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Home » Recipes » Wild Game

Grilled Venison Backstrap

Published: Dec 2, 2022 · Modified: Apr 1, 2023 by Marisa Franca

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All it takes is a dry spicy seasoning rubbed into a venison backstrap before grilling to render the meat buttery and beefy. The loin is so lean all it needs is medium-high-heat to caramelize the outside. The seasonings and spices in the dry rub create a crust which seals in the juices. Every bite melts in your mouth. Instead of using our  Wild Game Marinade try this smoky dry rub. It's excellent with any meat wild or domestic. 

Grilled venison backstrap sliced with parsley on side.
Grilled venison backstrap is so tender the meat tastes buttery smooth.
Jump to:
  • What is backstrap?
  • Venison main cuts chart
  • What you need
  • Preparing the backstrap
  • Grilling
  • You may need...
  • Grilled Venison Backstrap Recipe
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

What is backstrap?

It's a length of loin on the back of a deer, elk, moose, antelope, etc. On a beef, it's called the ribeye and a loin in pork.

Don't confuse it with the tenderloins. Those are the two strips of very tender meat under the loin and behind the ribs. This cut is the filet mignon in beef.

Venison main cuts chart

A venison chart is worth a thousand words so here it is:

Venison Main Cuts Chart Showing Backstrap

What you need

You won't need anything fancy for grilling this delicious and tender cut of meat. A dry rub is basically all you need.

Store List

  • Venison backstrap or loin -- tied so that it retains it's shape.
  • olive oil
  • unsalted butter
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • brown sugar
  • white sugar
  • granulated sugar
  • dried thyme
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • juniper berries, crushed and minced
  • smoked chipotle
  • cayenne pepper
  • red pepper flakes

Equipment

  • butcher's twine -- tie the loin so it keeps its shape
  • grill -- cooking
  • tongs -- for placing and turning venison backstrap
  • Instant read thermometer -- checking correct temperature

Preparing the backstrap

Collage of instructions to Venison Backstrap

Wild game dry rub

The first thing you'll need to do is make the dry rub. With its woodsy flavors of thyme and juniper, this rub is especially designed for wild game although it works beautifully on beef and pork.

The potent mixture coats the outside of the loin then mingles with the juices as the meat cooks to form a delicious crust. So simple. So very tasty!

Rub and tie

Now is the time when you rub the entire venison loin with olive oil. Once the meat is coated, vigorously massage it with the spicy seasoning. Don't be shy! You want plenty of that potent spicy mix to cover the backstrap.

Tie the loin with butchers twine so that it keeps its shape. Tying makes it easier to flip the loin onto the grill and move it around.

You can do this early in the day. Wrap the seasoned meat with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Take the meat out at least one hour before grilling. You want the meat at room temperature. This way the outside gets a delicious crust and the inside is done perfectly.

Venison Backstrap with dry rub on cutting board.
For venison backstrap you don't have to do anything fancy, a nice flavorful rub is all you need.

Grilling

Heat the grill to 350℉ to 375℉. This cut of meat is best cooked hot and fast. If you're tempted to cut the loin into medallions -- DON'T. Venison is very lean. It's best if you keep the meat whole so it doesn't dry out.

Clean the grates and lay the venison on the grill. Keep the grill cover open. Let the meat cook about 5 to 8 minutes without moving. This is dependent on how hot your grill is and how thick the venison loin is.

You want a good sear. This is seals the outside keeping the delicious juices in.

Flip and repeat on the other side.

This is a tender cut of meat like our grilled venison steak and should be cooked to rare to medium rare which is 120℉ to 135℉. If you go past that the meat will be dry. We find our ideal temperature is 135℉. Once you let the meat rest it will continue to increase in temperature.

Venison loin slices after being grilled.

Tent, rest, serve

Take the meat off the fire and place it on a platter. Loosely tent the venison backstrap with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.

You'll be amazed at how tender the meat is. The loin is so full of flavor with a mild buttery taste. I know your family will enjoy feasting on this delicious meat. If you don't have a hunter in the family, there are places where you can purchase venison. It's truly a real treat!

Tutti a tavolo è pronto!

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

You may need...

