The BEST Venison Backstrap Recipe

4.52 from 62 votes

You’ll never want to cook deer meat any other way when you find out how to make this venison backstrap recipe!

Frying deer meat is our family’s favorite way to enjoy venison, however, if a fried version isn’t what you prefer, you will enjoy this deer steak on the stovetop, grilled venison steak and marinade or even a pan-fried deer steak!

Venison Backstrap Recipe - Fried Deer Meat

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

If you’re not a fan of a gamey taste, you’ll ESPECIALLY love this recipe because of the way this venison is cooked. However, even if you don’t mind the deer meat flavor, frying it is still one of the most popular recipes because of how delicious it really is!

Jump to:

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
🔪 How to Slice Deer Tenderloin
🧾 Ingredients
👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Venison Backstrap with Light Breading
👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Venison Backstrap with Heavier Breading:
🌟 How to Fry the Deer Meat
💡 Tips and Expert Tips
💡 FAQs
❄️ How to Store Leftover Venison
🥔 Side Dishes for Venison
🥩 Related Recipes
Recipe
Comments

🔪 How to Slice Deer Tenderloin

My dad (the king of frying deer meat), swears that the key to creating the BEST fried deer meat, depends on how it’s sliced. He was nice enough to let me grab a quick video while he was cutting it, so you can see just how he does it! (So make sure to watch the video here in this post!)

Tip for tender deer meat: He said cutting it against the grain, can make it much more tender. Plus, for a really tough deer, you can even take your knife and gently tap each piece after you cut it, to tenderize it.

🧾 Ingredients

For this recipe, it doesn’t take a lot and they’re all simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

** See below which breading type you prefer, and how to make each type.

A white platter with different types of fried deer meat.

For very light breading:

1-2 pounds deer meat tenderloin and/or backstrap, sliced in to ¼ inch slices
2 Tablespoons salt, for soaking
2 Tablespoons salt, for flour breading + additional to taste after fried
2 cups water
3 cups flour
2 cups vegetable oil
Greek seasoning, optional

For heavier breading:

All the above, plus 3-4 eggs.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Venison Backstrap with Light Breading

(Darker deer meat, with only flour.)

Close up of fried deer meat with little breading.

In a bowl, mix together water and 2 tablespoon salt. Soak sliced deer meat in salt water overnight if you’re able, or at least an hour.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat to 325 degrees. (My favorite to use is my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet )
Remove deer meat from refrigerator, and discard salt water (It may be best to leave it sit out for 15 minutes or so, so you won’t be frying very cold meat in hot oil.)
Pat the deer meat dry, with paper towels (UPDATE: We left the deer meat wet the other night, and dipped it in flour, and woah… that wasn’t too shabby. So it’s up to you!)
Mix flour and 2 tablespoon salt, in a ziptop bag or a separate bowl/plate for coating
Coat deer meat in flour/salt mixture
Place the coated deer meat pieces into the heated vegetable oil. (To test the oil’s temperature, sprinkle a bit of flour in the oil to see if it bubbles. If it bubbles, it’s ready. However, be careful not to get the oil too hot, so it doesn’t splatter and burn you when adding the deer meat.)
Flip deer meat after a few minutes when the underside is golden-brown. (Approx. 3 minutes)
Cook on the alternate side until cooked through and there is no sign of undercooked meat. (We’ve been playing around with this recipe, and if you like a crunchy breading on your deer meat, cook it a bit longer until it reaches the desired “crunch,” you prefer.)
Inside of fully cooked meat will be gray/brown, with no sign of red.
Remove deer meat from pan, on to plate/dish covered with paper towels to drain oil.
OPTIONAL: We LOVE sprinkling Greek Seasoning on the fried deer meat after it is fried for optimal flavor!

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Venison Backstrap with Heavier Breading:

In a bowl, mix together water and 2 tablespoon salt. Soak sliced deer meat in salt water overnight if you’re able, or at least an hour.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat to 325 degrees. (My favorite to use is my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet )
Remove deer meat from refrigerator, and discard salt water (It may be best to leave it sit out for 15 minutes or so, so you won’t be frying very cold meat in hot oil.)
Pat the deer meat dry, with paper towels (UPDATE: We left the deer meat wet the other night, and dipped it in flour, and woah… that wasn’t too shabby. So it’s up to you!)
Mix flour and 2 tablespoon salt, in a ziptop bag or a separate bowl/plate for coating.

For Semi-Thick Breading: For deer meat with the type of breading in the middle of the photo below, whisk the 3-4 eggs in a small bowl. Dip each piece of deer meat in to the eggs and then in flour. (Result in image below.)

Fried deer meat coating in egg and then flour.

For Thicker breading: For deer meat with the thicker breading, whisk the 3-4 eggs in a bowl. Then, dip the deer meat in flour, then in the eggs, and then the flour again. (Result in image below.)

Fried deer meat coated in flour, egg and then flour again.

🌟 How to Fry the Deer Meat

(No matter how you choose to bread it.)

