OT: Just Invented a New Recipe for Backstraps

[Haycock]

I took a really fat meat-doe around Thanksgiving with my H&R Ultra Slug Hunter 20g... used Remmy AccuTip 3" sabot slugs (260 grains at 1900fps)... DRT at 53 yards... the shot broke both shoulders and lodged under the hide on the far side... fully "petalled" with one petal missing... this was the same doe that I had chased all through archery season... saw her 3 different times and she was always out of range...

Anyway, we (wife, kids, etc.) had the backstraps for dinner last night and I invented a new recipe for them that turned out REALLY well and I figured I'd share it with the forum.

Its always challenging making steak at my house as my wife likes hers medium well, my younger daughter likes hers medium rare and my older daughter and I like ours quite rare... timing gets tricky, especially with thick cuts.

These backstraps were about 2.5" thick, with some variation as you would expect. They came out of the doe and went straight into the freezer after being cleaned and having all facia/silverskin removed. When I cooked them I did so with zero prep (marinading, etc.) other than defrosting.

This recipe yielded some of the best steak I've ever had... venison or beef. Now, I like a really rare piece of meat but one that is a little burned on the outside, and as stated above I needed to deliver a range of "done".

So:

1) Heat an iron skillet to a high temp and coat it with a high burn-temp oil (like safflower)
2) Pan-sear each steak on both sides, for no more than 10 seconds a side
3) Cook the steaks on the second side for about a minute, brushing the tops repeatedly with red wine
4) Add 1/4 cup of red wine and cover the skillet
5) Cook on low to med-low heat for about 8-12 minutes (I cooked a skillet full of steaks about 2"-2.5" thick for 10 minutes)
6) Pre-heat a second iron skillet per #1 (high temp, oil-coated, etc.)
7) Remove the steaks and sear each on both sides a second time and to taste (more well done, blacker exterior, etc.)

Let me tell you...... mmmm, mmmmm, mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Enjoy!


Haycock

[kimwcook]

Sounds really good. Although personally I won't eat any venison short of well done. I do love rare beef though. In fact when I was a youngster and hanging around the kitchen while supper was being made, starving as any boy is at that time of day, my mom would hand me raw trimmings. I was eating steak tartare and didn't even know it.

[Griff]

Sounds good. Enjoy mine med. rare, juicy and nicely charred on the outside for flavor.

[6pt-sika]

I cook alot of venison tenderloin and regardless of how I choose to prepare it NONE is cooked more then medium rare .

When I was a kid my grandfather would grill it with beef steaks and over cook it until it was dry .

Now I tend to do it in a frying pan cooking in the marinade I used . And now I pull it out when I think it isn't quite cooked enough and it seems to work wonders so far .

[Cocked & Locked]

I like to cook sliced back strap in a black iron frying pan using bacon grease and a little Soy Sauce. Wrapped in bacon and cooked on the grill aint bad either.

[Haycock]

I cook alot of venison tenderloin and regardless of how I choose to prepare it NONE is cooked more then medium rare .

When I was a kid my grandfather would grill it with beef steaks and over cook it until it was dry .

Now I tend to do it in a frying pan cooking in the marinade I used . And now I pull it out when I think it isn't quite cooked enough and it seems to work wonders so far .

I do the same... vension seems to cook itself after coming off the heat more than beef, and there seems to be a "turning point" where it goes from juicy to dry really, really quickly that beef doesn't suffer from.

Hay

[Blaine]

Nice and seared on outside, and so it just got hot in the middle. Butter will give you that dark brown sear without over cooking.