As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

A roll of Butcher's twine like this is something we always have on hand. We use it with our roasts, rotisserie chicken or when we need some string for something or other.

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What's new? check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy. 

Venison Backstrap on cutting board being sliced.
This is one of the best venison tenderloin recipes we've tried. The meat is buttery, tender and so flavorful.

Grilled Venison Backstrap Recipe

Don't be fooled into thinking that you have to do a lot of fancy things to the venison loin in order to have a delicious serving of meat. You could even get away with just salt and pepper. But with this wild game dry rub you'll find that the meat is ambrosial.

Another venison tenderloin recipe we like to serve during the holidays is our Italian Venison Wellington. So good you'll want to keep this a tradition.

And if you're looking for a delicious marinade for your wild game, try the marinade we use on our Marinated Venison Steak and Potatoes that we cooked on the grill.

If you like this recipe please give it a 5-star rating.

📖 Recipe

Grilled venison backstrap sliced with parsley on side.

Grilled Dry Rubbed Venison Backstrap

Venison Backstrap or loin is thinly coated with olive oil then rubbed with a spicy seasoning featuring hot peppers, chipotle, herbs, and crushed juniper berries. The hot grill seals the outside leaving the inside meat juicy and tender.
5 from 18 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: grilled wild meat
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Resting time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 338kcal
Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • Butcher's twine
  • Tongs
  • Gas Grill

Ingredients

Wild Game Dry Rub

  • ¼ cup kosher salt
  • ¼ cup black pepper
  • ¼ cup smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon juniper berries crushed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoon chipotle powder

Meat

  • 2 lbs venison backstrap
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon butter unsalted
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Dry Rub

  • Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
    For the best results, use your fingers to distribute the crushed juniper throughout the rub.
    This makes quite a bit. It's enough for about 8 to 10 pounds of meat.
    Keep away from heat and light and it will last for about 6 months.

Prepare Meat

  • Rub olive oil all over the meat.
    Massage the rub onto the meat.
    Tie the meat so that it retains it shape.
    You can prepare the loin early in the day and keep covered in the fridge. Remove from the refrigerator an hour before grilling. The meat should be at room temperature.
  • Preheat the grill to 350℉ to 375℉.
  • Clean the grates and lay the venison on the grill. Keep the grill cover open.
  • Let the loin cook for 5 to 8 minutes without moving. This depends on how thick the venison loin is. You want a good sear on the outside so that the juices will seal in.
    Flip and repeat on the other side.
  • Check with an Instant read thermometer. Rare is 120℉ and medium rare is 135℉. We find our ideal temperature is at 135℉. Don't forget that the meat will continue to rise in temperature when you take it off the heat.
  • If the venison needs more time, turn it to the sides that haven't been directly exposed to the heat. About another 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Remove the meat from the heat and and drop dollops of butter on top of the meat. Loosely tent it with foil for 10 minutes.
  • Slice and serve immediately.

Notes

The caloric content will be off because you don't use all of the rub. Venison is very lean and lower in calories than beef. 

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 4868mg | Potassium: 808mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3031IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 9mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Brenda Baker

      July 04, 2023 at 8:55 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! My husband was skeptical because he had always prepared venison his way. He was surprised that it was so tender and tasty. I am now a fan of venison. Not gamey at all. I recommend using the full 1/4 cup salt and an 1/8 cup of smoked paprika.

      Reply
      • Marisa Franca

        July 05, 2023 at 7:44 am

        Thank you, Brenda, for you very nice comment. We feel exactly the same as about the backstrap. It is delicious and we look forward to eating it as soon as our son brings us another one. Happy cooking!!

        Reply
    2. Sean@Diversivore

      June 07, 2020 at 11:18 am

      5 stars
      One of the best steaks I ever had was venison, and I've been on the lookout for great deer recipes ever since. You do a wonderful job here with a great cut of meat. The tips and extra information are very much appreciated! Cheers!

      Reply
    3. Sam

      June 03, 2020 at 7:04 pm

      Wow this looks delicious! I love the flavour combinations that you have used in here. So good!

      Reply
    4. Georgina @ Culinary Travels

      June 03, 2020 at 11:57 am

      This looks absolutely gorgeous, so full of flavour!

      Reply
    5 from 18 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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