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This pan seared venison tenderloin with garlic herb butter is one of our favorite venison recipes. Tender and juicy fresh venison steaks are seasoned simply and seared to a perfect medium rare in a cast iron skillet. There are no gamey venison steaks here when you use this fool-proof cooking method!
In my opinion, venison tenderloin is equal to or better than beef tenderloin. And often works perfectly in a recipe where beef is called for – like my Venison Wellington! This simple recipe for venison steak that is cooked in a cast iron skillet is just another example of how good deer steaks can be!
Ingredients for this recipe
- Venison Tenderloin
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Salted Butter
- Garlic
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Thyme
Tender Venison Steaks
The tenderloin is a cut of venison that comes from the back area of a deer, near the spine. These steaks are very similar to backstrap, though not exactly the same.
Both cuts however, are some of the most tender cuts of fresh venison. Because of this, you need only to season and cook it properly to enjoy a tender steak that practically melts in your mouth.
How to Cook Venison Tenderloin
- Season the tenderloin. I do this by liberally sprinkling the dried cuts with Kosher salt and black pepper a day before cooking.
- Mix the garlic herb butter. So much flavor!
- Sear the tenderloin. In a screaming hot cast iron skillet with a high smoke point oil.
- Baste with butter. This adds fat and flavor to the deer.
- Let the meat rest. This is imperative to keeping the tenderloin juicy!
Why do you salt meat before cooking?
Salting the venison tenderloins in advance of cooking is imperative to this recipe. In fact, it’s imperative to cooking most red meats.
Salting the meat in advance helps to tenderize the steak, making it juicier and more flavorful!
When the salt is sprinkled onto the meat, it releases its natural juices. This moisture then dissolves the salt. The dissolved salt and juice is reabsorbed into the steak. This process tenderizes the protein by breaking down muscle fibers in the meat.
Properly seasoned steaks will also be dryer on the outside, reducing the amount of steam while cooking. Less steam equals a better sear and that crispy, brown crust that’s so delicious!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Backstrap – you can substitute venison backstrap for the tenderloin in this recipe for a near seamless match! You can also enjoy my perfectly grilled a backstrap recipe, too.
- Table Salt – in all my recipes I call for Kosher salt. I prefer it because it has larger, coarser grains and sticks beautifully to meat. Because of the size difference, if you’re using table salt, you only need to use half the amount. So for this recipe, about half a tablespoon.
- Unsalted Butter – if all you have on hand is unsalted butter, feel free to use that but adjust your seasoning with Kosher salt accordingly!
- Dried Herbs – If dried rosemary and thyme are all you have on hand, that’s a-ok! Simply use half the amount of the dried herbs in place of fresh. So, 1 ½ teaspoons of dried herbs will suffice.
Pan Seared Venison Tenderloin with Garlic Herb Butter
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
For the Venison Tenderloin
- 1 ½ pounds fresh venison tenderloin, cut into two equal pieces
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt, more or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons Freshly cracked black pepper, more or less to taste
For the Garlic Herb Butter:
- ½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, for cooking
Instructions
- 24 hours ahead of time, pat the tenderloin dry with paper towel and season liberally on all sides with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper, more or less, to taste. (I season meat like I am still working in restaurants, and I know not everyone does that).
- Leave the tenderloin uncovered and place in the fridge overnight.
- An hour before cooking, remove the tenderloin from the fridge. (It is important to allow any meat you’re cooking to warm slightly before cooking to avoid it becoming tough.)
- While the tenderloin warms, mix together ½ cup room temperature salted butter with 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves, and 1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves. Set garlic herb butter aside.
- When ready to cook, place a cast iron pan over high heat and allow to heat for 2 minutes. Add in 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or another high heat oil, such as avocado) and heat until shimmering. Add the tenderloin pieces to the pan, being sure not to touch, move, or disturb the meat (this is how you get a lovely crust on the meat). Cook tenderloin for 5 minutes and flip. Add a generous dollop of garlic herb butter to the top of each piece of venison.
- Cook for another 5 – 8 minutes more, depending on how done you like your tenderloin. As the venison cooks, the butter will melt around it.
- During the last two minutes of cooking, carefully tilt the pan so the butter gathers in one area of the pan. Continually spoon the melted butter onto the tenderloin to baste it, being sure to get all those good bits of garlic and herbs onto the meat.
- Remove the venison from the pan and allow to rest on a plate for five minutes before slicing and serving. If desired, drizzle even more of the pan drippings and flaky salt onto the sliced venison!
Notes
- If you don't have 24 hours to season the tenderloin in advance, 12 hours will suffice. And 1 or 2 hours will work in a pinch.
- Refer to post for ingredients substitutions.
