Backstrap from a well-handled deer is as good as any beef steak — perhaps better. Keep it simple: sear it hard and fast, rest it, and serve with compound butter. Venison is lean, so medium-rare is where it lives. Cook it past that and you've made a mistake.
What You Need
- 1–2 lbs venison backstrap or top round steaks
- Coarse salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp beef tallow
- HERB BUTTER: 4 tbsp softened butter, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped, 1 tbsp fresh thyme, pinch of salt
Method
- Make herb butter: mix all butter ingredients, roll tightly in plastic wrap into a log, refrigerate.
- Salt steaks 30–45 minutes before cooking. Pat completely dry before hitting the pan.
- Heat cast iron until smoking. Add tallow.
- Sear steaks 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare (125–130°F internal). Venison is lean — it overcooks fast.
- Rest 5 minutes on a wire rack. Top each steak with a thick slice of herb butter and serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- The herb butter is the move. Make a large batch and freeze it in rounds — it keeps for months.
- Do not cook venison past medium-rare if you can help it. It is too lean to survive well-done.
#venison#wild game#backstrap#carnivore#mains#steak
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