Instructions

1. Thaw your backstrap if it is frozen. It doesn’t have to be completely thawed, but enough to cut into. Rinse the backstrap with water.

2. Cut the silvery white membrane off of your venison roast. Get as much as you can off with a knife. Dress the whole cut with olive oil and spices. Many prefer to apply a simple salt and pepper rub. Garlic powder and rosemary are other possible spices. You can purchase a simple rub seasoning at the grocery store. It can be anything you like.

3. Create the pockets that you will stuff. Some recipes such as the Deer Backstrap recipe from Big Oven, advise three long cuts lengthwise. Just deep enough to stuff a handful of seasoning into. Others, like The Venison Backstrap recipe on Bella, butterfly the cut of meat by making a series of cuts across the meat. Either way, don't separate the roast altogether, keep it as one whole piece.

4. Stuff the pockets with vegetables and spices. Cut up celery, carrots, onions, garlic peppers and any other vegetables you have on hand into chunks and mix them with a tablespoon of dried seasoning. Stuff each pocket with your vegetable and spice mixture. Fill the pockets to bursting if you like, or simply add a couple of tablespoons to each of them.

5. Use pieces of bacon to secure the pockets. Lay them across the surface of the meat and insert toothpicks to keep them in place. Lay them over each pocket, keeping them closed as much as possible.

6. Grill the backstrap over coals, or a wood grill. The West Virginia Trophy Hunters reminds cooks never to put venison on a cold grill. Always preheat before grilling. As it cooks, sprinkle the top of the cut with oil and spices. Six or seven minutes on a hot grill should cook the meat to medium rare, according to WVTH.

7. Broil the backstrap in your oven if a grill is not available. Preheat the broiler of your oven. Brush oil and spices over the meat and bacon. Cook the meat for six to seven minutes until medium rare. Test the meat often because deer meat will become tough if overcooked.