Best way to cook leg of venison on open fire?

Bigfoot

Settler
Jul 10, 2010
669
4
Scotland
Venison tends to be a very lean meat so it doesn't have the amount of fat you would need for normal roasting & basting, hence all the comments on using streaky bacon and wrapping in foil. In my humble opinion you will get a much better cooked and succulent bit of meat in a pit rather than on a spit.
 

yomperalex

Nomad
Jan 22, 2011
260
1
Reading
virtually no fat on venison, so another advocate for a pit (been meaning to do with a haunch of venison for some time now.

Otherwise somebody on continuous basting patrol.

Alex
 

stovie

Need to contact Admin...
Oct 12, 2005
1,658
20
60
Balcombes Copse
....

Otherwise somebody on continuous basting patrol.

Alex

This would be somebody on basting patrol...scouts are good for that...
BearCamp065.jpg


And very succulent...
BearCamp068.jpg
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
A bit off topic, but....

The name given to the boys who turned the spits in the castle kitchens was a Turnbrochie :)
Don't think there's a scout badge in it, but it's an interesting aside to camp cooking :D

cheers,
M
 
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The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
Or, just do it old skool :)

Make sure you get it on early... Some pork we did Saturday cooked for 10 hours. Smoking 6, Hangi 4.

Lamb below was about 6 over the edge of the embers, and still slightly pink. Nom, nom.

behlj8.jpg
 
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xander

Tenderfoot
Apr 28, 2011
90
0
bedford england
im liking the pit idea but im thinking of finding some rocks or stones or even some bricks so the heat is stored in them and it helps cook with a bit more of a constant heat any recommendations for wot type of rocks/stones/bricks to use ?
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
TBL, that looks like another of your "Is it done yet?" "No, it needs another half hour" - repeat conversation once an hour for several hours.

Always worth waiting for though.

By the way, some fabulous looking burls or nodules on the birch in that picture of yours.
 

Bacoben

Member
Aug 29, 2011
27
0
Scotland - West Coast
Put a foil tray underneath to catch the juices too, they baste it up nicely
Gah, I wouldnt recommend foil...purely for the fact its not biodegradable, and so is common at old camping grounds :(....Why not use some burdock leaves or similar?...

Ive cooked a leg using a medium sized camp fire, I simply dug a hole, heated some dry rocks on a fire and placed them into the hole, then the leg seasoned a little a wrapped in leaves, then some more hot stones around and on top of it. Then i covered thehole with a few sticks some bracken, leaving some space for hot air to collect and on top of that I put some dirt on, after about 2 hours it was cooked through and tasted great.


edit - wet rocks have a tendency to explode. And as for the type of rocks I would recommend hard ones, the reason stones explode is the air or moisture trapped inside of them expanding...i believe. So if you tap your stones against another you should be able to hear the difference in density...also dont use concrete or bricks, safer with stones I reckon.
 
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Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,856
3,278
W.Sussex
Gah, I wouldnt recommend foil...purely for the fact its not biodegradable, and so is common at old camping grounds :(....Why not use some burdock leaves or similar?...

edit - wet rocks have a tendency to explode. And as for the type of rocks I would recommend hard ones, the reason stones explode is the air or moisture trapped inside of them expanding...i believe. So if you tap your stones against another you should be able to hear the difference in density...also dont use concrete or bricks, safer with stones I reckon.

Ali foil is very biodegradable, it oxidises quickly in an open fire. We always drink cans of beer at camps rather than bottles as we can easily dispose of them in a hot fire.

And if rocks have a tendency to explode, why would it be safer to use them than bricks? Bricks are clay which has already been exposed to a kiln. Concrete is out though, as is chalk due to the lime.

Incidentally, I've had a flint explode right in front of me. It's not nice.
 

Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
28,216
3,198
63
~Hemel Hempstead~
i've liberated some engineering bricks
you can dig the hole this time mate

Nice result on the bricks Sam :)

>snip ...also dont use concrete or bricks, safer with stones I reckon.

Engineering bricks are a lot safer to use for a pit roast than ordinary house bricks due to the fact that they are fired at much higher temperatures to make them less permeable to water.
 

xander

Tenderfoot
Apr 28, 2011
90
0
bedford england
we take all our rubbish home with us so I'm not worried about tinfoil
nice one on the bricks samy boy ;) do u have any of that charcoal left ?
 

The Big Lebowski

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 11, 2010
2,320
6
Sunny Wales!
TBL, that looks like another of your "Is it done yet?" "No, it needs another half hour" - repeat conversation once an hour for several hours.

Always worth waiting for though.

By the way, some fabulous looking burls or nodules on the birch in that picture of yours.

Do you recognize the feet... Someone found out their shiny new gore-tex boots where only waterproof up to the ankles!

Back on track, sorry peeps!
 
May 6, 2010
123
0
uk
www.coastalsurvival.com
Hi

Personally if I have a leg of something like Venison and was cooking it with fire, a few things would first be taken into account;
the weather conditions, availability of resources and how hungry I am. Firstly the weather, the cooking technique chosen should be suitable to your needs, for example if its freezing cold and you are relying on your fire for warmth, the last thing you want to do is cover it over when cooking. During periods of persistent heavy rain, a fire pit, quickly becomes an improvised water collection point! When fuel is limited and efficiency from your fire is a must, waiting for rocks to heat up just isn't practical, of course in the dry summer months and if you have plenty of fuel, well the sky's the limit to your repertoire of methods.

So all that said, how would I cook a leg of Venison on a fire?

Quickly!

First cut length ways up the leg until you reach the bone (presuming it's skinned), keeping close to the bone, using it as a guild, draw the back tip of the knife along the bone cutting it away as you go until it is removed, this will then present you with a larger, flatter surface area, allowing the meat to cook quickly and evenly, giving a more even texture. If you really hungry start carving off strips as its cooking. Lay the boned leg, know as a 'butterfly cut' horizontally over low flame and embers, or hang vertically trussed between a reflector and the fire if you need to keep warm as well (I hope that all makes sense)

Fraser
 

Neumo

Full Member
Jul 16, 2009
1,675
0
West Sussex
Bone it out, in a larger dutch oven over a fire, with about two inches of white whine in there with it.

Great advice here. Like the one about a dutch oven full of wine. We are planning to do Venison in a dutch oven at the next Sussex meet, so will look into that
 

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