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    Home » Recipes » venison » How to Cook Venison Backstrap

    Published: Nov 12, 2022 · Modified: Apr 23, 2023 by Sarah Baumeister · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    How to Cook Venison Backstrap

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Cast iron seared venison backstrap is coated in a flavorful dry rub and then cooked until medium rare in a skillet. If you are looking for an easy way to prepare the best cut of deer meat, this is your answer! Perfect for a weeknight dinner or special occasion. 

    sliced backstrap with mashed potatoes.

    Hunting season is upon us and and if you're like me, you are hoping your freezer is about to get restocked with lots of deer meat! My husband is going deer hunting in just over a few week and I already have plans for the wild game we both hope he will bring home. 

    My father in law used to be a butcher, which is a great blessing to us, because it means he completely breaks down the deer for us and prepares all different cuts from ground, to roasts, to backstraps. Ground deer meat is one of my favorites because of its versatility to use in almost any recipe that calls for ground beef with a few modifications. But venison backstraps? Those are the cream of the crop and most people's favorite cut!

    This is a recipe for easy venison backstrap that you with surely enjoy whether you are a seasoned venison lover or new to cooking with deer meat!

    sliced deer meat on a wooden cutting board.

    What is venison backstrap?

    The backstrap is the meat that runs along the spine of the deer. There are two backstraps per deer. This cut of venison is often prized as the best of the lot. This cut of meat is incredibly tender and is compared to the filet mignon of the deer. 

    Ingredients

    ingredients to season venison backstrap on a white background.
    • Venison backstrap (sometimes called venison inner strap or venison tenderloin) 
    • olive oil
    • onion powder
    • dried thyme leaves
    • paprika
    • sea salt

    Best way to cook venison backstrap

    Because venison is so lean and easy to over cook, I find the best way to cook it is either on high heat very quickly or using sous vide method so there is complete temperature control. These instructions for cooking venison backstrap are simple to follow and don't require any special tools or skills.

    Begin by taking your deer backstrap out of the fridge and placing it out on the counter to come up to room temperature. This is a very important step to make sure you are able to cook venison backstraps to rare or medium rare without having them be over cooked on the outside and completely raw in the middle. 

    dry rub spices in a small green bowl.
    dry rub spices mixed together.

    Once the meat is at room temperature, pat dry with paper towels and coat liberally with oil. Combine spices for dry rub and press spice mixture into the deer meat until fully coated.

    green bowl pouring oil on to meat.
    process of covering meat with dry rub.
    venison rubbed with oil and spices.

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

    Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat. Place seasoned backstrap on to the hot skillet and brown. The goal is a nice deep sear, cook for 2-3 minutes per side, only touching the meat to flip it.

    venison backstrap searing in a cast iron skillet.

    Once seared, place in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes to cook deer backstrap to desired doneness level. Remove from the oven when the internal temperature of the meat reaches between 120 and 125 degrees fahrenheit. 

    Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. The meat will continue cooking and rise 5-10 degrees during this time. 

    Slice rested meat and enjoy your perfectly cooked venison tenderloin!

    backstrap resting on a wooden board.
    sliced deer meat on a wooden cutting board.

    more ways to cook venison backstrap

    • marinated
    • smoked
    • grilled
    • oven baked
    • sous vide (my personal favorite!)

    Temperature for cooking deer meat 

    While certain cuts of deer meat, like ground venison, are a little more forgiving, the back straps are something you definitely want to have on the rare side. Because venison is so lean, cooking it to more than medium-rare will run you the risk of the meat being tough.

    But rare to medium rare venison backstrap, that cuts like butter and will absolutely melt in your mouth. So tender!

    When preparing, cook to an internal temperature of 120-125 degrees which will allow the venison to carryover cook a few degrees and settle because 130-135. 

    sliced venison tenderloin plated with mashed potatoes.

    How to Serve

    Serve this easy venison tenderloin like you would serve a delicious pot roast or beef tenderloin. I love it simply prepared with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes and a veggie like peas or steamed broccoli. I also love it with this classic potato salad recipe.

    more venison backstrap recipes 

    • sous vide venison tenderloin
    • venison medallions 
    sliced venison backstrap with potatoes.
    sliced venison with mashed potatoes.

    How to Cook Venison Backstrap

    Sarah Baumeister
    Learn how to cook venison backstrap simply by coating it in a dry rub and searing in a cast iron skillet until perfectly cooked.
    4.73 from 18 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course venison
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 209 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb. venison backstrap
    • 1 tbsp. olive oil
    • 1 tbsp. onion powder
    • ½ tbsp. paprika
    • 1 tbsp. flaky sea salt
    • 1 tsp. dried thyme

    Instructions
     

    • Begin by taking your deer backstrap out of the fridge and placing it out on the counter to come up to room temperature. This is a very important step to make sure you are able to cook venison backstraps to rare or medium rare without having them be over cooked on the outside and completely raw in the middle. 
    • Once the meat is at room temperature, pat dry with paper towels and coat liberally with oil. Combine spices for dry rub and press spice mixture into the deer meat until fully coated.
    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
    • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat. Place seasoned backstrap on to the hot skillet and brown. The goal is a nice deep sear, cook for 2-3 minutes per side, only touching the meat to flip it.
    • Once seared, place in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes to cook deer backstrap to desired doneness level. Remove from the oven when the internal temperature of the meat reaches between 120 and 125 degrees fahrenheit. 
    • Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. The meat will continue cooking and rise 5-10 degrees during this time. 
    • Slice rested meat and enjoy your perfectly cooked venison tenderloin!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 209kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 35gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1811mgFiber: 1g
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Hi, I'm Sarah! I am a wife, mother, and believer. I have been cooking since I could stand and am excited to share my love for being in the kitchen with all of you. You will find a variety of recipes here from healthy family dinners, to ways to prepare venison, to soups, to baked goods, we love it all!

    Learn more about me →

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