Wild Game Recipe: Stuffed Venison Backstrap

Photo Credit: HowToBBQRight.com Malcom Reed

I got this recipe from one of my favorite YouTube channels called “HowToBBQRight” with Malcom Reed. Malcom is a seasoned professional when it comes to BBQ’ing, and this recipe does not disappoint. I actually made this recipe for my family last Christmas, and everyone could not get enough of it! For those of you who may not know, the backstrap is the loin of the animal. The loin on a deer is the tender meat sitting right along the backbone on each side. For this recipe you will make a slit down the length of the backstrap to butterfly it open. The process takes about 30 minutes on the smoker to fully cook, and you will want to run your smoker at 350 degrees to brown the bacon. Venison, like beef, is best served at a medium rare, so be sure to pull it off the smoker when the internal temperature hits around 125-130 degrees. Again, just like beef, you will want to let it rest for about 5-10 min before serving. Last thing to do is slice the backstrap into steak size portions about 1” thick and enjoy.  

Ingredients:

– 1-2 Whole Venison Backstraps (loin)

– 8oz Cream Cheese

– 8oz Baby Portabella Mushrooms chopped

– ¼ cup Crumbled Bacon (about 6 slices) 

– 1 small Yellow Onion diced

– 2 Tablespoons Bacon Drippings

– ½ cup Flat leaf Parsley chopped

– 2lbs Bacon

– 2 Tablespoons of any all-purpose rub (should be garlic salt, and pepper)

– 2 Tablespoons of any BBQ rub

Directions:

1. Prepare Pellet Smoker or any other BBQ grill for indirect cooking at 350⁰. Add your favorite wood to the hot coals for smoke flavor. In the pellet grill I use a combination of Pecan, Oak, and Cherry cooking pellets. 

2. To prepare the stuffing, sauté onions, and mushrooms in bacon drippings over medium heat. Add to room temperature cream cheese. Fold in crumbled bacon, and parsley. 

3. Trim excess silver skin from venison backstraps, and cut a slit down the length to butterfly it open. Be careful not to cut through the entire piece.

4. Season with all-purpose rub, and stuff with cream cheese mixture. 

5. Wrap the outside with strips of bacon, and season with any BBQ rub.

6. Place each backstrap on a wire cooling rack, and set on the smoker. 

7. Cook until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees, or your desired doneness. The bacon should be brown on the outside. 

8. Allow the backstrap to rest for 5-10 minutes and cut into individual pieces for serving.

So there you have it! Let me know your thoughts. What is your favorite way to eat backstrap? You can watch Malcom’s YouTube Video here. Drop a comment down below, and like the blog. Also, please share this with your friends, and family alike. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, and Twitter. As always, stay safe and Hunt Nevada.