Best way to prepare Venison Back Straps?

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cigar smoker

Newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2009
22
10
New Hampshire
A buddy of mine gave me 2 large back straps that I thawed out and want to fix for a small gathering tonight. What is a good way to cook these? I see a lot of white membrane covering them. Should I remove this like on a rack of ribs or will it soften and be edible?
 
Yes I would remove as much as you can but don't go crazy or you will be making jerky with the strips of meat. Then I would just use salt, pepper and garlic on it and wrap it in bacon. The just smoke it about 230-240° or so till about 140-145° and you shpuld be fine.
 
I agree with mballi, keep it simple and be careful not to overcook them.

For some reason i find back straps tend to cook pretty fast.

I use a fillet knife to remove the white stuff you are talking about.

If you have two you may want to smoke one and grill one. on the grill I cut them into 1 1/2 thick streaks wrap with bacon and grill to med rare.
 
Marinade in milk a couple of hours, you will end up with less wild taste, so you get a more true meat taste and it will also be much more tender. If you are skeptical, just marinate one back strap and compare.
 
I don't know if you are just wanting ideas for the smoker or not.
Me, I would take the backstrap and slice medallions about 1/2 -3/4 inch thick.
Soak in buttermilk.
sautee onions and celery in a little oil till tender
remove from pan.
take medallions and drain ,dip medallions in seasoned flour and pan sear to brown. remove from pan add eaqual parts flour / oil and make a roux.
when roux is as dark as you like it add onions and celery back to pan .stir in and add hot water to make gravy. once you have gravy made ,add medallions back to pan . add some fresh mushrooms (optional ) cover and reduce heat to simmer . simmer for at least 30 min.
Sorry i don't have ammounts as this is one that i just add as i see fit.
 
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The membrane your talking about is called silver skin and yes i remove most if not all of it . I havent smoked any yet new to smoking, not venison though i usually just saute lightly in bacon drippings after i lightly salt and pepper them. In my expierence with venison two things come to mind first venison should always be served hot as it cools even the back straps get a strange feel in your mouth i always serve on heated plates as well.Second imho it is also served best no more than medium rare as you se there is no fat on the meat it dries out fast and thats when the gamey flavor comes in,
 
I made up a batch last week for dinner and is what I did was to sprinkle a dry rub over them in a tupperware container and left them in the fridge till the next afternoon then put them in a couple foil wraps and before sealing them up I dumped some homade Q sauce in there and sealed them up and cooked on indirect heat on the grill on low for 1/2 hour then flipped and another 1/2 hour and they were the tenderest most juicy and flavorful venison I've ever ate, and I've eaten alot of wild meat over the years, we hardly ever buy meat except for chicken.UM UMMMM goooood. Mike
 
frying it is always great. slice it about 1/4-1/3" thick tenderize it. season, batter and fry.

or take those slices, lay a jalepeno slice in the middle, roll it up, wrap a 1/2 piece of bacon around it and secure it on a kabob rod or with tooth picks. grill it till the bacon is done
 
I always butterfly my backstraps.  Just cut them about 2" apart and make steaks.  Slice the straps in 1/2 almost all the way down, but not so far.  Fold them apart and you have a beautifully butterflied steak that's almost twice the size and I'd steer away from the smoker and just grill very quickly with a little butter, garlic and rosemary. 

Enjoy!
 
Take a backstrap and either leave it whole or cut it in half, the remove all of the silve skin, this is a lot easier if it is still half frozen.

I season mine with garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper and a italian seasoning blend. I let it smoke for a half hour an then bring the heat up to about 325-350. I roll it rather than turn completly over 4 times over a 35--45 minute period so it cooks eavenly. You con decide how long to cook acording to how you like it done. I usually go medium, about 150*  I can not give you the exact recipe fo the gravy beacuase I do not remember but it includes bacon fat, milk, water flour, beef boullion nad spices.

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a956b8e6_HPIM0562.jpg
0fff71f3_HPIM0565.jpg
f8b765fe_HPIM0558.jpg
 
Take a backstrap and either leave it whole or cut it in half, the remove all of the silve skin, this is a lot easier if it is still half frozen.

I season mine with garlic salt, onion powder, black pepper and a italian seasoning blend. I let it smoke for a half hour an then bring the heat up to about 325-350. I roll it rather than turn completly over 4 times over a 35--45 minute period so it cooks eavenly. You con decide how long to cook acording to how you like it done. I usually go medium, about 150*  I can not give you the exact recipe fo the gravy beacuase I do not remember but it includes bacon fat, milk, water flour, beef boullion and spices.

73f561ae_HPIM0560.jpg
a956b8e6_HPIM0562.jpg
0fff71f3_HPIM0565.jpg
f8b765fe_HPIM0558.jpg
 
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