CDN
Guest
With fall and deer season upon us, I wanted to come up with a recipe to stick to your ribs before hitting the stand on a crisp autumn day! Here's a new twist on an old concept, the stuffed venison backstrap.
What you'll need:
2 venison backstrap loaves, cleaned and trimmed
3-4 eggs
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced onions
Breakfast sausage, or smoked sausage, such as chorizo or andouille
1 8oz. block of cheddar cheese
1 8oz. block of Monterrey Jack cheese
Sliced bacon
Old WoodFire Grill's KK's 10 BBQ rub
Olive oil
Toothpicks
Hickory, oak, pecan or apple chunks or wood
Start by building a medium/hot fire in your grill or smoker, 350-400 degrees. Add a few chunks or pieces of wood to get a little wood smoke flavor. My choice for this recipe is hickory or pecan (I used pecan), but oak, apple or perhaps mesquite would also do well. While the fire is getting going, butterfly the backstrap pieces and coat them on the inside with a light coat of Old WoodFire Grill KK 10 BBQ Rub.
Whisk the eggs together, season them to taste then cook them omelet style in a skillet, so that you get a "solid" mass of cooked eggs. Lightly sauté the onion, mushroom and bell pepper in olive oil, removing them from the heat prior to softening.
When the eggs are done, trim them down to a rectangular shape and place them on one of the butterflied backstrap pieces. You can pile the trimmed egg pieces on there as well. Slice the cheese blocks into 1/4 inch slices, and alternate each type of cheese, stacking them on top of the eggs. You can use any kind of cheese that you like, you can use only one kind of cheese, pretty much do what suits your tastes. But I do suggest using the "block" style of cheese, because it is thicker and melts slower when you cook the stuffed backstrap to perfection.
Next, pile your sausage on top of the cheese. I used some of my very own smoked venison Andouille sausage for this cook, but you could use chorizo, tasso or pork or even turkey breakfast sausage. Top it off with the sautéed onions, mushrooms and peppers, then hit it with another coat of the BBQ rub.
Place the other piece of backstrap on top, then wrap them with the bacon. Use the toothpicks to secure the bacon and the entire construction together.
Cook the stuffed backstrap on the grill or smoker, indirect, at around 350-400 degrees for about 30 minutes for a medium rare to medium level of doneness. I like it medium rare, so adjust your cooking times to suit your tastes. Slice it up and get ready for silence at the table - everyone will be too busy enjoying this masterpiece to talk!