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The Best Venison You Can Eat

There are an endless number of ways to prepare venison, but few hunters will disagree that fresh tenderloins are at the top.  I have had fresh tenderloins from 2 year old does all the way up to burly 200+ pound bucks and either way, they are EXTREMELY tender and tasty.  As an added bonus, you can have them back at deer camp and tell your story over dinner while you're still fired up about the hunt.  The next time you get a chance, give it a try and you'll see what I mean.

The tenderloins are accessible through the inner cavity of the deer and are located along each side of the backbone about half way down the body.  They are visible strips of muscle that are normally 8-12 inches long and 2-4 inches wide.  Simply trim them out with a buck knife after you have the deer cleaned out.  Since the tenderloins are relatively small and exposed to the air after the deer is cleaned, they shrink if you don't remove them and lose most of their value.  So you might as well cut them out right after you get the deer even if you don't plan to eat them at deer camp.

Once you have the meat removed from the deer it is time to prepare it.  First and foremost, make sure you have removed all the fat from the meat.  Venison fat is NASTY.  Then it is critical to cut the meat against the grain.  Cut the tenderloin the short way into many small oval shaped pieces of meat about 1/2 inch think.  Once you season it, I would recommend grilling it.  Personally I like meat medium rare and I watch it very closely so it doesn't get over-cooked and dried out.  It only takes a few minutes on the grill at medium to high heat.  Here are a few techniques for seasoning your tenderloins:

Garlic.  Marinate the meat for 20 minutes in a mixture of fresh garlic, fresh cracked pepper, Lowry's seasoned salt, soy sauce, red wine and olive oil.  Right before you put it on the grill you can try dusting it with Bisquick.  This will keep some of the moisture in while it cooks.

Hot Pepper.  Marinate the meat for 20 minutes in a mixture of fresh hot peppers, fresh cracked pepper, Lowry's seasoned salt, soy sauce, red wine and olive oil.  You can also try the Bisquick trick to keep the moisture in.

Bacon-Wrapped.  Wrap the meat in strips of bacon and secure them with a toothpick.  The bacon juices do a good job of adding flavor to the venison.  Be careful not to get the meat too close to the flame since the toothpicks might catch on fire.

Or just try them plain and see what you think.