Smoked Venison Backstrap
Smoked Venison Backstrap is always a huge hit with family and friends, whether you are smoking elk backstrap or deer backstrap.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pound venison loin (backstrap)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil or canola oil
Instructions
- Go hunting, harvest a deer or elk or antelope, and save all the meat including the backstraps.
- Place the venison backstrap on a cutting board and tenderize with a Jaccard meat tenderizer. Pat it dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and rosemary. Sprinkle ½ of the seasoning mixture on 1 side of backstrap and press gently to adhere. Flip backstrap and repeat with the remaining seasoning mixture. Let backstrap sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F with your favorite wood chips - I prefer hickory.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add backstrap and sear for 1 minute on each side until nicely browned. Transfer backstrap to the preheated smoker and insert a meat thermometer probe in the middle of the meat.
- Smoke the venison backstrap for about 45 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F. Remove and transfer to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
