I see you say I can use 100% of other meats like turkey or wild game. Is there anything different I should do if I use 100% turkey to make this pepperoni?
Smoked Venison Backstrap - Recipe
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Jonathon Team Blue Admin Walton's Employee Power User Kansas Dry Cured Sausage last edited by JustinT
Smoked Venison Backstrap
Meat Block
3 lb of Venison Backstrap
Additives
Soluble Pa’s Black Bull BBQ Seasoning
Wild Game SeasoningProcess
We are going to inject it with our favorite injectable seasoning, Pa’s Black Bull and then we are going to rub the outside with Excalibur Wild Game Rub. Pa’s black bull has high amounts of sugar and molasses to help everything caramelize nicely and the wild game rub has just a hint of heat that should work well with it.
To inject this, we first need to mix up our soluble solution, so I have a pint of water here and I am going to dissolve 1.76 oz or 50 grams of Pa’s Black Bull into it. I am mixing for a long time because we want it all to suspend in the water so this will take a little bit of time. I’m using the Walton’s Automatic Syringe injector and I’m just going to pump it until it doesn’t seem like it will take anymore. Once the solution begins to leak back out of the injection holes we will know the meat has taken as much of the marinade as it can.
Marinating
Vacuum seal the backstrap and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to allow the seasoning to equalize in the meat. When vacuum sealing a piece of meat that you have injected, or are marinating, you need to watch the bag to make sure that water is not sucked up into the vacuum machine, as that can obviously create problems for the sealer. As soon as you see moisture start to get sucked to the opening of the bag hit the seal button on your vacuum sealer.
Rubbing
When it is finished marinating rub it liberally with the Wild Game Rub and make sure to fully cover all sides. With injecting and marinating it the Backstrap should be able to hold the rub on the outside easily. If it does not, you can add a light topical mustard rub to allow the seasoning to adhere.
Note
Now, we need to talk about proper cook temperatures. I know people are very picky when cooking venison. You’ve worked for the meat so you want the best taste you can get out of all that hard work. However, no matter how clean the deer was you should still be following standard food safety processes. That means cooking a whole muscle cut, like this, up to 145°.
Thermal Processing & Smoking
Stage 1 - Smoke at 200° until the internal temp reaches 145°
Cooling
Pull your Backstrap out of the smoker once it reaches 145° and let it “nap” under tin foil for 5 minutes to allow the juices to be absorbed back into the meat. If you skip this step you will see a lot of the juice leak out of the meat once you cut it, if you let it nap it will absorb back into the meat.
Additional Tips
- When choosing a marinade you should look for something that already contains some form of phosphates as this will help give you a juicier finished product
- When choosing a rub for the outside of the loin you should either choose a complimentary flavor or something that will offer a different but strong flavor, otherwise it is going to get lost in the marinade
Other Notes
I know a lot of you like to stop it well short of 145°, but it’s like wearing a seat belt, yes your car will start without you having it on but eventually, something is going to happen and that seat belt is going to keep you safe. Same thing with cooking to 145°, if you don’t, especially with wild game eventually you are going to give yourself food poisoning.
What Is Venison Backstrap?
Venison Backstrap is the tenderloin of a deer. These are highly prized as they are the most tender portion of the deer and work well with many different styles of cooking.
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Here is our favorite home recipe:
1-2 lbs of back strap
1 large onion (sliced into rings)
1 lb bacon
1/8 cup brown sugar
cracked pepperInstructions: Cut the tenderloins into 3/4" thick coins. Cook bacon in frying pan & set aside. Drain about 1/2 of bacon grease from the pan. Add the sliced onions & brown sugar & cook the onions until soft & light brown. Cut the bacon strips into squares. Add the back strap coins and bacon.season with black pepper. We like our back straps barely pink in the middle but cook to your preference. our cook time for the meat itself is usually only 10-12 minutes because of the coin thickness.
