Lean wild meat. Medium-rare is the ceiling.
Bacon-wrapped venison backstrap
Weekend · 40–55 min · Oak or cherry
- Time
- 40–55 min
- Pit
- 350°
- Wood
- Oak or cherry
- Serves
- 4–6
Butterfly the loin, a simple stuffing, bacon wrap for the fat it does not have. 350°F until 125–130°F. Well-done venison is a warning label.
Cook-along
Watch it cooked
The method on this page is ours. The video is the pitmaster walking the same cook.
Stuffed Venison Backstrap
HowToBBQRight
Ingredients
Backstrap
- 1 whole venison backstrap, silver skin off
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 6 slices bacon, crumbled, plus 8 more for wrapping
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- Parsley, salt, pepper
Method
- 1
Trim silver skin. Butterfly the backstrap down its length, not all the way through.
- 2
Sauté onion and mushrooms. Cool. Mix with cream cheese, crumbled bacon, parsley, salt, pepper.
- 3
Stuff, close, wrap with bacon, seam-side down. Season the outside.
- 4
Pit 350°F until 125–130°F internal. The bacon should be browned.
- 5
Rest 8 minutes. Slice into 1-inch medallions.
Whole-muscle venison is often eaten at 125–130°F. Ground venison is 160°F.
No stuffing? Reverse-sear like a filet: 225°F to 115°F, hard sear, same pull.
