The BEST Deer Bacon Recipe - Ground & Formed Venison Bacon
This is the best and easiest Deer Bacon Recipe! Learn how to make a small and simple 5-pound batch of ground and formed deer bacon (or venison bacon) that easily fits in a 9 X 13 pan using some of your deer from this season.
Servings: 25 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground venison
- 3 pounds ground pork
- 1 teaspoon curing salt (Instacure No. 1)
- 2 ½ Tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 cup non-fat dried powdered milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried mustard
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 cup cold water
Instructions
- Place the ground venison and ground pork in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine curing salt, salt, powdered milk, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and seasonings with the cold water. Mix well, then pour the mixture over the meat.
- Mix the venison and pork with your hands until the seasoning is well incorporated, and the meat becomes tacky.
- Line a 9 X 13 pan with plastic wrap and press meat mixture evenly into pan to eliminate air pockets so it's about 2-inches thick. Cover meat with more plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight (up to 2 days).
- Preheat smoker to 200 degrees F.
- Remove the top plastic wrap and gently invert the pan onto your smoker rack and lift away the pan. Peel away and discard the plastic wrap that lined the pan.
- Smoke the bacon at 200 degrees F until the internal temp reaches 150 degrees F using an instant-read meat thermometer. (With my electric Masterbuilt smoker, this took about 2 ½ hours.)
- Slice the bacon on a meat slicer or on a cutting board with a sharp knife.
- Vacuum seal bacon in 1 or 2 lb. packages and freeze for long-term storage.
- When you're ready to eat it, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until it's as crispy as you like it.
