Deer Backstrap (Loin)

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Hey All,

So one of my customers is an avid hunter and I told him if he brought me some deer meat I'd hook him up with lunch. He finally came through and hooked me up with a nice looking piece of backstrap. It's frozen and looks like there's still some small sections of bone attached.

I have NEVER cooked venison in my life and I was looking for some solid recipes and advice. While I can definitely cook meat I tend to stick to the main BBQ cuts, so I'm very much a rookie in something like venison backstrap.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated. My intent is to smoke it, but if that's not the best way to go then I'm open to grilling, or even using a croc pot.

 

[robertm]

I've got one in the fridge and the other in the freezer from a hunt last weekend.

A lot of people like to cut into small medallions and chicken fry. I'll be doing that Sunday as it's my father in-laws favorite recipe.

Personally I prefer to cook whole on smoker. Here's my recipe that I've tinkered with over the years.

1) Clean all the silver skin off.
2) Submerge in milk bath for a few hrs.
3) Cover with your favorite rub (I like Zero to Hero)
4) Lay a nice fatty piece of bacon on top
4) Throw on the smoker around 250
5) Pull when it hits 120 and remove the bacon.
6) Slather some BBQ sauce on it and finish on high heat targeting 130. Will carry over to 135.
7) Rest for a good 10 min or so.
8 ) Cut same way you would a pork tenderloin

There's lot's of ways to do it. I've many happy eaters with the method above. The milk removes any gaminess and the bacon helps prevent the very lean meat from drying out.

Enjoy however you end up cooking!

 

[halfcocked]

I've always did it on the grill. Season the strap (whole) I use salt, pepper and complete seasoning. Wrap bacon around the strap spaced according to how thick you intend your medallions to be (obviously at least as thick as the bacon strip is wide, you will be cutting the medallions between the strips). Brown the meat on high heat, turning as needed to get the bacon done on all sides. Remove from grill and cut the medallions, quickly searing each piece on the cut side on high heat and finish grilling to desired doneness usually not more than a minute per side. Hopefully you will have prepared some Bernaise sauce (or have some store bought) 'cause it rocks with these little steaks.
P.S. Pin the bacon strips to the loin with toothpicks.

 

[creek bottom]

I just did one a few weeks ago from my son's buck. Make sure all silver skin and as much fat (there isn't much) is removed. I just rubbed a light coat of EVOO, hit it with SPOG, grilled direct on the Weber kettle to an IT of 130, rolling it often to sear all around. Sliced into medallions and my son and daughter's boyfriend devoured them. They were DELICIOUS!

 

[Pocchampion]

Have cooked backstrap since I was a kid. For my family, sous vide or grill to 125 max. Whitetail is super lean so backing off a few degrees helps with moisture. I have become a huge fan of Hardcore Carnivore Black seasoning and it is excellent on venison.

 

[jzadski]

The biggest thing is to not overcook and remove tallow. Shake in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder if desired. Fry in bacon grease :-D

 

[kevinstaggs]

A lot of people like to cut into small medallions and chicken fry.

+1 on the chicken fried medallions. Hard to beat.

 

[Peteg]

I agree with all of these. Another option, if you want to smoke it is to cook it just like brisket or pulled pork. If I do that I, season it with SPG and the cook it til it’s falling apart. Pull it all up and add some beef stock to it (just enough so that the meat soaks up the liquid, but not so much that it gets soggy). This is the key, because of how lean venison is. From there I serve it on sandwiches just like it’s brisket or pulled pork. Tastes a lot like brisket just less fat. All these are good options though good luck

 

[Harmony BBQ]

Best advice I could give is to not over think this one. As others have said, backstrap is very lean and doesn’t need a long cook time. Don’t over cook or it will get tough really quickly. If you like steaks cooked medium, cook the back strap to medium rare, etc. enjoy the meat, that was mighty nice of them to share it.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

Thanks everyone for the solid input. I think I'll cut it in half and smoke one half and grill the other.

@RobertM, thanks so much for the detailed recipe. I've never heard of marinating in milk but I'll give it a go this weekend and report back.

@PocChampion, I also love Hardcore Carnivore Black! I've been using it for a couple of years, and it FINALLY is in stock at my local Academy Sports!

 

[robertm]

Enjoy the heck out of it. It's a very special cut of meat.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[edmonds]

I would worry about it drying out in the smoker.
A fast grill over hot coals is a safer bet.
I leave the backstop whole, or cut in half if too long.
Then apply a smokey rub (brown sugar, paprika, chipotle, salt, pepper), and cook over coals turning every minute or so until medium rare.
I like to serve with a chimichuri.

Steve

 

[LloydQ]

A friend of mine makes what he calls duck ears. He cuts the loin into bite sized chunks, wraps in bacon, and marinates in Allegro Wild Game. He grills over direct heat, then hits with sauce right at the end. We fight over them.

 

[Swine Spectator]

My Cajun friends always cut medallions, then pound them out with a mallet. Batter them with egg wash and flour. "Chicken fry" and then serve them with Steen's Cane Syrup. Awesome.

David

 

[RandyNight]

You say it has some bone attached? If so it likely not backstrap. May be some frozen fat or tallow you are seeing? I have done them with a coffee rub along with other seasonings and fried in olive oil and butter in a cast iron skillet with garlic and rosemary just until a crust forms. Then grill until 130°.

 

[Ant67]

The key to grilling deer meat is to beat the meat flat before grilling. Makes a huge difference in tenderness.

 

[KSKYOTE]

I soak the loin overnight in milk and seasoning salt. Rinse, pat dry and butterfly lengthwise. Stuff with italian sausage and rub with your favorite rub and smoke. You have to take it to 160 because of the pork but good stuff

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

So the venison came out relatively tender, but I didn't enjoy the flavor. I utilized the "marinate in milk" method for a couple of hours, and then I wrapped in bacon and grilled it off until I hit 120° internal temp. The flavor was quite "earthy" and it just wasn't for me. My mother, on the other hand, absolutely loved it so she took home probably 2Lbs of deer meat.

Again, thanks to everyone who chimed in to help with this cook. I'll give it another try in the future and do "chicken fried" medallions and see how that turns out. Cheers!

 

[robertm]

A bummer you didn't like it. Sometimes that gamey flavor can be off putting. An older dear or one that's completely wild fed will have more gaminess. (As opposed to one that has access to protein/corn feeder).

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

A bummer you didn't like it. Sometimes that gamey flavor can be off putting. An older dear or one that's completely wild fed will have more gaminess. (As opposed to one that has access to protein/corn feeder).

Maybe I just needed to marinate it a bit longer? The texture was fantastic and it was very tender, but I'm guessing it was the gamey flavor which was off putting to me. Regardless thanks so much for all your input and I'll give it another try in the near future. The same customer is giving me some duck breast and a deer leg in the new year, so I'll keep on trying.