Jessica says
I made this over the weekend and it came out really good! I ended up having to cook mine much longer than the instructions gave, but I think that is also because the cut that I had was quite thick. Next time, I think I will leave out the garlic in the butter, because it burned once I added it on top of the meat and then flipped. Or maybe add cloves of garlic at the end once basting, but overall a really great recipie. Even my boyfriend who has never had deer before loved it!
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Jessica,
Basting with butter and garlic cloves is a great idea! I'm glad your boyfriend enjoyed his first venison meal and honored you made one of my recipes 🙂
Thanks!
Amanda
Jed says
Was like I was serving a high dollar meal from a fancy restaurant. Wife and I really enjoyed this. Don't know of a better way to make an Alabama buck tenderloin. Too bad you only get 1 of these meals per deer. I'm gonna have to sit in the woods this afternoon and try to get another! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Jed,
I couldn't agree more that this kind of preparation makes venison feel high-end! And it's not even that hard! We cherish the tenderloin meals when it's hunting season up here in WI, too.
Thanks for the reviewing and happy hunting,
Amanda
Bee says
This was my first time cooking venison and it came out tender and tasty.
Thank you
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Bee,
Congrats on your first venison recipe! Hope it's the first of many to come 🙂
Thanks for reviewing,
Amanda
Misty says
Fabulous way to cook this type of venison. Thank you.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Misty,
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
Happy hunting!
Amanda
Nate says
The meat turned out delicious, however the crust was burned. I had to use a normal pan and a induction countertop stove. I also only had olive oil. I'm wondering if it was the olive oil that burned it? Still 5 stars because the inside was delicious and the burning was probably my fault
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Nate!
There are a few factors that can make the meat burn on the outside instead of get a good sear/crust. The pan type, temperature, and cooking oil are all factors, for sure, like you listed! If you can, I highly recommend trying to get your hands on a cast iron pan for future searing (not that it can't be done properly in a stainless steel pan), they're just so fabulous for searing meat. I've found numerous at thrift stores for a very reasonable price! Also, yes, olive oil will burn around 350 - 400 degrees. If you're not into grapeseed oil, you can always use lard or beef tallow. In fact, I'm working on a technique for rendering venison tallow that will be great for this recipe!
Thank you for your thoughtful review 🙂
Amanda
James Miller says
This recipe was outstanding! I substituted the cooking oil with Ghee and placed the iron pan on the grill outdoors (with door closed). I smeared some of the butter recipe on the bottom of the meat first. Other than this, I followed the instructions.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi James,
So thrilled you enjoyed this recipe! Ghee is a great substitute. I'm actually experimenting with rendering my own venison tallow and it's going so well. I can't wait to post that and add it as an option for the cooking directions here.
Thanks for reviewing!
Amanda
Nate says
Apologies if this is a double review. I submitted one and don't see it anymore. The meat was delicious, however the crust was burnt. I had to use a normal pan, an induction countertop stove, and I only had olive oil. Wondering if it was the olive oil that burned it? 5 stars because the meat was good and the burnt crust was probably something I did wrong.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Nate,
No, not a double review. I just have to approve and reply to all comments before they display. Again, I'm so grateful for your thoughtfulness and kind words. Also to note, if you have the heat up too high you'll also get a burnt crust on the meat. Obviously it's hard for me to know exactly because cooking units are all so different. Our gas stove is so high-powered that I rarely, if ever, cook anything above a 4 when the dials go all the way up to 10! That much flame would not only burn our food but possibly warp/ruin the pans. It's these kinds of things that make cooking so much about "feel" and "technique" rather than following recipes to a T! Bravo to you for thinking through issues.
Thanks again,
Amanda
Cliff Blackburn says
Holy cow is this good. You should try it.
Amanda Gajdosik says
What a glowing review, thanks Cliff!
Rose Ena Gonzalez says
You saved me! I had two batches of tenderloin from two different years from my freezer and I could not find my sister‘s recipe. I was embarrassed to ask her, so I was scrounging the Internet to find some way to cook it. This recipe turned out amazing! My tenderloins were way skinnier than the ones in your photo but I followed your recipe and it turned out delicious! Thank you so much!
Amanda Gajdosik says
Happy to be of service, Rose! We've had years where we have tiny tenderloins and some years we are lucky and get big ol' ones! Thank you so much for your rating and review 🙂
Nicolette says
This was absolutely delicious! My whole family loved it. I served it with garlic smashed potatoes and a salad. So.good.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Nicolette,
So happy to hear your family enjoyed my venison recipe! Thank you so much for rating and reviewing and making Midwest Nice a part of your family's meals 🙂
Thanks!
Amanda
Andrea says
Perfection! Loved the recipe. This was my first time cooking blackstrap (my husband came home with 3 deer this season) and I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I cooked it just like you said and the whole family loved it!
