It’s late fall and that means that my friends who hunt are out harvesting wild game. This is one of my favorite times of the year to eat due to the fall hunt. Pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, and of course, venison. I always break down a few deer every year and carefully craft a lot of it into charcuterie. Here’s a personal favorite of mine that always comes out great.
-
Venison
-
2% salt
-
1% sugar
-
0.25% Cure #1
-
5% ras el hanout spice
Cure for at least 10 days or 2 days per pound for larger cuts over 5 pounds. Culture with koji spores for 36 hours at 85°F and 95% RH. Hang the meat until it loses 30% of its starting weight.
After the 36 hours are you supposed to remove the koji.