How do you cook your backstrap???

[BT]

I've never had venison that wasn't gamey....even in restaurants.
The flavor you might say....changes when you remove the blood.
You cant remove the blood that is in the meat by hanging or any other method other than leeching.
When meat is devoid of blood , it is opaque and not red.
When the venison is made Kosher, it has a flavor of venison but it is faint and very palatable with a texture resembling that of veal.

Leeching beef also enhances it's taste and texture.

[huntbunny6]

Our friend varmintstalker taught us about cutting the scent glands off the back of the legs as soon as you gut it to keep it from draining into the body as it hangs .
It makes a distinct difference in the taste of the meat.

[Doegirl]

Me I soak my venison in milk for 1-2 days, depending on the size of the cut. I cut my straps to about an 1" thick and either sear them in a pan w/ butter or bacon grease and onions or wrap each piece in bacon and stick in them in the broiler. Making shishkabobs with chunks marinated in teriyaki sauce with peppers and onions is another favorite of mine.

[buckstopr]

Cook a lot of deer in the Crockpot covered with ground cayenne pepper, Weber Grind'n Grill (Grinder Shaker Bottle) Chicago Steak Seasoning (or similar), garlic salt and then top with quartered potatoes, onions, green peppers (or whatever you like) sprinkle Lawry's season salt on top and more steak seasoning and let it cook baby !!! YUMMY!!! Even my somewhat finicky kids and wife like it when I do it this way. Got pretty good reviews Sunday nite anyhow!

[stilllearning]

OK I am confused because I always said it was the age of the animal that gave it more or less wild taste.

We recently had a pot luck at the church and I snuck in a deer meat stew using the deer I brought back from NY. Anyone that tried it said they could not tell that it was deer and I did nothing but (oops the wife did nothing but) put the meat in the slow cooker.

The time I had wild tasting meat was when I shot my first deer and it was a smasher in my books. The wild taste was in that one.

[buckstopr]

I think age and diet of the deer make a huge diff. in how it tastes. We have east river corn fed deer that taste very close to beef and west river deer that eat pine needles and yucca and cactus or something and they taste a whole lot different. The west river deer I usually have made into my pepper stix and salami and things like that and save the east river/corn fed deer for burger and roasts and what not.

[oldgun]

Never had a gamey tasting doe only one buck in the rut was gamey.

[Buckshot06]

I have hunted in the foot hills and in fram land and I can tell you the fram corn feed deer (Buck or Doe) test much better. Plus i have heard it said the faster you butcher a deer better flavor it will have because you never see framers driving around with cows on their trucks for that wonderful flavor.
Anyway I Smoke mine with oak and use the whole backstrap if friends come over I use 2. This works good for the hind quaters, shoulders, and it is good with beef or chicken. you need an alum. pan and foil place the meat in the pan then use season salt all over the meat, then cut up 1 or 2 onion, take 1 jar of sweet pickles and pour entire jar over the meat, take your favorite beer fill the pan up half way over the meat. Cover the pan with foil and smoke at about 225 to 300 for 6 to 8 hrs. That is good eaten in anyones book

[trebono]

I like to take a 4"-5" section of strap and heavily crust it in cracked pepper and kosher salt. Sear over hi heat in a cast iron skilliet with butter all the way around, then put it in the broiler, set low, and the meat a fair way from the element for a bit. I pull the meat and make a pan gravy by putting flour in the pan to make the roux, and using a thick, heavy beer (like Guiness stout), or deglaze the pan with brandy and add heavy cream. Either sauce is great. BTW I like my backstraps cooked medium when I do a dish like this. Some people don't like venison anything but well done. Been eating med. straps since I was a boy and no problems.

The best technique to get rid of gamey taste I know of is to properly bleed the meat. I leave the big cuts of meat after butchering in the cooler, very well iced, for several days. I drain off the water constantly until it's barely pink. Seems to do the trick, my kids would complain if it was the least bit gamey. Also, if you're cooking a whole ham or any other large piece, brine it for a day or 2 before cooking.

[SPIKER]

I will never again look at a deer without seeing the backstraps wrapped up as Buffalo Turds. It is a gift from god, and I hear the Angels sing, and all that...