This month, we are spotlighting Legendary Whitetails Ambassador Joe Keckeisen. Over the holidays, he prepared a venison-inspired version of a traditional Al Capone roast, and was kind enough to share the recipe!
One thing I like doing is taking great recipes that contain beef or pork and replacing it with venison. This recipe is exactly that. A local butcher makes this outstanding roast that he has been selling for years. I just replaced the beef tenderloin with a venison backstrap and some of my venison Italian sausage (recipe soon to come) instead of traditional all pork Italian sausage.
I came across several variations of this roast on the Internet that use different ingredients and several Italian seasonings. This is my variation, of which there are rarely leftovers. You’ll want to make sure you have a few tools in your arsenal before starting. You’ll need butchers string, a very sharp chef’s knife, and a smoker, preferably, to cook the roast. If you don’t have one, you can do this in the oven, but the cook time will change.
Once everything is assembled, this roast will be 4-6 lbs depending on the size of the pork loin. This roast may take some time, but it’s well worth the wait!
It will take you about 20 minutes of preparation, before letting the prepped roast refrigerate overnight. Your actual smoking time will take about 4-5 hours. Because it is a bit of a longer process, this is the perfect recipe for a family gathering or ending of a laid back weekend.
Cooking Time
4-5 hours of smoking, after refrigerating overnightIngredients
- 2-3 lb. boneless pork loin
- 1/2 of a venison backstrap
- Venison Italian sausage (or traditional Italian sausage if you don’t have any)
- 1/2 lb. of hard salami
- 1/2 lb. of fresh mozzarella cheese
- BBQ pork rub
Directions
- On a large cutting board, cut the pork loin lengthwise, about 1/2″ from the bottom. Stop cutting about 1/2″ before cutting all the way through. Roll the upper part of the loin over and continue the process until you have a 1/2″ thick piece of pork.
- Repeat step 1 with your venison backstrap and lay it on top of the pork.
- Flatten Italian sausage to about 1/4″ thick pieces and place on top of the venison. Then take pieces of fresh mozzarella and place them all over the sausage. Next, place a layer of pepperoni over the cheese, before finishing with a layer of hard salami.
- Cut several pieces of butcher string about 18-20″ long. Slip the pieces of string under the entire roast, evenly spaced, making sure there are enough pieces to hold the roast together.
- Roll roast like a sleeping bag, preferably getting another pair of hands involved in this step. Once you start rolling, some ingredients may fall out of the ends, which is normal. Tie each piece of string, securing everything together.
- Generously rub down the exterior of the roast with your favorite BBQ pork rub. Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
- After warming smoker to 200 degrees, place the roast inside with a cooking thermometer inserted into the middle. Smoke until the internal temperature is at 155 degrees (usually after 5-6 hours), then remove from the smoker. If you are using an oven, you will have to adjust the temperature and time.
- After letting it rest for 5 minutes, serve by slicing the roast in 1/2″ thick slices.
