Grilled Venison Backstrap

Made with just a handful of ingredients that showcase the meat’s natural flavor this grilled venison backstrap recipe is the perfect dinner to enjoy during deer season! Serve with grilled veggies and a delicious potato side for a wonderfully Midwestern meal.

Backstrap is one of our favorite cuts of venison. It is tender and succulent and requires minimal prep or seasoning to be absolutely delicious.

Seasoning Venison Backstrap

I like to keep my seasoning process simple with this recipe. I either use a combo of kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper, and staple spices or I dust it with my venison dry rub that's beyond perfect.

How to grill venison backstrap

1. Season the venison. I do this up to 12 hours ahead of time, the morning before we plan on having backstrap for dinner. This not only helps flavor the meat but tenderize it as well! (Of course, if you forget to season the venison in the morning, it can be done an hour before grilling.)
2. Remove from the fridge. It’s important with any protein to have it come up to room temperature slightly before cooking. Throwing a cold backstrap on a hot grill will lead to tough meat. I take the deer out of the fridge 30 – 60 minutes before grilling.
3. Grill the backstrap. Over screaming high heat. Roughly 7 – 10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your backstrap and the desired doneness.
4. Let the venison rest. Remove it from the grill to a clean plate to rest. So the juices redistribute!
5. Slice and serve. With potatoes and corn, preferably.

Other delicious venison recipes

• Venison Stroganoff
• Venison Burgers
• Venison Enchiladas
• Deer & Beer Pot Pies

Happy hunting to you!

Print Recipe

5 from 18 votes

Grilled Venison Backstrap

Showcasing deer's natural flavor this grilled venison backstrap recipe is the perfect dinner to enjoy during deer season! Serve with grilled veggies and a delicious potato side for a wonderfully Midwestern meal.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Resting Time12 hours hrs

Total Time12 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Dinner, Grilling, Venison, Venison Recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 138kcal

Author: Amanda Gajdosik

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Grill

Ingredients

• 2 venison backstraps about 1 ½ - 2 pounds each
• 1 ½ tablespoon kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ tablespoon seasoned salt
• ½ tablespoon garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon onion powder

Instructions

• 12 hours before cooking, season the backstraps on all sides with the salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. I like to press the seasoning into the tops of the backstraps with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate for the next 11 hours. (For example, if you’re planning for dinner at 6pm, season the backstraps first thing in the morning at 6am.)
• Sixty minutes before serving, remove the seasoned backstraps from the fridge. This allows them to come up to room temperature slightly. 30 minutes before grilling, begin heating the grill.
• Grill backstraps over high heat for 7 – 10 minutes per side. Longer for a more well-done backstrap.
• Remove from grill and allow backstraps to rest for at least 5 minutes so juices redistribute throughout the meat. Slice and serve.

Notes

• If you're unable to season the backstraps 12 hour ahead of time, an hour ahead of time will suffice.
• I am usually a huge proponent of cooking venison to medium-well or well-done. With backstrap, because it is a single cut of meat and the center hasn’t been exposed to the air or risked contact with bacteria, I feel safe cooking it to medium rare or medium. If you are concerned about CWD or anything else, I recommend cooking the venison for 10 – 15 minutes per side.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5pounds | Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1802mg | Potassium: 365mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 4mg