Homemade Corned Venison or Pastrami Recipe – Wild Game with Bold Flavor

Homemade Corned/Pastrami Venison

Looking to take your wild game to the next level? This homemade corned venison recipe (with an optional pastrami twist) is a bold, flavorful way to honor your harvest—and enjoy a deli-style classic made frontier-style. Perfect for hunters, homesteaders, and wild food lovers, this method brings old-world curing into your modern kitchen.

At Southern Hogspitality in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, we’re all about combining tradition with flavor. Inspired by Hank Shaw’s work in Buck, Buck, Moose, we’ve adapted his base recipe with extra spices for a bigger, bolder bite—perfect for Reuben sandwiches, charcuterie boards, or just slicing warm right off the roast.

Why Corned Venison?

Venison is lean and packed with flavor, making it a natural fit for curing. The corned process tenderizes the meat, adds deep savory spice, and extends shelf life. Take it a step further with a trip to the smoker, and you’ve got homemade venison pastrami that rivals anything from a deli.

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 gallon water

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 ounce Instacure No. 1 (sodium nitrite)

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon toasted coriander seeds

6 bay leaves, crushed

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 cinnamon stick

5 chopped garlic cloves

A 3 to 5 pound venison roast

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Make the Brine

Add all ingredients (except the roast) to a pot. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and cover. Let the brine cool to room temperature—this takes a few hours.

2. Prep the Meat

While the brine cools, trim any silverskin from the venison roast but leave the fat. This helps with moisture and flavor during the cook.

3. Brine the Venison

Place the roast in a container (we recommend The Briner Bucket from thebriner.com) and pour in the cooled brine. Make sure the meat is fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 5–7 days, flipping daily if needed.

• Smaller roasts (2 lbs) may cure in 4 days, but longer is better for full flavor penetration.

4. Rinse & Cook

After curing, rinse off the meat under cold water.

• For corned venison, vacuum seal and sous vide at 180°F for 3–5 hours until tender.

• For venison pastrami, rinse, coat in a dry rub (pepper/coriander mix), and smoke low and slow until internal temp hits ~145°F.

5. Serve It Up

Serve warm, sliced thin for sandwiches (Reubens highly recommended!), or chill and slice cold for charcuterie.

Homesteading Meets Wild Game – Straight from Jackson Hole

This recipe is rooted in the homesteading values we live by at Southern Hogspitality—respect the harvest, elevate simple ingredients, and take your time doing things right. Whether you’re a hunter, a cook, or just love wild flavors, this corned venison or pastrami recipe is a great way to stretch your skills and savor the rewards of a good hunt.

Bonus Tip:

Want to go full deli-style? Steam the finished pastrami for a few minutes before slicing for that classic, fall-apart tenderness.