Venison loin ideas
- Thread starter wob
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It depends. I've had low-temp smoked pork loin, and it was too much like ham, dry, salty, tough. There just isn't enough connective tissue and inter-muscular fat to make it work, but I've also had high-temp smoked pork loin (about 300 degrees or so, basically a smokey oven) cooked to medium, and it was amazing the meat was juicy and buttery, just enough smoke got into the fat-cap of the loin so it tasted more like it the further outside you got, but inside it was sweet-salty like good pork. There wasn't enough smoke for me to taste the flavor of the wood (apple) but enough to give it that campfire-cooked goodness I live for.
Of course, the aficionados will say that it isn't "real" smoking, but "dirty grilling", which is true, but it still tasted amazing.
Wob, as Atticus already said, it sounds like you did pretty good the first time around.
If you want to grill the loins, I do the following. Take the loins and cut them into about 1" or slightly larger cubes (e.g. slice the loin crosswise and then cut that slice into 2 or 3 pieces. I then marinade the cubes in Italian dressing overnight (ziplock in fridge). You can use low-fat dressing if you want. When you're ready to cook, just pull them out of the bag and without rinsing, wrap in bacon, put onto skewers and cook over hot coals for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also add sliced peppers and/or onions between the venision cubes on the skewer if you're so inclined.
For the oven I often use an old German recipe. Marinade the loin whole for a couple of days (again ziploc in fridge) in buttermilk with some peppercorns and juniper berries. Remove from the marinade when you're ready to cook and put loin, wrapped in bacon, on a roasting pan (pan with dripping tray) and bake in oven on 375 to beef medium. At least 2 or 3 times while cooking, remove from oven and spoon sour cream over the loin. When done, put the drippings in a skillet and make a brown gravy. I normally serve this dish sliced with fresh made spaetzle and some cranberry sauce on the side. The gravy goes over the meat and the spaetzle. You can also add seedless grapes to the gravy as a substitute for the cranberry sauce on the side. The tartness of the fruit goes well with game. Warning: this is not a healthy diet recipe!
PS: It's "four or five deer" - skillet
If you want to grill the loins, I do the following. Take the loins and cut them into about 1" or slightly larger cubes (e.g. slice the loin crosswise and then cut that slice into 2 or 3 pieces. I then marinade the cubes in Italian dressing overnight (ziplock in fridge). You can use low-fat dressing if you want. When you're ready to cook, just pull them out of the bag and without rinsing, wrap in bacon, put onto skewers and cook over hot coals for 20 to 30 minutes. You can also add sliced peppers and/or onions between the venision cubes on the skewer if you're so inclined.
For the oven I often use an old German recipe. Marinade the loin whole for a couple of days (again ziploc in fridge) in buttermilk with some peppercorns and juniper berries. Remove from the marinade when you're ready to cook and put loin, wrapped in bacon, on a roasting pan (pan with dripping tray) and bake in oven on 375 to beef medium. At least 2 or 3 times while cooking, remove from oven and spoon sour cream over the loin. When done, put the drippings in a skillet and make a brown gravy. I normally serve this dish sliced with fresh made spaetzle and some cranberry sauce on the side. The gravy goes over the meat and the spaetzle. You can also add seedless grapes to the gravy as a substitute for the cranberry sauce on the side. The tartness of the fruit goes well with game. Warning: this is not a healthy diet recipe!
PS: It's "four or five deer" - skillet
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Yeah, all the fat's outside the silverskin, there no real marbling.
I'm amazed at the variety of expertise on this forum...
I cook a fair amount of deer or pork tenderloin. I approach them very differently. 95% of deer tenderloins, properly butchered, need little help being excellent. A little salt, freshly ground pepper, a little bit of your personal favorite seasonings, and you are set. Pan fry, or sear and bake, or wrap in bacon and smoke/bake. Keep it moist, and don't overcook.
Pork tenderloin can be a lot of meat for the money, but needs more help being great. Experiment, experiment, experiment with whatever heavy artillery you have. I find myself cutting them in half and cooking six or seven halves for large events. I try something a little different with each, and I'm slowly learning how to get them right.
For deer hams and shoulders, professional meat tenderizers are miracle machines. They both tenderize and improve the flavor of the meat.
I cook a fair amount of deer or pork tenderloin. I approach them very differently. 95% of deer tenderloins, properly butchered, need little help being excellent. A little salt, freshly ground pepper, a little bit of your personal favorite seasonings, and you are set. Pan fry, or sear and bake, or wrap in bacon and smoke/bake. Keep it moist, and don't overcook.
Pork tenderloin can be a lot of meat for the money, but needs more help being great. Experiment, experiment, experiment with whatever heavy artillery you have. I find myself cutting them in half and cooking six or seven halves for large events. I try something a little different with each, and I'm slowly learning how to get them right.
For deer hams and shoulders, professional meat tenderizers are miracle machines. They both tenderize and improve the flavor of the meat.
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sounds good!