenderize into a juicy meal.
This past year I got a new vacuum sealer from Weston. I love this model because it is extra wide, making it easy to store primal cuts whole.
For this recipe, I rubbed the shoulder in a Cuban mojo marinade, sealed it in a bag, and let it marinate for several hours. The next day, I filled a large cooler with water, and McGuyver’ed a sous vide device to the side. Once hot, I lowered the bag of sealed meat into the bath. To insulate, I covered the top with plastic wrap. I left a pocket of space on the opposite side for steam to vent away from the device. There are a lot of different ways you can construct a container for sous vide cooking. Large plastic bins with lids sold from restaurant stores are a great option. You can also line the top of the water with ping pongs to act as an insulator.
After 24 hours of cook time, the venison shreds apart easily with a fork. I serve this in a salad with mango, rice, black beans, and spring greens. There is enough meat on the shoulder for my husband and me to enjoy for a few days. This method is one of my favorite ways of cooking whole muscles because there is such little effort involved!
INGREDIENTS
•1 bone-in Venison Shoulder
Mojo
•6 cloves of garlic
•2 tsp. oregano
•1 tsp. red pepper flakes
•1 Tbsp. kosher salt
•½ Tbsp. black pepper
•1 tsp. cumin
•¼ Cup lime juice
•¼ Cup olive oil
Equipment Needed:
•Sous Vide Device
Instructions:
Mojo
Place the garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle and sprinkle some of the kosher salt in. Use the pestle and pulverize the garlic into a paste. Pour the lime juice in and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly to emulsify. Add the remaining spices and blend.
Venison Shoulder
1. Use a knife and cut several small slits into the shoulder. Rub the whole shoulder with the prepared mojo sauce. Place inside of a large bag and seal. Store the shoulder in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours to marinate.
2. Remove the shoulder from the fridge and let it to come to room temperature an hour before cooking.
3. Prepare for cooking by setting up a sous vide device in a container full of water that is big enough to immerse the whole shoulder. Set the temperature to 165 degrees.
4. When the water is hot, lower the bagged shoulder in. Cover the top with a fitted lid, ping pong balls, or plastic wrap. A large shoulder from a deer will take anywhere between 18-22 hours, so plan accordingly. You will know when the meat is tender if you can pull meat away from bone with you thumb pressing in from outside the bag.
5. Allow the shoulder to rest for 30 minutes before serving. Remove the meat from the bag and shred apart with a fork.
6. Strain the cooking juices left in the bag and pour over the shredded meat and allow it to soak. Serve as desired.
