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Home » Wild Game » Venison » Smoked Venison Backstrap

Smoked Venison Backstrap

By Hank Shaw on April 5, 2021 - 33 Comments

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4.67 from 15 votes
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Smoked venison backstrap is something you need in your life.

Sliced thin and served in a sandwich, or as-is with any number of sauces — or au natural — this is one of my favorite ways to celebrate a successful hunt.

Sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

First thing to remember is that you don’t smoke venison the way you smoke pork. If you are familiar with my other smoked venison recipe, the one for smoked venison roast or whole leg, you’ll know that the secret is to only smoke the meat to medium-rare or medium, no more.

You can use curing salt here, and if you do, use Instacure No. 1, but I rarely do. It’s not really needed in this case. If you do want to use it, you will want to weigh out 0.25% of curing salt compared to the weight of the meat; that’s one quarter of 1 percent, to be clear.

That gets me to the other trick for smoked venison backstrap, and that’s to use what’s called an equilibrium cure, or EQ. To do this you weigh the meat first, in grams. Then you add anywhere from 1.5 percent to 2 percent of that weight in salt. Massage that into the meat, and, ideally, vacuum seal it. If you don’t have a vac sealer, put it in a freezer bag.

If you do this, you can keep the venison in the fridge for many days. It won’t get too salty.

As far as smoking is concerned, you want to smoke slow and low. I prefer to keep the smoker (I use a Traeger here) at 185°F. Wood choice is up to you, but I like mesquite or hickory. Fruit woods are another good option.

Closeup of sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Get the smoker going and have it at the target temperature before you add the meat. To get the best smoke ring on your smoked venison backstrap, you will want to move it right from the fridge to the smoker. Take the meat out of the plastic bag and briefly rinse it, then pat dry with paper towels.

A bit of science: A smoke ring will develop only until the meat hits about 140°F. The slower this happens, the thicker the ring. Now, with this method, you will be pulling the meat before 140°F so it will have been working on that smoke ring the whole time.

I like to insert a probe thermometer into the backstrap so I know when to pull it. However you do it, pull the meat when it hits 130°F to 140°F, or medium-rare. I prefer the low end of this scale. At 185°F, that normally takes about 3 to 4 hours — a good long smoke for a tender cut of meat.

How to eat your smoked venison backstrap? Any way you like. I prefer to slice it thin and eat with sandwiches. The sauce you see in the picture is cilantro and roasted Hatch chiles pureed with mayo, black pepper and smoked salt. Damn sight better than regular mayo, no?

Closeup of sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter
Print Recipe
4.67 from 15 votes

Smoked Venison Backstrap

This method will work with the backstrap (loin) of an red meat animal, from deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and caribou, to sheep, goats, nilgai... and yes, cows. Once made, it will keep a week in the fridge.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Curing Time2 d
Total Time2 d 4 hrs 10 mins
Course: Appetizer, Cured Meat, lunch
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 340kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds venison loin, in one piece
  • Salt (See headnotes)

Instructions

  • Weigh the meat in grams. Weigh out 1.5% of that weight in salt; you can go as high as 2%. Massage the salt into the meat well. Vacuum seal the meat and set it in the fridge for 2 days, longer if you are using elk or moose or something else thick. You cannot leave this too long -- it won't get too salty, so you can leave the meat in the fridge a week if you wanted to.
  • Get your smoker going; wood choice is yours. Try to keep it below 200°F. When it's ready, rinse the meat, then pat it dry with paper towels. If you have a probe thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the backstrap. Smoke until it reaches about 135°F, which should take between 2 and 4 hours. Slice and eat.

Notes

NOTE: The curing time is so long because you want the meat to be salted all the way to the center. You can skip this long salting if you want, but the interior of meat will be bland. 

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcal | Protein: 68g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 903mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 9mg
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Charcuterie, Featured, How-To (DIY stuff), Recipe, Venison, Wild Game

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for NicNic says

    January 22, 2023 at 1:35 pm

    Man, this is a game-changer. Absolutely delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Avatar for JimJim says

    December 10, 2022 at 8:28 am

    Do you have a recipe for the sauce to start with?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 13, 2022 at 8:27 am

      Jim: Not really. It’s just something I threw together.

