Back Straps

[bilbo]

I never hunted big game a lot, much less successfully harvesting anything. We always seemed to get all the venison we wanted from others’ surplus, but never the revered back straps. I recently was able to do a deer and nilgai hunt and now have some of that meaty gold in my freezer. For a noob, what’s the best most foolproof way to prepare these? I don’t want to screw them up as I am not sure if or when I’ll get another opportunity to harvest such animals.

 

[NDSportsman]

Slice 1" think, salt, pepper and sear to rare or medium rare for me.

 

[Petras]

Slice 1" think, salt, pepper and sear to rare or medium rare for me.

This is a great way to do it, just make sure you have the pan super hot. DO NOT OVERCOOK VENISON! One way that I love to do back straps is to season with seasoning of choice (my fave is either Tatonka Dust or Hardcore Carnivore Black) and then throw them on the smoker. Run the smoker at 200-225 and cook to an Internal temp of 125. Seer afterwords if you choose, but I don't. I just slice it up into little slices kinda like a guy would do a briskett.... freaking delicious...

 

[Jiffy]

Salt, pepper, butter, hot cast iron....I like mine rare.

 

[svnmag]

I never hunted big game a lot, much less successfully harvesting anything. We always seemed to get all the venison we wanted from others’ surplus, but never the revered back straps. I recently was able to do a deer and nilgai hunt and now have some of that meaty gold in my freezer. For a noob, what’s the best most foolproof way to prepare these? I don’t want to screw them up as I am not sure if or when I’ll get another opportunity to harvest such animals.

I posted a shitton of stuff in "Recipes" last fall. Nothing at all wrong with the above replies.

 

[Rowdie]

Salt, pepper, butter, hot cast iron....I like mine rare.

YUP keep it simple, this is the way!!

 

[guywhofishes]

We prefer to cook them "whole log" style.

Salt, pepper, dusting of cayenne.

They tend to want to lay down flat like a bean bag. But if you cook them standing on their skinnier edge first (might even need to use tongs or spatula to hold them upright on their skinny edge) they'll round out pretty quickly as the outside firms up. Then it's roll, roll, roll to keep them cooking evenly (carbon steel pan).

This is our preferred pan for when we're not grilling meat.
https://debuyer-usa.com/products/mi...pan-fry-pan-2-handles?nosto=frontpage-nosto-1

Let rest and carve to suit. The ends are more done if some prefer it... or toss a slice or two back on for a quick sear.

This screams for any sort of fruit/port/wine reduction. Currant jelly is a favorite.

 

[Jiffy]

Butchers twine works wonders for "keeping shape".

I use it all the time on beef tenderloins and such.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

The picture guywhofishes posted is perfect. To get there, I fondue it with a fry daddy at 375.

Pepper and Montana All Spice. The hot oil sears it, locking the juices in. Thermomiter probe the middle to 125. Rest ten minutes.

 

[guywhofishes]

Did I mention the fruit/wine reduction obviously enough?

If not, DO IT.

Use plum, red currant, honeyberry or similar "tart" fruit jam/jelly.

again... make a fruit/red wine (or red port) reduction for your wild game

one of a zillion examples:
https://www.instructables.com/Duck-With-a-Redcurrant-and-Red-Wine-Sauce-Cooking-/

 

[guywhofishes]

For those that want the meat perfectly pink and don't have the skill/desire to learn their way around meats. These devices have their place.

I have one but don't use it as much as some of my family members. My Mom loves hers and relies on it for "perfect" tender steaks - every time.

https://anovaculinary.com/pages/what-is-sous-vide

By the way, longer is not often better with sous vide - meat goes from tender to mushy and simply ends up weird in the mouth if you overdo it.

 

[SDMF]

Big chunks like Guy's

2+hr "marinade" in garlic/herb olive oil @ room temp. Salt/pepper to taste just before tossing on the grill.

600+ degree grill, toss them on and dump the plate full of oil onto the fire for a good sustained flare-up. ~90sec/side.

Shut down all but 1 burner, turn the 1 burner down as low as it will go. Get the meat as far from the heat as you can. Insert temp-probe and remove the meat from the indirect heat @ 115-120 (4-7min indirect cooking time for most wild game as the cuts are smaller/thinner even doing "chunks"). Let it stand under a foil tent for 5-15min.

I basically do this for any/all red meat no matter what critter it was attached to, wild or domesticated.

 

[Bauer]

for the revered backstraps, we have found the absolute best way to prepare them is to Sous Vide them @ 130 degrees for 2 hours and then sear on a hot grill before eating. It has provided some of the most tender meat I have ever eaten.

 

[espringers]

Love to see folks coming round to sous vide!

 

[guywhofishes]

Love to see folks coming round to sous vide!

I've been sous videing for about 15 years. Started out with a piece of lab equipment (water bath). Ha ha.

I've found that I maybe enjoy chewier meat than your average carnivore. I've just never gotten to the point where it becomes a habit to use sous vide... most grilled/fried/roasted meat we make is just fine as is.

Which sucks, because I have a nice one, and I made a nice cooler top for it to nest in (drilled the perfect hole in the lid).

 

[CAH]

Leave em in whole chunks and reverse sear. Try not to bite your fingers when you put a slice in your mouth.

 

[measure-it]

On larger cuts of red meat (loin, straps, roasts, etc.), I've started adding a very light sprinkling of coffee grounds or instant coffee crystals: you don't really taste the coffee, but rather a "what is that taste" hint of flavor, add to your seasoning or rub, and it also helps break down the connective tissues. Coffee has just a bit of acid for this job.
As they say: "Try it, you'll like it!"

 

[bilbo]

Thanks for all the ideas! I’ll probably start with the simple salt, pepper, and butter and go from there. I get the sense that a fruit/wine/port reduction is important lol.

 

[espringers]

for the most part, out sous vide is used in situations where i've got a good size group and at least a few sides. don't have to time everything around the meat since it can be pulled and finished in a matter of minutes once everything else is ready. the above by CAH looks glorious by the way.

 

[tikkalover]

For those that want the meat perfectly pink and don't have the skill/desire to learn their way around meats. These devices have their place.

I have one but don't use it as much as some of my family members.

https://anovaculinary.com/pages/what-is-sous-vide

By the way, longer is not often better - meat goes mushy and simply ends up weird in the mouth if you overdo it.

I wonder how many women have said that??