Anyone Smoked A Deer Loin?

I am curious to this as well and the girlfriend and I were just talking about it last night.. Have done them hot and fast as well as whole hindquarters on a rotisserie.

As you stated very lean probably need to be bacon wrapped and pulled about 125-130..

I agree about the bacon and keeping it pink in the center.

Another favorite of mine is to butterfly a loin, give it a quick cure, stuff and roll.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98794

I love venison and go through a lot of it. :grin:

I have done 1 I put a roast beef on it wrapped it in bacon and cooked at 250 until it was 140 internal pulled it double wrapped in foil and let rest in a cooler for about a hour. It came out very good not dry at all. I was a little nervous about drying it out but it worked out great was from medium to medium rare. I hope this helps.

We used to do hind quarters indirect on a tire rim. Cherry wood and whatever hot sauce we had. Bast, cook, flip, carve off whatever was done and eat. Repeat until gone.........mmmmmmmmmm

Did a whole hind quarter once. It was awesome. Only ever grilled the loins, so I'm interested to see how it turns out!

Firby13 said:

We used to do hind quarters indirect on a tire rim. Cherry wood and whatever hot sauce we had. Bast, cook, flip, carve off whatever was done and eat. Repeat until gone.........mmmmmmmmmm

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Wow, that almost sounds like shawarma. I bet that was good!

I have smoked a few on my kettle. 2/3 chimney of coals on one side with some chunks of wood of choice. I like pecan, cherry, or apple as my favs. Adjust vents for a temp of around 275. I like to baste with a little melted butter and freshly cracked pepper. Cook to an internal of about 130 and let it rest for ten minutes before cutting into it. They are good eating. If you like a little red wine with your meat, pull out a big California blend with some backbone.

I have an old weber kettle at my hunting camp and there are few things I like more than a rustic meal of venison off that old cooker. The setting, company and simplicity all must help the taste!

legendaryhog said:

Will wrapping it in bacon allow the smoke flavor to penetrate the meat? I've grilled (not bbq) one wrapped in bacon, which turned out fine. The last one I did, which was even better, was rolled in bacon grease (always got a can on the stove, poor arteries) then salt and pepper.

I'm wondering if a liberal coating of bacon grease might be the way to go.

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I am going against the grain of the advice you have received regarding the bacon and say this. I base this statement on years of experience cooking venison. Placing strips of bacon on venison does nothing to help the moistness of the interior of the meat. All it does is create a barrier on the venison to where it reduces the exposure of the meat to the smoke you are trying to put on the meat in the first place. The grease rendered by the bacon may keep the exterior of the meat moist, but that is all it does. It does not help the interior retain moisture whatsoever.

The main reason for venison being dry is being overcooked. Most steaks and roasts will dry out when they are cooked past medium or 150ºF. The internal temperature of 130ºF is a good target for rare and medium rare is about 140ºF.

This is the recipe I use for marinating backstrap or injecting hind quarters. If I am using this solution for an injection, I omit the vegetable oil. Also if I am using this for an injection, I will mix the ingredients the day before so the flavors meld. I then strain the solution so the needle will not clog when you are injecting. I use about one fluid ounce per pound of meat. I inject no more than four hours before cooking time. Any longer than four hours will turn the meat mushy before it even cooks. After injecting, I use a 50/50 combination of brisket rub and Montreal Steak Seasoning on the exterior of the meat.

Venison is best served no hotter than medium rare. Anything cooked over 150ºF will tend to be tough and dry. I prefer a finish temperature of 140ºF or lower. Cook the backstrap or hindquarter @ 250ºF until it hits an internal temperature of 140ºF. If you are just cooking backstrap, you can kick the heat up some. The last ten pound hindquarter I cooked took about 30 minutes per pound @250ºF to reach an internal temperature of 140ºF.

Once the meat hits 140ºF, I wrap the hindquarter in foil and add some Rick's Sinful Marinade inside the foil and let the meat rest for 30 minutes before slicing. You can substitute beef broth instead of the RSM.

Here is the injection recipe for the venison. I will also mention that this works good on lamb. Q'Sis first posted this recipe on the BBQ Forum.

From a thin paperback booklet, called, "The Barbecue & Smoker Cookbook, from the Kitchens of Southern Living"

Magnificent Marinade:

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. dry mustard
1 T. coarsely ground pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley


Rick's Sinful Marinade:

12 oz. can of beer
½ cup cider vinegar
½ Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon of beef base
1 tablespoon rub
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon MSG


Lager,

Juggy

Bacon, bacon, bacon....:clap::clap::clap:

I am going against the grain of the advice you have received regarding the bacon and say this. I base this statement on years of experience cooking venison. Placing strips of bacon on venison does nothing to help the moistness of the interior of the meat. All it does is create a barrier on the venison to where it reduces the exposure of the meat to the smoke you are trying to put on the meat in the first place. The grease rendered by the bacon may keep the exterior of the meat moist, but that is all it does. It does not help the interior retain moisture whatsoever.

The main reason for venison being dry is being overcooked. Most steaks and roasts will dry out when they are cooked past medium or 150ºF. The internal temperature of 130ºF is a good target for rare and medium rare is about 140ºF.

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This info is spot on.

The only time I cook Venison beyond this point is when it is corned or cooked as a pot roast.

Another point with Venison is that most people will not let it age long enough before butchering, But that is another conversation.....

Regards,
Steve

Yo Steve, I am in agreement about letting the meat age a little before butchering it. I have one buddy who used to let his deer hang two weeks or longer before he cut it up. It has been too hot to hang a deer very long most of these past five deer seasons here in Missouri. As for the corning of deer, I cook my venison pastrami to a temperature of 165ºF.

Now to answer LegendaryHogs question about cooking a hindquarter........ I trim what fat and tallow I can from the exterior of the hindquarter. I leave the full femur intact with the knobs on the end of the bone. The reason for this is the marrow from the bone that has been cut will give the meat a funky taste. When the roast is done, I will cut out the bone and cut the roasts into the individual muscles. This way I can cut each muscle across the grain, making the meat more tender to chew.

Lager,

Juggy

Just talking about smoking venison last night. Friends recipe was to butterfly (cut lengthwise) a loin. Add garlic, butter, cream cheese, & herb mixture to stuff the loin, tie with butcher string and put in oven at 325 for 20min.

We were talking about trying the same recipe on a smoker ... just need more venison now!