      Reply
  3. Avatar for Jason RenaudJason Renaud says

    November 25, 2022 at 7:12 am

    Made this last night for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit and will be making again! Was super easy too!

    Reply
  4. Avatar for NancyNancy says

    November 18, 2022 at 7:27 pm

    We raise Muscovey ducks and I am finding that most recipes that work for venison lend themselves well to duck breast. Any pointers/thoughts if I want to try this recipe with a muscovey breast?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 23, 2022 at 11:12 am

      Nancy: Harder because it’s so small in comparison. But if you smoke “cool,” below 200F, you can get there. Pull when the interior temp is about 135F.

      Reply
  5. Avatar for JeffJeff says

    November 18, 2022 at 7:17 am

    For cold sandwiches and the mayo chile spread, what cheese would you recommend on a brioche/kaiser/croissant roll?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 23, 2022 at 11:16 am

      Jeff: Whatever you like. I like cheddar or provolone.

      Reply
  6. Avatar for Alan FoyAlan Foy says

    November 18, 2022 at 5:02 am

    Looks excellent!
    Will try this weekend. This is a great resource
    Thanks

    Reply
  7. Avatar for MarkMark says

    July 8, 2022 at 1:01 pm

    Hi I’d like to smoke a venison loin for a carpaccio, would you use the same cure and just drop the smoke temperature to not cook the meat?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      July 8, 2022 at 2:30 pm

      Mark: That’s really tricky. You’d need to fully cure the venison, so I’d extend the curing time in the fridge at least one day longer than you might otherwise, and then you need to cold smoke it, which means the chamber where the venison is smoking can’t get hotter than about 75F.

      Reply
      • Avatar for MarkMark says

        July 11, 2022 at 11:18 pm

        Thanks, would you add curing salt and/or sugar or other spices? I really want to try it but am cautious and don’t want to waste a good piece of meat. I was thinking I’d leave it in the cure for 3 – 5 days and then smoke on the weekend. I have a contraption that should give me truly “cold” smoke

      • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

        July 12, 2022 at 7:08 am

        Mark: That’s up to you. You can add up to equal amounts of sugar and salt, and if you want to do curing salt, use No. 1, sodium nitrite, at 0.25% of the meat by weight, so that is one quarter of one percent.

  8. Avatar for BridieBridie says

    March 17, 2022 at 6:12 am

    Inspired!

    As a growing chef, I would like to say that this jut inspired me for something new on the menu. I am new to smoking meats in an American style restaurant (in Australia) I hadn’t thought of smoking venison until now so thank you.

    I will practice and play around at home first in my new smoker.

    I am just wondering if you could give me some advice on reheating? I have not worked with venison before.

    ?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 17, 2022 at 8:07 am

      Bridie: Reheating is a tough one, because you are smoking to temperature. I would more likely serve it warm the first time, then cold after, in sandwiches, or as a steak salad or something. Or, if the diner isn’t going to care, as meat in a meat pie.

      Reply
  9. Avatar for Patrick RainerPatrick Rainer says

    March 5, 2022 at 3:47 pm

    I got into smoking meats about 6 months ago and am loving it. Gave this recipe a try today and I got to say it’s tasty. Kind of reminds me of Asian smoked pork. I’m using a Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 smoker and the venison was finished just shy of 3 hrs. I pulled it at 138 degrees and let it set on the kitchen counter to rest with a foil cap for about 2 hrs. It cut real nice and stayed moist which I like in a good sandwich meat. Then put it in the fridge to cool and will bag up for snacking or sandwiches.

    Reply
  10. Avatar for Levi DivettsLevi Divetts says

    November 20, 2021 at 6:58 am

    To be clear on the salt, it’s .25% cure (.0025 x weight of meat) and an additional 2% (.02 x weight of the meat) of standard salt…?

    So for 1 lb of meat (~454 grams), it’s 1.135g cure, and up to 9g of standard salt (sea salt/ kosher salt)… correct?

