Venison Bacon

Whitetail Slab

Classic Style Venison Bacon

Whitetail Slab is a venison bacon built on a 50% lean meat / 50% pork blend, using lean wild game. Smoke at 160-180°F (71-82°C) and finish at an internal 152°F (67°C), grind at 1/4". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.

Venison bacon surprises people, because it is not a whole muscle at all — it is ground, pressed into a pan, cured, smoked and then sliced. It fries up like bacon and it turns the trim nobody wants into the thing everybody fights over. This is the plain version and the one to start with.

• Smoky
• Savory
• Gamey

Internal temp

152°F (67°C)

Smoker temp

160-180°F (71-82°C)

Casing

No casing — pressed into a 9x13 aluminum pan lined with Saran Wrap

Bloom

24-48 hours (cure rest)

What goes in it

• Kosher Salt
• Cure #1
• Coarse Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Smoked Paprika
• Brown Sugar
• Ice Cold Water
• Mustard Powder

Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.

The meat

Lean Wild Game · Pork Butt · Pork Shoulder

Bear or wild hog: take it to 160°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not kill trichinella — only heat does.

How it's made

1. Grind chilled venison and pork fat (32°F) through a 1/4" plate.
2. Add all seasonings and ice water. Mix until tacky with good protein extraction.
3. Press firmly into a 9x13 aluminum pan lined with Saran Wrap. Pack tightly — no air pockets. The Saran Wrap makes it easy to pull the slab out when it's time for the smoker.
4. Place in the fridge for 24-48 hours to let cure distribute.
5. Smoke at 160-180°F until internal temperature reaches 152°F. Important: Do not let your smoker exceed 180°F. Even if your smoker is set at or below 180°F, the actual temperature can spike higher — monitor closely.
6. Refrigerate overnight, then slice to your desired thickness.

Wood

Hickory · Cherry · Apple

Before you start

• How much Cure #1 per pound
• Venison to pork fat ratio