Christmas Roast with the Blacktail Deer Foundation
By Marshall Johnson & Jim Baichtal
For some, Blacktail deer hunting is over for the season and now it is time to serve up that bounty. There is nothing like warming yourself up with a fun and lively dinner shared with family and friends in the middle of winter. I have had the opportunity to dine with our Alaskan legend, Jim Baichtal and his wife Karen, several times over the past few years and the first thing I thought of was reaching out to these two blacktail aficionados for their famous Blacktail roast.
I asked Jim for one of his favorite black-tail recipes, and oh “Deer” did we get one!!
Jim told me that a few years ago, they decided they really didn’t want to buy a turkey or a ham for holiday dinners. So, they decided to keep a rear ham, or two, each year from Sitka Blacktail that Jim had harvested to fulfill the large roast need.
What is key to the success of the best roast you can cook-up, is timing. “Deer feed on forbs in the subalpine and alpine during the summer and early fall. Forage is available until the first heavy freeze of September or October. The deer’s fat from this forage is sweet, white, and not tallowy.”
(On a side note, Jim said many folks render this fat for cooking.)
Jim continued, “based on this timing, Karen and I carefully select the rear hams of deer harvested from that time frame.” Karens recipe is a modified Williams and Sonoma prime rib recipe which Karen has added a key element to the preparation by adding a tart jelly. Besides the recipe, another crucial tip is to rest the roast after it is taken out of the oven.
We hope you enjoy this roast; I certainly have!
Ingredients:
1 Sitka blacktail roast
Minced garlic – there is no such thing as too much
2-4 TBS kosher salt (depending on roast size)
Olive oil – enough to make a slurry
Rosemary – FRESH of course!
Freshly ground black pepper (use the amount you like)
Optional to your tastes – add either oregano, savory, sage or whatever spice you have handy
Directions:
Cut slits into roast
Combine garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, rosemary and any other spices that you like, insert garlic cloves if you like!
Mix the combined ingredients into a nice paste
Slather the exterior with that blend of combined ingredients above
Let the roast sit for some time to infuse with your mix, a minimum of 1 hour (Karen tries for about 4 hours)
Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes
Lower temp to 350 and bake until internal temp reaches about 100, then spread a tart jam or sauce on the top. Be careful not to displace the crusty salt/herb mixture.
(Optional) you can spread another round of tart jam or sauce a second time if you would between 110-115.
Continue to bake until internal temp reaches about 125 – 130. Now for the most important part:
REMOVE FROM OVEN- COVER WITH FOIL – LET REST FOR AT LEAST 20 TO 30 MINUTES
This gives you time to finish the rest of the meal or socialize with guests!
Get Cooking!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas MDF and BDF family! As always, Good luck this winter and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of MDF and BDF for only $35 dollars a year each. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/
