You can transform a venison neck roast from tough to tender by cooking it low-and-slow in your smoker. The meat in the neck is typically moist and flavorful, but less tender than other cuts such as sirloins or rump roasts. After smoking the roast, you can slice and serve it, or shred the meat to create pulled venison for barbecue-style sandwiches, tacos and more. Smoking your venison roast is surprisingly effective while requiring minimal effort and preparation since you don't even need to debone the roast.
Drizzle cooking oil over the venison neck roast before rubbing it with salt and black pepper. Although you can keep the seasonings simple to let the flavors of the smoke and venison shine, you can also use this opportunity to bump up the flavor profile by rubbing the roast with your favorite herbs, spices or dry rub.
Put the roast in a resealable plastic bag or wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 12 hours.
Remove the roast from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. This helps the interior and exterior of the roast cook more evenly.
Remove the roast from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Transfer it to a plate or platter and let it warm to room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. This helps the interior and exterior of the roast cook more evenly. While the roast is warming up, preheat your smoker to 200 or 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the roast in your smoker and let it cook for 6 to 8 hours, or until the meat is tender -- but doesn't fall off the bone.
Lay out two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place the roast in the center. Pour barbecue sauce, or your favorite basting sauce, over the roast and tightly wrap it in foil.
Return the roast to the smoker for 3 to 4 hours. When the meat is fully cooked, the meat should fall right off the bone and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part will read 160 degrees F.