Stuffed Venison Backstrap (13 Cooking Tips to Explore)

As a carnivore food devotee, I’ve always been fascinated with the flavors and textures I can get by cooking wild game meats.

One of my favorites is venison backstrap, which is a great source of lean protein.

I’ve experimented with different stuffed venison backstrap recipes over the last five years until I found my favorite one.

Today, I’ll give you my stuffed venison backstrap recipe, so you’ll have deliciously tender meat filled with a savory mix of ingredients.

Here’s how to cook venison backstrap step-by-step.

Quick Summary

Recipe Overview

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes and 10 minutes rest time
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 whole venison backstraps
• 1 package bacon
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
• 1 brick package of cream cheese
• Rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• 8 oz mushrooms
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons BBQ rub
• 2 tablespoons spice rub

Instructions

1. Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees. Add your favorite wood pellets for the best smoky flavor.
2. Prepare the stuffing. Saute the onion and mushrooms in bacon drippings on medium heat. Add cream cheese (it should be room temperature). Add bacon bits and rosemary.
3. Trim the excess silver skin from the venison backstrap. Cut in a straight line down the length to open. Make sure not to cut through the meat.
4. Season the stuffed backstrap with your favorite spice rub. I prefer Killer Hogs rub. Stuff with the prepared cream cheese stuffing.
5. Wrap the stuffed venison backstrap with strips of bacon and season with the best BBQ rub. It’s best to lay the bacon strips side by side, put the venison backstrap across it, and wrap the bacon over the top. This helps keep the stuffed venison together and also adds fat to the meat because deer is incredibly lean meat.
6. Put the stuffed venison backstrap on a wire cooling rack in the smoker. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. The bacon on the outside should be brown.
7. Let the cooked stuffed venison backstrap rest for ten minutes, cut into pieces, and serve.

Recipe Notes

Here are some tips on cooking stuffed venison backstrap:

• Tenderize the meat by pounding it or making several small cuts with a knife.
• If you don’t like the gamey flavor of venison, use spices and herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, sage, or marjoram. You can also marinate the meat to tenderize it. Use high-acid marinades, such as lemon, tomato juice, vinegar, or wine, as they soften the muscle fibers the best.
• Don’t forego cream cheese and bacon; they add fat to the meat. Stuffed venison has little fat on its own and can easily become dry.
• Cook stuffed venison backstrap for around 30 minutes at 350 degrees to brown the bacon.
• This stuffed venison backstrap recipe is best served medium rare, so remove it from heat when it reaches 130 degrees [1].
• Leave the tender meat sitting for ten minutes before serving so the juices redistribute. If you cut before letting the meat rest, the juices will run out, and you’ll have dry meat.
• Slice the meat into steak-size portions. Each cut should be one inch in width for serving.
• You can also try this great recipe with pork loin if you don’t like game meat or elk backstrap if you want to try other game meat alternatives.
• If you’re short on time, prep the venison backstraps, stuff and store them in the fridge the day before.
• You can try jalapenos instead of mushrooms if you like the spicy flavor.
• Experiment with other flavors by adding walnuts or pecans. You can also try more exotic mushrooms, such as shiitake, morel, or oyster.
• It’s best to butterfly-cut the backstrap. You slice the meat parallel to the cutting board and cut the venison in half but not completely through to the other side. This way, you have two parts that are attached (like pages of a book) [2]. This cutting method holds the cream cheese stuffing well.
• Secure the bacon with toothpicks or twine if you’re worried it’ll fall apart.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

• Calories: 850
• Total Carbs: 6 g
• Protein: 45 g
• Fat: 150 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Net Carbs: 0

Alternative Cooking Methods

You can also cook stuffed venison if you don’t have a smoker.

Use a grill or your oven. In case you don’t have a smoker but only a grill, you can cook stuffed venison backstrap by setting up a two-zone grill.

Put a metal mixing bowl or another pan on the bottom grate of the grill (where you place the charcoal).

Add water to the mixing bowl. You can also use other liquids, such as apple juice, beer, or cider.

Place the lit charcoal on the grate next to the water pan. Add one or two hardwood chunks to the charcoal to get a smoke flavor.

Place the meat on the upper grate, right above the water pan.

This way, the meat is heated indirectly because the heat doesn’t come straight from the charcoals.

You control the temperature by controlling the airflow to the charcoals.

Put the cover on the grill and adjust the airflow on the bottom vent.

You can also bake the venison backstrap in the oven.

Set the oven to 400 degrees and bake for half an hour until the meat reaches your desired doneness.

Related Articles:

• How to Cook Venison
• How to Cook Game Meat
• Best Venison Recipes

FAQs

How Should You Cook Stuffed Venison Backstrap?

Stuffed venison backstrap is an easy recipe to make.

The hardest part of preparing the meat by removing the silver skin and stuffing it with cream cheese.

Use toothpicks or twine to make the bacon stick to the meat during the cooking.

For the best recipe results, you need quality meat.

D’Artagnan is an online delivery service that sells artisanal meat and rare delicacies, including venison. They offer game meats at affordable prices.

All of their cuts are specialty and organic, so you won’t get mass-produced grain-fed meat.

Check out our D’Artagnan review to find out how to get your delicious venison.

References:

1. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/backstrap-meat-recipe
2. https://bluejeanchef.com/cooking-school/how-to-butterfly/