As simple as it seems, let me tell you, this recipe is hard to beat! And no, using bacon is not cheating because bacon is a seasoning, right?
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@kanevak
Have done something very similar. Cut in 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Wrapped in bacon and skewered. Seasoned with whatever you like and grilled over charcoal or open wood coals. Left on long enough to char the bacon. Wonderful.
.Have you taken the inside loins and done the same thing? Our ritual is when we get a deer. Those tender loins are what we fry up and stab with a toothpick from a fry pan with butter and onions. Same day as harvest. Excellent!
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PapaSop Yes, we use the same recipe for the inner loins as well. Honestly, I can remember any time that I had a steak at any fancy restaurant that was better than venison tenderloin.
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“Venison Backstrap is the tenderloin of a deer.”
With this being said, then what the heck is the tenderloin called then?
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processhead Power User Regular Contributors Smoker Build Expert Bowl Choppers Nebraska Veteran Team Camo last edited by
HerbcoFood said in How to Make Venison Backstrap:
“Venison Backstrap is the tenderloin of a deer.”
With this being said, then what the heck is the tenderloin called then?
We refer to them as hanging tenders or tenderloin, vs backstrap for the eye of the loin.
Paul
- How hard can it be?
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processhead Pretty interesting.
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I always thought the back strap was the equivalency of the ribeye
️ Or is the loin the primal that ribeyes come from 
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ND Mike Big Green Egg Team Blue Regular Contributors Cast Iron Power User North Dakota last edited by
To me, the loin is the backstrap and the tenderloin is the tiny little tasty morsel on the inside of the cavity. Those get cut out right away in our hunting party.
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Don’t make me go all geek on you and start naming the muscles, origin, insertions, blood supply and innervation ROFLMAO!!
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Tenderloins are on the inside, beneath the suet fat and kidney. The backstrap refers to the back muscles along the spine. This cut contains what would be separated on a beef into the loin (new York strip) and ribeye. Hanging tender is an entirely separate piece of meat. It is a muscle on the inside that is attached to the diagram. Unlike the other muscles that are found on both sides of an animal (meaning there are 2 of each muscle on a carcass), there is only 1 hanging tender on an animal due to it being centrally located.
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Dr_Pain Ribeye comes from the rib primal or plate which is connected to the loin primal. Because of the size difference, the loin and ribeye are usually left connected on deer. Therefore, backstrap is both loin and ribeye. Ribeye being the portion along the ribs and loin being after the ribs and before the hip bone.
@deepwoodsbutcher on Instagram
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Deepwoodsbutcher said in How to Make Venison Backstrap:
Dr_Pain Ribeye comes from the rib primal or plate which is connected to the loin primal. Because of the size difference, the loin and ribeye are usually left connected on deer. Therefore, backstrap is both loin and ribeye. Ribeye being the portion along the ribs and loin being after the ribs and before the hip bone.
That’s a great explanation. Thanks for the details. It makes perfect sense now
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Well anyway, the perfect way to cook backstrap is to the IT of 129°, if you aren’t going to be chicken frying it.
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bocephus Team Orange Power User Canning Masterbuilt Regular Contributors Veteran New Mexico Sous Vide Gardening last edited by
Jonathon Grilled lightly seasoned with steak and roast seasoning.
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bocephus Lightly salted, Coarse Pepper pounded in, on both sides, grilled on very hot coals quickly, buttered & rested. Deeeeelicious!
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cdavis Masterbuilt Canning Kamado Joes Regular Contributors Power User Sous Vide Oklahoma Team Camo last edited by
Deepwoodsbutcher very well explained.
Thank you sir -
cdavis I’m a woman, but you very welcome.
@deepwoodsbutcher on Instagram
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cdavis said in How to Make Venison Backstrap:
Deepwoodsbutcher very well explained.
Thank you sirMA’AM!! -
Dr_Pain
No worries!@deepwoodsbutcher on Instagram
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