butterfly cut and fried some backstrap tonight and it was really tough. I need some suggestions for the other half.

you probably overcooked it.

or make it jerky!

buck or doe ?

Beat your meat (with a mallet).

That's what I do too.

You have to beat it to eat it.

There's a tenderizing device with rows of blades in it that you can get at academy. You just push it down on the meat numerous times and it basically makes a bunch of little cuts in it. Works very well.

it was a buck. I'm scared the whole thing is going to be tough. will be getting a mechanical tenderizer.

Soak it in whole or buttermilk overnight. Tenderizes the meat and gives it a milder flavor.

NOO!!! Never make Jerky out of backstrap thats what the quarters are for lol but i concur on the beating your meat it works wonders or you might just have killed a tough deer

sorry but some bucks are just tough, ive killed and eaten mature axis bucks and they were like leather, even after beating my meat with a hammer

Couldnt say it better.WORKS GREAT

Yup, bet it then soak it for a good 4-6 hrs or overnight. We just season the flour

What we typically do is put it though a tenderizer about 3 times and you will never have issues. We dont even use milk after we do it. We had some people out last week that swore it was not deer and were shocked.

X2 And also beat the meat.

I never fry backstrap, too many other ways I like it better. You can use the muscles from the hams, tenderize by beating them, soak in buttermilk and they are just as good as backstrap.

sometimes i think the hind meat is better than the backstrap

Also make sure that the fascia layer is removed, that real thin, shiny layer of skin/muscle on the outer part of the muscle. If you took the meat to a processor, it's likely they didn't remove it. That will make any meat saddle tough. Backstrap shouldn't be that tough, no matter if it's a buck or a doe or an old deer or a young deer.

Hey I have good teeth just give it to me.


Johnny

This! Backstrap is supposed to be cooked to medium rare. It doesn't take long to overcook. This is when it gets tough. Only use a meat tenderizer if you are going to chicken fry.

It's probably no good. I'll take the rest off your hands just to make sure you don't mistakenly eat it later on.