Amanda Gajdosik says
Heck yeah, you did it, Andrea! Props to you for tackling cooking backstrap for the first time. Honored you used my recipe and thrilled it turned out so well for you and your family to enjoy!
Happy hunting!
Amanda
John Reihner says
Flavor was amazing. I followed the recipe exactly. Cooked to rare/med rare. We love venison. We thought the tenderloin was not as tender as it should be. Thanks
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi John,
Thanks for rating and reviewing! I'm curious as to what you mean by "we thought the tenderloin was not as tender as it should be" - was this as the result of the recipe? That would be so interesting to me as the tenderloin, by nature, is going to be one of the most soft and tender cuts from venison you can ever have, and this recipe was developed to enhance that. And I've never had anyone say something like this before.
The only reason I can think why a tenderloin wouldn't be "as tender" as expected would be due to processing/storage issues. I have to wonder if the meat was properly butchered or if perhaps there was silver skin still on it or maybe freezer burn if it was stored too long. Otherwise, another factor could be that it was cooked while too cold - that'll toughen up almost any piece of meat.
I always want to make my recipes the best they can be so would love some more info, if you're willing to share. Otherwise I sure hope you try some of my other recipes 🙂
Thanks!
Amanda
John Reihner says
Thanks for your comments. I would appreciate any thoughts you have.
The tenderloins were from a deer taken one day ago, never frozen. It was a clean kill, I do my own butchering so I don't think that is the issue.
I did not give an accurate statement on the end result. The tenderloin was actually tough. I am as stumped as you are. Cooked many tenderloins before and this never happened.
Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
Amanda Gajdosik says
Oh interesting! If I *had to* guess, I would say it had something to do with the deer itself, then. Maybe the age or if the deer was stressed in any way, maybe injured? A few years ago my husband took down the biggest doe he or his friends had ever seen and we guesstimated she was well into double digits in age. Her meat was a bit tough, so we mainly turned it into ground. Seasoning and searing a tenderloin shouldn't make it "actually tough" for any reason - again no one I know has ever had that experience before. Salt actually helps tenderize meat so I'm at a loss. What a bummer though! Best of luck with the rest of deer season!
JWeb says
I am leery of venison because I don’t know how to cook it. This recipe is delicious and does take the “gamey” out of the meat. I feel a little more confident now!
Amanda Gajdosik says
I love to hear that, I always hope my recipes can instill confidence in readers! This is such a great recipe to start your venison journey - and be sure to check out all my others! There's not a gamey piece of deer meat in sight! https://midwestniceblog.com/category/venison-recipes/
Happy cooking 🙂
Bethany says
Made this for dinner tonight - SO GOOD! I'm adding it to our favorites. Thank you!!
Amanda Gajdosik says
THRILLED to hear this, Bethany! It means so much when people enjoy my recipes (especially since I wasn't a venison eater until I married an avid hunter!). Thank you for reviewing! Also, if you haven't already, feel free to download my FREE venison e-book (there's a link in the menu section) for some exclusive deer recipes 🙂
Bethany says
Thank you! We're always on the hunt for good venison recipes 😁 (we made this recipe AGAIN tonight 🤤)
Lou Ann Smoker says
Made it for dinner last night . Fabulous! My grandson did t even realize he was eating venison. Will definitely make again.
Amanda Gajdosik says
I love hearing that, Lou Ann! I think people can be pleasantly surprised by how delicious venison steaks can be! Gamey meat is a thing of the past! 🙂
Leigh says
Can I use bacon grease?
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Leigh, I wouldn't as it doesn't have as high of a smoke point (the point at which oil burns). Bacon grease smokes at about 325 degrees. Grapeseed and canola oil's smokepoint is 400 degrees and avocado is the highest at 520 degrees. I recommend using any of the other three oils I mentioned in lieu of bacon grease so you don't burn your fat or ruin your tenderloin. 🙂
Thomas says
Do you have any issues with venison tenderloins drying out in that 24 hour period in the fridge before cooking? I’m really interested in trying this method but I’m worried that the meat will develop a rind. Does the salt help keep moisture? Thank you!
Amanda Gajdosik says
Hi Thomas,
I haven't had any issues with a rind developing, the salt helps to prevent that. And we have a newer "fancier" fridge that is humidity controlled. But! If you're concerned with it drying out, feel free to wrap the dish in plastic and store in the fridge overnight. When you remove the venison to come up in temp, you can remove the plastic as well!
Hope this helps 🙂
Chloe says
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda Gajdosik says
So glad you enjoyed it, Chloe! 🙂
Erin says
This was delicious. A nice change from always grilling our venison tenderloins. Will definitely do this more often!
Amanda Gajdosik says
LOVE to hear this, Erin! So happy you enjoyed it. Even happier you'll be making it again 🙂 Happy hunting!