Tender sliced smoked venison slathered in barbeque sauce and topped with a homemade coleslaw; I must be dreaming. This recipe is great for hosting a weekend lunch crowd. The process starts the night before with a simple brine with added aromatics. The brine helps retain moisture in the meat during cooking, making the meat juicier and more tender. When cooking with wild game, this is very important! The brine can also help soften the fibers of the meat, and since we’re serving sandwiches this means it’s going to be easier to cut and chew. After the meat is brined, we’ll prep it for the smoker with a mustard binding and generous application of your favorite barbeque rub. After about an hour or so on the smoker at a low temperature, you’re left with a beautiful crust, a smoke ring and a nice pink center. The venison gets thinly sliced and topped with bbq sauce and our homemade coleslaw and placed between two halves of a bun. This recipe is out of this world delicious, and your friends and family will think so too.

Ingredients

1 (1.5 – 2 pound) Venison Roast, Silver Skin Removed
2 tablespoons Mustard
BBQ Rub of Choice Barbeque Sauce, For Serving
Burger Buns, For Serving

Simple Brine

6 cups Water, (Plus More If Needed to Cover the Roast)
¼ cup packed Brown Sugar
¼ cup Kosher Salt
4 cloves of Garlic, Crushed

Coleslaw

1 ( 16 oz. bag) Coleslaw Mix
⅔ cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Pickle Juice
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
½ teaspoon Celery Seeds
¼ teaspoon Salt

Recipe Directions 

1. In a large bowl, combine water, brown sugar and salt. Mix well until dissolved, then add in crushed garlic. Add venison to the bowl, add additional water if needed so that the roast is completely submerged in the brine. Set in the fridge to 8-12 hours.
2. After the brine time is complete, remove the venison from the brine and rinse thoroughly with water. This usually takes 1-2 minutes. Discard the brine and se the venison roast onto a cutting board.
3. Rub the venison roast all over with mustard. This is going to act as our binder.
4. Then liberally season all over with your barbeque rub of choice. Use your hands to press the rub into the roast. Let the roast sit with the seasonings while you preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 225 degrees F.
5. Once the grill has come to temperature, place the venison roast directly onto your grill grates. Smoke until the venison reaches 128-135 degrees, depending on how you like your venison cooked.) Start checking the temperature at the 45-minute mark for smaller-sized roasts to avoid overcooking. Once the roast has come to temperature, let it rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing.
6. While the roast is in the smoker, mix together the ingredients for the homemade coleslaw in a large bowl. Set in the fridge to let the flavors blend together.
7. Once the venison has rested, slice as thin as possible against the grain. Place sliced venison on a bun topped with bbq sauce and coleslaw and enjoy.