Neck and Shoulder of Venison

A cross-reference recipe of the kind that assumes you already know the mutton chapter. The gap worth closing is that neck and shoulder are the two least roastable cuts on the animal.

• The cut is the hingeNeck and shoulder are heavily worked, sinewy muscle. Dry-roasted to the pink centre venison is usually given, they come out tough; braised in stock and wine at 300F for three hours or so, covered, they fall apart properly. If you do roast, keep it low and accept a well-done result.
• "Roast the same as mutton"Period mutton directions typically call for a brisk start to set the surface, then steadier heat, with frequent basting; they rarely name a temperature, since ranges were not calibrated that way. A workable modern reading is about 450F for the first 15 minutes, then 325-350F to finish.
• Venison is very leanThere is almost no intramuscular fat to protect it. Bard the joint with sliced bacon or salt pork tied over the top, or lard it with strips pushed into the meat, and baste with the pan fat. Farmed venison is slightly fatter than wild but still needs help.
• DonenessFor a roast, pull it at 130-135F internal for medium-rare and rest it 15 minutes; the meat dries out quickly past 140F. Braised shoulder is the opposite case and wants to go well beyond that, to about 195F, so the connective tissue melts.
• Seasoning"Season" in a terse direction like this almost certainly means salt and pepper; some cooks of the period also worked in dry mustard or powdered herbs. Salting the joint a few hours ahead, or overnight in the refrigerator, does more for lean venison than anything applied at the last minute.
• Currant jellyRed currant jelly, not black, and not jam. Serve it plain in a dish, or melt two or three tablespoons into the deglazed pan juices with a splash of port for a quick sauce.
• YieldA bone-in venison shoulder of 4-5 lb serves four to six. Allow rather more per person than for beef, since the shoulder blade takes up a good deal of the weight.
• Hung meatWild venison in this era was often aged for a week or more and could be assertively gamy. Supermarket farmed venison is mild by comparison, so the strong accompaniments the period recommended are optional rather than corrective.