    Thanks much!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 20, 2021 at 7:21 am

      Levi: Yes, that’s right. You can go a little lower on the standard salt if you want, all the way down to 1% if needed, and 1.5% is what many prefer.

      Reply
  11. Avatar for SamSam says

    May 31, 2021 at 3:18 am

    Due to poor labeling, one of the cuts I thawed was a bitterflied venison neck roast (fatty and sinewy.) I went ahead and prepared it this way. Wouldn’t you know, it makes a fantastic creamed chipped venison on toast (“SOS”). This will be hunting camp breakfast later this fall.

    Reply
    • Avatar for paul smithpaul smith says

      January 12, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      dont forget to think capacola when you find that piece

      Reply
  12. Avatar for HughHugh says

    April 19, 2021 at 6:20 am

    I tried this with a sika backstrap on a gas Weber grill. My only problem was keeping the wood smoking at such low temperatures. Worth it though. Delicious and Sweet

    Reply
  13. Avatar for thomas celluccithomas cellucci says

    April 9, 2021 at 4:28 am

    ok i seen it i got it i read it better in the remarks,I made the smoked venison roast a few times always AMAZING ,in that one you added sugar also.I use curing salt #1 but only for a nice pink color. If you ever made prosciutto its salt and salt only in Italy by law,Thanks ,I will deffently try this one.

    Reply
  14. Avatar for thomas celluccithomas cellucci says

    April 9, 2021 at 4:12 am

    hank, what about pink curing salt can i add that also.cause you got a nice pink color and in other recipes you always say if you smoke this use the pink curing salts

    Reply
  15. Avatar for Thomas M FreundThomas M Freund says

    April 6, 2021 at 9:32 am

    My birthday was April 5th (75) and my daughter bought me your book ‘Buck, Buck, Moose ‘ and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Last spring and fall I shot 6 turkey ( one with crossbow first time ) and two deer ( one with muzzle loader first time ) and I have been trying to try different recipes each week. My wife will not eat wild game so trying to devide up say a pound of ground venison I make half into chili and the other half into burgers and so on with different cuts.
    I wrote a weekly outdoor column for our local paper for twenty years and did other writing/photography for outdoor magazines and TV and most outdoorsmen/ women always wanted good recipes to utilize there wild game effectively.
    Your book covers all the bases and I can’t wait to try some new things out!

    Reply
  16. Avatar for AnneAnne says

    April 6, 2021 at 8:26 am

    I can’t wait to try this! I’m starting out with a portion of elk backstrap cut from the narrow end, which is about 1 and 1/4-1/2″ high on the cutting board. You mention ‘if using elk, or moose, or something thick’…what was the size/thickness of your 2-day recipe? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Dwain MobleyDwain Mobley says

      April 7, 2021 at 6:11 am

      Hank, what scale do you suggest for weighing meat, salt, etc. in grams?

      Reply
  17. Avatar for Bob McCarthyBob McCarthy says

    April 6, 2021 at 8:14 am

    Can you use sea salt or kosher salt for the rub

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 6, 2021 at 8:59 am

      Bob: Yes, you can use sea or kosher salt. And no, I use grams because it is far more precise than ounces. With this cure you need that precision or the meat will be too salty, or not salty enough. Sorry.

      Reply
  18. Avatar for DanDan says

    April 5, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    What’s the sauce pictured in the photo?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 5, 2021 at 3:28 pm

      Dan: Mayo, cilantro and roasted green Hatch chiles all pureed.

      Reply
  19. Avatar for Gerhard DammGerhard Damm says

    April 5, 2021 at 10:50 am

    Sounds like a great way to smoke an impala or wildebeest backstrap. Will try soon using knobthorn wood. Thanks.

    Reply
  20. Avatar for Bob ConrodBob Conrod says

    April 5, 2021 at 5:05 am

    Love the intro to this article about this Smoked Venison recipe. Comparing it to roast beef. ??. That’s like saying: “This is how I polish Gold to such a luster that it looks just like common Brass “ ?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      April 5, 2021 at 9:35 am

      Bob: Ha! Well, I rather like good roast beef…

      Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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