Smoked Venison Backstrap with Wet Brine
User Reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
10 mins
-
Cook Time
2 hrs
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Total Time
2 hrs 10 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
174 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Smoked Venison Backstrap with Wet Brine
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Make this smoked venison backstrap with wet brine for a juicy, tender, smoky cut of meat that’s simple to prepare with minimal prep time!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb venison backstrap
- 1 ½ quart water, divided
- 4 cups ice
- ½ cup kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Brining:
- To a medium saucepan, add 1 quart of water, salt, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil. Boil until the salt and brown sugar dissolve, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of ice and enough cold water to make 1 quart of liquid to the brining container. If your brining container has measurements on the side, add the 4 cups of ice and fill it up with cold water until the 1 quart line is reached. Otherwise, use a liquid measuring cup to measure the ice and then add enough cold water to get to the 4 cup/1 quart line.
- Pour the brining mixture into the brining container. Stir to combine. Place the brine in the fridge or freezer to cool completely.
- Once the brine is 41°F or colder, add in the backstrap. Cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
Smoking:
- Preheat a pellet smoker to 180-200°F.
- Remove the backstrap from the brine. Rinse the meat and pat it dry.
- Place the meat on an oven-safe wire rack and loosely tent the meat with aluminum foil.
- Place the rack with the meat on the side of the grill not directly over the flames.
- Rotate the rack 180° halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 125°F, about 1.5-2 hours. The smoking time will depend on the thickness of the backstrap.
- Remove the meat from the grill and heat the grill to 350°F. Drizzle with olive oil and use a basting brush to cover the meat in oil.
- Grill both sides for 30 seconds to 1 minute directly over the flames or until desired grill marks are achieved. Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before serving.
- Slice into ½" slices. Serve and enjoy!
Equipments used:
Notes
- This recipe uses a 1 lb portion of venison backstrap but you can use a whole backstrap instead. You can also use other venison steaks or roasts. But, the brining and smoking time will vary depending on the size of the cut of meat you choose.
- Kosher salt is often used for brining because it doesn't have any additives and its flaky texture dissolves easily in water. But, you can use regular salt instead.
- Worcestershire sauce adds a bit of umami flavor to the brine. A similar flavor can be achieved with soy sauce as well.
- If you're using a pellet grill, you can use just about any smoking wood pellet for this recipe and it will turn out great. If you're using a traditional smoker, you can use mild woods like fruit woods.
- An oven-safe wire rack is helpful for elevating the meat off of the grill grates for better airflow. But, you can also place the meat directly on the grill grates as well.
- This recipe is written for a pellet grill but the same method will work with any smoker. You can also use a regular grill at a low temperature with a smoker tube.
- A good meat thermometer is essential for smoking your steak to the perfect internal temperature. An external probe thermometer for continuous monitoring works great.
- I like using Cambro containers for brining because you can fit a lot in them. But you can also use a glass bowl or nonreactive pot.
- Making a loose tent out of aluminum foil helps keep the meat moist during the smoking process. If you choose not to use aluminum foil, you can also spritz the meat with some water occasionally to keep it moist.
- This brine will work for more meat than the recipe calls for. You can definitely add a few more pieces of backstrap to the container if you'd like!
- The process of cooking the backstrap at a low temperature and then searing it at a high temperature is called reverse searing. The searing step at the end isn't essential, but I like the extra grill flavor and the appearance of the grill marks.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
174kcal
(9%)
Carbohydrates
2g
(1%)
Protein
26g
(52%)
Fat
6g
(9%)
Saturated Fat
2g
(10%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
3g
Cholesterol
96mg
(32%)
Sodium
696mg
(29%)
Potassium
397mg
(11%)
Fiber
0.01g
(0%)
Sugar
1g
(2%)
Vitamin A
3IU
(0%)
Vitamin C
1mg
(1%)
Calcium
13mg
(1%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 174 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 174kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 2g | 1% |
| Protein | 26g | 52% |
| Fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 96mg | 32% |
| Sodium | 696mg | 29% |
| Potassium | 397mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 0.01g | 0% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 3IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 1mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 13mg | 1% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
3 reviews
Excellent
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