10/10/2022
Here's a great recipe to try out this weekend:
Sweet Bacon Wrapped Venison Backstrap
2 lbs venison backstrap (a single deer loin)
1/2 lb bacon
3 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups soy sauce (Regular NOT low-sodium)
1/4 cup white sugar (Optional for added Sweetness)
Directions:
1. Mix brown Sugar and Soy sauce together in a bowl. They should combine nicely into a soupy soy liquid.
2. Put Deer Loin in a cooking tray and pour Brown Sugar/Soy Sauce mixture over the loin. Roll backstrap over in mixture, completely covering it.
3. Let meat marinate in the mixture for at least 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. It's best to marinate for 8 hours if you have the time. Also GREAT to use a Food Saver or other Vacuum device to Vacuum pack/seal the meat with Marinade. With this method, you can achieve Overnight-level marinade in just a couple hours!
4. Remove the loin from the tray, and place it on a slotted bake sheet with a drip pan or aluminum foil below to catch dripping. Don't throw away the marinade.
5. Wrap a piece of bacon around the very end of the loin, securing the bacon strip with a toothpick.
6. Repeat this process until the entire loin is wrapped in ten or so bacon "loops." The backstrap should look like an arm with a bunch of wristwatches on it, the watches being the bacon strips.
7. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the deer loin. You can continue to baste the loin with the marinade with either a brush or a turkey baster throughout the cooking process.
8. Place on the center rack in the oven and bake at 350°F for 30-40* minutes. *This should cook the meat to about Medium. For those of you who prefer rare meat (like me), cut the time to 25-30 minutes and then follow with the "OPTION 2" step below regarding searing.
9. OPTION 1 - with about 10 minutes of cooking time left, you can lightly dust the top of the loin with white sugar. This creates a sweet crust on top of the bacon. It might be too sweet for some. Try doing it on just HALF of the loin to see if you like it!
OPTION 2 - For a crispier crust and crispier bacon, remove Loin from the oven and place the Loin(s) directly on a Grill over medium-high heat to sear the bacon and outer loin. (Thanks to all of you reviewers who taught me this. It's a great step for those of us who like a cooked crust and a pink center).
10. Remove from oven and place on cutting board. Using a knife, cut the loin between each strip of bacon so that you have many pieces of meat, each with its own toothpick.
11. You can eat these pieces directly from the toothpick or remove the toothpick and eat them like steak.
