1st backstrap- help

Wanting to keep it simple. I do not want to over cook. My BIL says to let it soak in water to bleed it out overnight. So I guess I'm lookIng for some of your processes from frozen to plate. This my first kill so I want it done right. I'll probably grill over gas grill. Thanks.
If I do grill- what internal temp do you go by?

I will soak it in milk some times even lightly salted water.

We typically like to treat it like a filet and cut it 2 inches thick, season very liberally, and grill HOT and FAST to medium rare at most. Some will wrap in bacon and even add a pepper of some kind to the mix and grill.

Some folks will slice and chicken fry. I love that method but my wife won't let me eat fried that often! Not sure why???

Do make sure you remove all of the silver skin. I have found it is easier to do if the meat is partially frozen but to each his own method.

we typically don't do venison like regular beef steaks but I'm sure it would be fine. As far as internal temperature goes, depends on how rare/well you like your meat cooked. Venison will get very dry and leathery if cooked too long on the grill (or anyway for that matter) due to lack of marbled fat, it's very lean. Medium rare 140-145*, Medium 155-160.

I usually cut thin, 3/8 - 1/2 thick, soak in water (or milk if chicken frying), pitch in a ziplock bag, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and zesty Italian dressing to marinade for an hour or three. Over a hot grill, place pieces and let sizzle for a minute or two (depends on how hot your fire and how done you like), flip with tongs, minute or two ... done, venison fajitas can be using in tortilla or just eat like steak strips.

but my favorite is chicken or German fried ... that's how I was raised though.

What did you do with your tenderloins ?

Unfortunately over cooked them a bit. We ate them anyway cuz I was not gonna waste them. Marinated them in a balsamic vinegar then grilled. Wanting to be real cautious wth backstraps.

Leave in say 6 inch blocks, not steaks. Coat heavy in dry rub or Montreal Steak Seasoning works well, put in container or ziplock bag in fridge, the dry ingredients will pull the blood out. Couple hours before cooking take out of fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

Cook on medium to hot grill until rare or medium rare at most. Take off grill and let rest for 10 minutes then slice thin like you would London Broil. Serve with favorite taters and veggies.

If there is any leftover, save it for some fantastic sandwiches.

I usually have mine cut into 3-4" chunks. Defrost, sprinkle with onion and garlic salt, let stand in the refrigerator for a couple hours if you have time. Medium-high gas grill, 12 minutes max, turning over every 3 minutes. I don't worry about internal temperature. It should still be a little bloody; it will continue to cook on the plate.

If it's still too rare, you can put it back on the grill for another minute. If it's too well done, you can't undo it.

Also what kmon1 said: slice thin and put a little brown gravy on it.

fried is my favorite.

I also season up whole straps and marinate in thousand island dressing in the fridge for a couple of days. Leave whole and grill on high heat to med-rare. let cool and then slice extremely thin for the best sammich on earth.

Ok now you've done it! That literally made my mouth water.

Why on earth does anybody soak venison in anything? Butchers don't soak beef in water or milk or grannys secret serum, why do it with game animals? We have butchered our own for over 40 years, I just cannot comprehend the meaning of it

And please don't say to get the "gamey" taste out of it

The "gamey" taste is fine. But you gotta do something to get out that "wild" flavor.

I age deer meat for a week or two, and then freeze. The freezing and thawing process helps drain excess blood out of the meat. Then I like to give it a day in light brine, the same way I do turkey or pork. It definitely helps with tenderness. Season to taste, grill, roast, stir fry, chicken fry, its all good.

Agree. A deer needs to be field dressed and bled out quickly, but some blood is what makes meat taste like meat. That's also why you don't let meat sit in water in a cooler for a few days after you get home.

Venison BACKSTRAP should be in its own food group. Nothing better than a well prepared strap. There are many and varied ways to prepare this excellent cut so may want to just focus on the DON'TS.
Don't over cook
Don't over season
Don't poke it (use tongs to turn it)
Don't slice it immediately (let it rest after coming off the heat) see number one
ENJOY

I get the other things you said but why not poke it? is that just a back strap thing? I had a tenderloin last night and i poke it with a fork all over to get the marinade in side the meat like tenderizing.

Or does this apply to no poking it while its on the grill?

Think of it like a water balloon, would you poke it to let more water in?