Place the coated deer meat pieces into the heated vegetable oil. (To test the oil’s temperature, sprinkle a bit of flour in the oil to see if it bubbles. If it bubbles, it’s ready. However, be careful not to get the oil too hot, so it doesn’t splatter and burn you when adding the deer meat.)
Flip deer meat after a few minutes when the underside is golden-brown. (Approx. 3 minutes)
Cook on the alternate side until cooked through and there is no sign of undercooked meat. (We’ve been playing around with this recipe, and if you like a crunchy breading on your deer meat, cook it a bit longer until it reaches the desired “crunch,” you prefer.)
Inside of fully cooked meat will be gray/brown, with no sign of red.
Remove deer meat from pan, on to plate/dish covered with paper towels to drain oil.
OPTIONAL: We LOVE sprinkling Greek Seasoning on the fried deer meat after it is fried for optimal flavor!

💡 Tips and Expert Tips

My husband and I also love to sprinkle Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, over the top after frying so it adds an extra kick of flavor. Then, if we are feeling frisky, we top it with a bit of Frank’s Hot Sauce.
My sister prefers dipping the deer meat in to milk, then in to flour before frying, and she swears by it!

Venison Backstrap on Plate with Red Towel

💡 FAQs

Do you need to soak venison backstrap?

Although I recommend soaking the deer meat in saltwater, it’s not something you have to do. It can help draw blood out and remove a gamey taste that it may have. Some also soak in milk instead of water and believe that it helps keep it tender and juicy.

Do you have to marinate venison tenderloin?

We don’t recommend marinating venison in dressings, oils, or any flavorings when frying with this recipe. So besides soaking in salt water or milk, if desired to help remove a gamey taste, marinating ingredients are not necessary.

Can you freeze venison tenderloin?

Absolutely. If freezing a deer tenderloin or backstrap, it’s recommended that you slice it in to small pieces (as shown in the video above), before freezing. So when you’re ready to cook it, you can thaw it out much faster and it will already be cut for frying. Freeze in food-saving bags or your favorite freezer packaging.

❄️ How to Store Leftover Venison

If you have leftover fried deer meat, store cooled deer in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

🥔 Side Dishes for Venison

What goes good with venison backstrap? Some of our favorites to serve with is are white gravy, or for fun, chorizo gravy, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. However, this romaine side salad and this roasted broccoli are other favorite vegetables to serve with it!

If you have more venison, you’ll also love this air fryer deer meat that only takes 5-7 minutes to make! If you have ground venison, you’ll want to also try this venison chili recipe!

Or, if fried steaks are your favorite, you’ll love this old-fashioned country fried steak recipe. Or, these country-fried pork chops are a family favorite in our house!

Make sure to see the 80+ easy dinner recipes to add to your meal planner!

Recipe

Fried Venison Recipe

Jessica Burgess

Venison Backstrap Recipe – Fried deer tenderloin that may just change the way you cook deer meat forever! Tender, juicy, and delicious!

4.52 from 62 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 6

Resting Time 1

Total Time 1 6

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 40 pieces

Calories 188 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1-2 pounds deer meat tenderloin and/or backstrap, sliced in to ¼ inch slices
▢ 2 Tablespoons salt for soaking
▢ 2 Tablespoons salt for flour breading + additional to taste after fried
▢ 2 cups water
▢ 3 cups flour
▢ 2 cups vegetable oil Or enough to create ½ inch to 1 inch of oil in the skillet.
▢ Greek seasoning optional

Optional for Thicker Breading

▢ 4 eggs

Instructions

In a bowl, mix together water and 2 tablespoon salt. Soak sliced deer meat in salt water overnight if you’re able, or at least an hour.
Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat to 325 degrees.
Remove deer meat from refrigerator, and discard salt water
Pat the deer meat dry, with paper towels (UPDATE: We left the deer meat wet the other night, and dipped it in flour, and woah… that wasn’t too shabby. So it’s up to you!)
Mix flour and 2 tablespoon salt, in a ziptop bag or a separate bowl/plate for coating

For Thin Breading

Coat deer meat in flour/salt mixture

For Medium Breading

Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Dip the pieces of deer meat, one at a time, in to the egg mixture, then in to flour (coating all of the deer).

For Thickest Breading

Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Dip the pieces of deer meat, one at a time, in to the salted flour, then in to the egg mixture, and then in to flour again (coating all of the deer).

Frying the Deer Meat

Place the coated deer meat pieces into the heated vegetable oil. (To test oil’s temperature, sprinkle a bit of flour in the oil to see if it bubbles. If it bubbles, it’s ready. However, be careful not to get the oil too hot, so it doesn’t splatter and burn you when adding the deer meat.)
Flip deer meat after a few minutes when the underside is golden-brown. (Approx. 3 minutes)
Cook on the alternate side until cooked through and there is no sign of undercooked meat. (We’ve been playing around with this recipe, and if you like a crunchy breading on your deer meat, cook it a bit longer until it reaches the desired “crunch,” you prefer.)
Inside of fully cooked meat will be gray/brown, with no sign of red.
Remove deer meat from pan, on to plate/dish covered with paper towels to drain oil.
We LOVE sprinkling Greek Seasoning on the fried deer meat after it is fried for optimal flavor!

Video

Nutrition

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Comments

4.52 from 62 votes (56 ratings without comment)

How to Cook Deer Meat: Fried Venison

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

🔪 How to Slice Deer Tenderloin