Venison with wild herbs and potato

“Vension is found in abundance in Wiltshire. It is very lean and full of flavour. I think should be eaten more across the world. When I asked deer hunter Jamie Corry what his favourite way to cook vension was, I was very surprised to hear that he used the hangi cooking method, which orginated in New Zealand. Slow cooking the meat in the hot rock pit makes for a super tender result. Believe me, it’s worth the wait.” Luke Nguyen, Luke Nguyen's United Kingdom

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  4 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 venison haunch (hind leg), butterflied and scored
• 10 rashers streaky bacon
• 8 new season potatoes 
• 50 cm x 30 cm piece of muslin cloth

For the fire

• 11 Scottish rocks or volcanic stones
• good burning wood, such as hazel tree

 

Marinade

• 2 large handfuls wild garlic leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1 large handful stinging nettles, coarsely chopped
• 1 large handful elder leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1½ tsp juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 60 ml (¼ cup) deer or veal jus
• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

Preheating time 2 hours

Instructions

You need to start your fire about 2 hours ahead of time. Dig a hole in the ground large enough to completely bury the rocks and leg of venison. Place 5 of the stones in the pit, followed by the fire starters and the wood. Light the fire, then once it begins to smoke add the rest of the rocks and leave to heat for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, place the venison in a large baking tray. Combine the greens, crushed juniper berries, salt and pepper, then rub all over the venison and leave to marinate until the fire is ready.

Place 2 sheets of heavy-duty foil about 60 cm long on top of each other to make a double layer. Place 5 bacon rashers side by side and vertically in the centre of the foil, the place the remaining rashers side by side and horizontally on top to create a criss-cross pattern. Put the venison leg on top of the bacon and spread the marinade all over the top. Scatter the potatoes around the venison, then bring all four sides of the foil into centre and seal well. Take care not to make any holes, as you want to keep all the juices in.

Wet the muslin cloth, then wrap the whole foil parcel in the wet cloth. This helps prevent the meat burning during the long slow cooking time. Using protective gloves, take out 5 rocks out of the pit, then place the leg in the hole and cover with the hot rocks. Cover the rocks with soil, patting down the earth so no smoke can escape. This needs to now cook for a minimum of 4 hours. 

When the 4 hours has lapsed, dig up the top layer of soil - you should be able to see the steam coming up in puffs. Remove the rocks and the venison, then unwrap the meat and transfer to a platter. Serve with hot crusty bread.

Luke Nguyen's United Kingdom starts Thursday 14 May 2015 at 8pm on SBS ONE and finishes 2 July 2015. Visit the Luke Nguyen's United Kingdom website to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes or find out more about the show.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.