Wild In The Kitchen: Smokin’ Backstrap

Deer season is here! No doubt folks will be spending some time at hunting camp. Any good camp has a guy who’d rather stand around a smoker than anything else. Show him this spicy recipe, but tell him to be careful with the red pepper flakes. Two tablespoons are enough to smoke your tongue.

Smokin’ Backstrap (smoked venison loin)

1 venison backstrap

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

4 Tbl. onion (minced)
1/2 bell pepper (finely chopped)

2 Tbl. red pepper flakes

1 Tbl. dill seed

1 tsp. garlic powder

Sesame seeds (roasted)

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse backstrap with water and pat dry. Salt and pepper the meat all over. In a small pot, mix together all of the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds and meat. Bring this mixture to a boil, and let it boil for about six minutes. This is your marinade. Remove it from the heat, and let it cool before marinating your strap in it for at least an hour. After marinating, pat the meat dry and coat it with the sesame seeds. Slap the strap on a smoker, and smoke it with some good wood at 180 degrees for about six hours.
Or, grill it to medium rare.

(Serves 4)