Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best way to cook venison back strap...

I usually buttefly mine but this year decided to cut them in half before freezing.

What is the best way to marinate and grill them without drying them out?

I have know idea what the best way is but marinated in Italian dressing and thrown on the grill cooked to medium rare is never bad.

no marinade. And I used to use marinade for years.

some olive oil, salt, fresh pepper and sear quickly . let rest 10 min serve med rare or rare. you can throw some butter on while resting.

keep it simple

Garlic and butter and onion

I do mine very simply. Salt and pepper to taste. Get a cast iron skillet ripping hot. Add a pat of butter. Sear 3 min or so per side. Let rest 10 minutes and enjoy.

Plus 1 as far as what others have said. Cut it into small pieces so that it cooks fast to no more than medium rare. It doesn’t have the marble fat that beef has. Over cooking it is the best way to ruin it.

Over charcoal, bacon wrapped around it if to dry, medium rare, no marinade ever.

I put mine on the smoker, sometimes with marinade the last few times without. Season a little and put it on at 220 for 2 hours or so. Absolutely amazing.

Marinade in Italian dressing.
Take a small piece, place a jalapeño slice. Fold over and wrap with bacon. Stick a tooth pick to keep it together.

Season with Tony’s., Cavenders.

Grill to medium.

Yummy.

There are countless great ways to cook it. Coming up with the absolute best is impossible. Anyway you would cook a prime piece of beef works for venison back strip. The only thing is to never overcook. I love fajitas and stir fry. For a good marinade, I will sometimes pour olive oil into a gallon freezer bag along with garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary. Put whole piece of back strip in and marinate a few hours. I usually cut back strips in half or thirds depending on the size of the deer. They are usually around 1.5 lb pieces. Preheat oven to 425. While oven is preheating, put a cast iron skillet on the stove and get it white hot. Throw the back strip in the pan and sear for a couple minutes on each side to get a good crust. Throw the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Pull it out and put the meat on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice thin.

Drizzle with a Port Wine reduction add a side of sweet potato hash and a nice pino noir.

Cooked some the other day. Cut into medallions, added a little salt and pepper. Used a 120 year old Griswold skillet. First sautéed some bell pepper and onion in olive oil for flavor. Then smeared the medallions with butter and seared them on both sides. Removed them and let sit before serving. Soft as butter, very juicy.

Grill no less than 550 degrees.

Deer back-straps chunked into no more than 4 pieces.

Bathe meat chunks @ room temp in either olive oil or melted butter. Salt, pepper, or whatever rub you like in beef steak.

With the grill @ 550+, flop the meat on the grill, close the cover. 90-120sec depending on the flare-up. Embrace the flare up. Flip, 60-90 sec.

Insert temp probe. Move meat to indirect heat. Either oven, turn off some burners of the grill, or move the meat/charcoal apart. Leave the top Of the grill/oven closed. You don’t need to look at it or “poke it” to see if it’s done. The temp probe tell you more than your eyes or finger can.

Pull the meat off the heat @ 120 internal temp and tent under tin-foil for ~10min.

Salt, pepper and dried in the oven

This is the way.

here is what i do with almost any cut of deer meat that is not made into burger. backstraps are great for this but roast meat works good too.

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup teryaki
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you want a little heat)

heat in a pan to mix and let it cool. then cut meat into 2 inch square chunks and marinate overnight in a freezer bag with 1/2 the marinade.

next day, take out of marinade and bring used marinade to a boil. put meat on skewers and cook on campfire or grill while basting with used, boiled marinade.

use unused marinade for a dipping sauce.

What the hell is all this medium, medium-rare crap? If you go past rare, you ruined it!!!

We do a real quick sear also, just salt/pepper.


As with beef steaks, let it sit out for a couple of hours and assume room temp before you cook.

I agree and I will go one better. I know I am boring, but I don't care for any marinade seasoning on ANYTHING. Salt something, you taste salt. Pepper something and you taste pepper. I want to taste the FOOD I am eating.

Often overlooked!