Smoked venison loin

Preparation:

• Crush/mortar the salt, sugar and lavender flowers in a mortar.
• Rub the venison loin evenly on all sides with this mixture.
• Wrap in several layers of cling film, place in a cling bag and marinate in a cool place for about 3 to 4 hours, turning a little every half hour.
• When the fillet has lost about a quarter of its weight in liquid, remove from the foil, rinse thoroughly under running water and then pat dry with a clean cloth.
• Leave to mature open - not covered - on a grid over a draining container (in an odorless refrigerator) for several days, regularly removing any liquid that has drained off and removing any dirt on the outside of the fillet with a cloth moistened with vinegar.
• Taste a small piece of edge every day. As soon as the meat tastes like good raw game ham, it can be smoked.
• To do this, spread the sawdust on the bottom of a large pot (with a lid). Place an "insulating layer" of loosely crumpled aluminum foil on top. Place a metal bowl filled with ice cubes on top. Place a layer of aluminum foil on top and place the fillet pieces on top. Cover the pot with a suitable lid and heat on the stove until the chips start to smoke.
• Heat the pan for three quarters of an hour, alternating between heating and removing from the heat, so that the smoke is nice but the contents are heated as little as possible. Turn the meat on the "bed of ice" from time to time. After the last pass, remove from the heat, cover and leave to stand for a further half hour.
• Remove the pieces of meat, wrap in cling film and leave to rest refrigerated for another day.

Dressing:
Cut into thin slices with a sharp knife or a slicer and finish with watercress and olive oil.