The Best Venison Backstrap Recipes

I ate a lot of venison when I was a kid. Any recipe that could be made with beef, my mother made with deer meat — hamburgers, spaghetti sauce, pot roast, and more. However, she didn’t ever get too creative with venison backstraps. Although she realized they were a prized piece of meat, she mostly over-cooked them in a frying pan and then smothered them with gravy. 

When I started harvesting my own deer, it felt like preparing a delicious meal was the best way to honor the animal. WIth a little culinary research and some experimentation in the kitchen, I learned that there are far tastier venison backstrap recipes for turning this prime cut into a meal. Here are some of my favorite ways to prepare a venison backstrap. These recipes were refined with whitetail meat, but they also work well for any big game animal. 

What is a Venison Backstrap?

The backstrap is a super lean and tender strip of meat that runs along a deer’s spine, stretching from the shoulder blades to the last vertebra. There are two backstraps, one on each side of the spine. Each one will weigh 1 to 3 pounds depending on the size of the deer. 

The backstrap of a deer is equivalent to ribeye and filet mignon cuts from cattle. However, venison backstraps are much leaner than beef ribeye. It is a coveted cut of meat best served medium rare (between 130 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit). When cooked to a higher temp than that, the meat quickly turns from tender and juicy to dry and chewy. 

When it comes off the deer, the backstrap is covered in a layer of connective tissue often referred to as “silver skin.” When exposed to heat, the silver skin becomes very tough. Remove the silver skin before cooking. Here’s how: 

Super-Simple Backstrap Steaks

Because backstrap is such an inherently delicious and tender cut of meat, it doesn’t really need any elaborate preparations. Sometimes simple is better. It lets the natural taste really shine through. You could even serve just the steaks alone without the mushrooms and onions. 

Ingredients

• ½  backstrap, trimmed and sliced against the grain into ¾-inch thick steaks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion, thinly sliced

Directions

• Sprinkle room temperature steaks with salt, pepper, and paprika.
• Melt butter in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. 
• When butter is hot and slightly brown, add steaks, making sure steaks do not touch.
• Sear steaks for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. 
• Remove from the pan.
• Add onions, mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan. 
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until onions are tender and slightly browned. Add more butter if necessary to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the pan as they cook. 
• Serve steaks topped with mushrooms and onions. 

Bacon-Wrapped Backstrap with Blackberry Sauce Recipe

Little-known fact: Venison and blackberries make a dynamic duo that is easily on par with grilled cheese and tomato soup, cookies and cream, and even the iconic peanut butter and jelly. 

Ingredients

• 1 8-inch section of trimmed backstrap
• 12 ounces regular sliced bacon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 ounces blackberries, fresh or frozen (plus more if you want some for garnish)
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Backstrap Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Lay out plastic wrap to create a 2-foot square.
• Lay overlapping strips of bacon on the plastic wrap. 
• Sprinkle backstrap with salt and pepper on all sides.
• Place backstrap on edge of your laid-out bacon. Use the plastic wrap to help wrap the bacon around the backstrap, stretching the bacon as you go.
• For best results, chill wrapped backstrap in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours (or overnight). This will help bacon “stick” to the backstrap, keeping it in place while it cooks. 
• Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add backstrap to the pan seam side down. Cook for two minutes, then gently roll the backstrap around in the pan to brown all sides. 
• Transfer backstrap to a cookie sheet. Place in a pre-heated oven. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees (approximately 15 minutes). 
• Remove from the oven and let rest on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. 

Blackberry Sauce Directions

• Drain oil from the cast iron pan you used to brown the bacon-wrapped backstrap. 
• Add blackberries, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and sugar to the pan and cook over medium heat. 
• Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash berries and mix the ingredients together. 
• When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-17 minutes until well reduced.
• Spoon over backstrap slices and garnish with fresh berries. 

Venison Wellington Recipe

You can really fancy-fy your venison backstrap recipe with this twist on traditional Wellington. The process is long, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Serve with roasted potatoes and winter veggies.

This recipe is relatively complicated and has lots of steps. If it seems confusing, check out this step-by-step guide to beef Wellington by Gordon Ramsey. We’re essentially doing the same thing—but with venison and without the accent.

Ingredients

Venison

• 1 whole backstrap, trimmed of silver skin and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Dijon mustard

Duxelles (AKA mushroom layer)

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 large shallot
• 1 cloves garlic
• 1 pound baby portobello mushrooms
• ¾  teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt

Other ingredients

Puff Pasty

• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Make the Duxelles

1. Chop mushrooms, shallot, and garlic until very fine. A food processor works well. 
2. Heat butter in the same cast iron skillet over medium heat.
3. Add mushroom mixture, thyme, salt, and pepper to skillet once the butter is hot.
4. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until moisture has mostly evaporated, stirring occasionally. 
5. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Prepare the Backstrap

1. Pat backstrap dry with paper towels.
2. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Melt butter in a cast iron skillet.
4. Sear backstrap, about 1 minute on each side
5. Remove from the pan and brush all over with Dijon mustard.
6. Set aside to cool.

Wrapping the Backstrap

1. Lay out prosciutto on two pieces of plastic wrap. The prosciutto should overlap so there are no gaps. 
2. Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over both prosciutto arrangements.
3. Brush each piece of cooled backstrap with Dijon mustard, then place each piece at the bottom of a prosciutto rectangle. 
4. Use the plastic wrap to wrap the prosciutto tightly around each piece of backstrap. Twist each end shut.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 25 minutes, preferably overnight. 

Assembling the Wellington

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface to flatten. 
3. Remove prosciutto-wrapped backstrap from plastic wrap and place in the center of the puff pastry, running corner to corner.
4. Fold opposing corners up and over the backstrap and then fold remaining corners to cover the meat.
5. Beat together egg and 1 tablespoon of water.
6. Brush the pastry package with egg wash. 
7. Slice two or three slits on top of pastry to allow steam to escape.
8. Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. 
9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Other Delicious Venison Backstrap Recipes

Read Next: Best Deer Heart Recipes

Final Thoughts on Cooking Venison Backstrap

The key to any delicious venison backstrap recipe is to not overcook. Although the loin is naturally tender and juicy, it can turn tough and dry in a hurry with too much exposure to heat. The best venison backstrap will still be plenty pink in the middle.

 

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