Stop Destroying Your Deer Meat! How to Perfectly Cook Venison Backstrap

Stop Destroying Your Deer Meat! How to Perfectly Cook Venison Backstrap

Venison is renowned for its rich, gamey flavor, a result of its lean nature and wild diet. Unlike farm-raised animals, deer graze on a variety of natural vegetation, including shrubs, grasses, and herbs, which imparts a more pronounced, earthy flavor to the meat. The lack of fat marbling in venison also intensifies this flavor, as there’s less fat to mellow out the taste. While some people enjoy the strong flavor, others may find it overwhelming. To balance or cover the gamey taste, it’s essential to use methods that complement or neutralize these bold flavors, such as marinating, seasoning with robust herbs, infusing fats, or pairing it with flavorful sauces.

Venison Backstrap: A Delicate Cut with Great Potential

The backstrap is one of the most prized cuts of venison. It’s a lean, tender, and nutrient-packed piece of meat that, if cooked correctly, can be a real culinary delight. However, cooking venison backstrap can be tricky for many. Wild game often becomes everyone’s Achilles’ heel in the kitchen because it’s so easy to dry out or overcook, leaving it tough, dry, and overly gamey. In fact, many cooks end up ruining the meat by cooking it too long or using excessive heat, stripping away all the nutrients and flavor.

Here are two of our prefered methods to cook venison backstrap. Give this a try and let us know how yours turns out.

Venison Brine Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups (1 quart) water
• ¼ cup kosher salt (or 3 tbsp table salt)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• Fresh herbs (or 1–2 tsp dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, or parsley) (For dry herbs, grind them to a fine powder using a coffee or spice grinder)

Instructions:

1. In a pot, combine 2 cups of water, salt, black peppercorns, and fresh or dried herbs, along with sliced garlic.
2. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the salt and herbs dissolve and the aromas from the herbs, peppercorns, and garlic are activated.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 cups of cold water to cool the brine (you can add ice for a quicker cool down, but keep in mind it may alter the water amount).
4. Once the brine has cooled, pour it over the meat in a container or zip-top bag.
5. Refrigerate and brine for 8–12 hours.
6. Deer Meat (Backstrap, Whole or Half Cut): 8–12 hours of brining for optimal flavor.

Smoked Venison Backstrap (The Fun Way)

Pre-heat Smoker:

• Fire up your smoker to 275°F – 300°F.
• Use hardwoods like oak, hickory, or mesquite for an authentic flavor.

Season:

• Place the pre-brined venison cut in a small aluminum pan (uncovered).
• Season with your favorite steak and all-purpose seasoning.
• Apply a light coat of Worcestershire sauce (blend with soy sauce if desired) and let rest for 15 minutes or longer.
• Apply a light coat of olive oil (before placing on the pit but after letting the meat sweat a little without olive oil).

Smoking:

1. Smoke the venison uncovered until its internal temperature reaches 65°F. *Cook time varies depending on the size of the venison cut.
2. Once the temperature reaches 65°F, cover the venison and continue smoking until it reaches:
   • 120°F (rare)
   • 130°F-135°F (medium-rare)

• Rare venison backstrap should reach an internal temperature of 120–125°F (49–52°C). Let the meat rest for 15–30 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.
• Medium-rare venison backstrap should reach an internal temperature of 130°F to 135°F (54°C to 57°C). Rest for 15–30 minutes after cooking to ensure tenderness and juiciness.

Resting:

• After removing from the heat source, keeping it covered store the venison in a cooler or insulated location for at least 30 minutes.

Slice:

• Slice against the grain for tenderness and serve with your favorite sides, and topped with homemade chimichurri.

Grilled Venison

Preparation:

• Remove from Brine
• Let the venison backstrap sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes.
• Pat it dry with paper towels.

Seasoning:

• Generously season with salt and pepper, or use your favorite steak and all-purpose seasoning.
• Let the meat rest after seasoning without olive oil.
• Just before cooking, brush both sides with olive oil (apply seasoning before oil, never oil the meat before seasoning).

Preheat the Grill:

• Heat the grill to high (450–500°F). For charcoal grills, wait until the coals are ashed over.

Grilling:

1. Place the venison on the grill and sear for 2–3 minutes per side for rare or 4–7 minutes for a medium to medium-well finish.
2. Move to indirect heat to finish cooking until the internal temperature is reached.

Cooking Temps:

• Rare: 2–3 minutes (120–125°F)
• Medium-Rare: 3–4 minutes (130–135°F)
• Medium: 4–5 minutes (140–145°F)
• Medium-Well: 5–6 minutes (150–155°F)
• Well Done: NEVER cook well done (unless you prefer eating cardboard).

Resting:

• Remove and wrap in foil immediately.
• Wrap the venison backstrap in foil and let it rest for 15–30 minutes before slicing. This locks in the juices.

Serving:

• Slice against the grain and enjoy! Serve with some homemade chimichurri.

Both of these methods respect the power of the venison backstrap—preserving its nutrients and delivering a tender, flavorful experience. Whether you’re in the mood for a more adventurous marinade or just need something quick and satisfying, you can enjoy venison at its best without compromising the integrity of the meat.

Special thanks to Michael for sharing his personal wild game recipe with us. While he didn’t take home a top prize, he certainly proved himself by placing 14th (Xtreme Texas Cookers #2) in the Wild Game category at the TAFR Charity Wild Game Cook-Off, competing against 63 team entries. This achievement is especially impressive since it was his first time participating in a cook-off competition. We think that’s something worth celebrating with him!

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