BBQ Pulled Venison Neck

Method:

Preheat oven to 160C. Heat a large oven proof dish or pot over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Cook onion and garlic until soft. Add BBQ sauce (we used the Beerenberg Sticky Rib Sauce), chicken stock and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer.

Add meat. You can cut it into 3×3 inch chunks but I just leave it whole and make sure its covered with the sauce. Cover with a lid and place in the oven to cook for a minimum of 4-6 hours until meat can be pulled apart with a fork.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and shred the meat using two forks. Mix coleslaw ingredients in a large mixing bowl and serve together. The meat and coleslaw is perfect on slider buns which you can buy or make yourself (recipe below).

Slider buns

Ingredients:

350ml of warm water (approx. 46C)
2 tsp instant or active dry yeast
Tbsp honey or white sugar
4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil

Method:

If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, mix the warm water, yeast and honey (or sugar) in the mixing bowl. Let stand for about 5 mins then check if the mixture has started to froth. This means that the yeast has activated and your bread will rise. If the mixture has no froth on top (it doesn’t have to be a huge amount), you might need to check your yeast mixture. See below for some common yeast issues and how to fix them.

Add the salt, oil and 2 cups of the flour. Mix using the dough hook on low/medium speed. Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of flour. Continue kneading the dough using the dough hook on a low/medium speed for about 10 mins.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, use the same process using a normal mixing bowl and then kneading by hand on a lightly floured bench. You’ll just have to knead for a little longer if doing it by hand (around 15 mins).

Once the dough has been kneaded, place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. You’ll need a nice warm spot to let it rise. You could place it on top of the fridge on a warm day or in the cupboard with the water heater/by the wood heater on a cool day. I often heat the oven to 180C then sit the bowl on the stove top. Let rise until it has doubled in size (approx. 1 hour to 1.5 hour).

Once your dough has doubled in size, lightly punch the air out of the centre of the dough. Shape the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place in a lined or oiled baking tray leaving a little space between each bun. Let rise in a warm spot again until doubled in size (40 min to an hour). Preheat oven to 180C.

Brush buns with a little milk and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds (optional) then place in preheated oven until golden brown on top and hollow to tap. The time will depend on your oven, the size of your buns and the type of tray you use (metal trays transfer heat better so will cook quicker) but it takes approx. 15-20 mins.