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These prized deer / venison tenderloins cook easily in a skillet on the stovetop and are finished in the oven. Deer tenderloins and / or backstrap are an easy, delicious and tender recipe to make.
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Although the deer tenderloin and backstrap are different cuts of meat, I have often used my family and friends mistakenly use the terms interchangeably.
However! This recipe works for either the deer tenderloin or backstrap. Both cuts are lean so preparing them on the rarer side will help keep them tender.
Just keep in mind that the larger cuts of deer backstrap will take a longer time to sear and a little longer in the oven.
*These tenderloins were given to me by my good friends son - it was the first deer he ever shot. Go Luke!
How To Cook Venison / Deer Tenderloin or Deer Backstrap
These deer tenderloins were small - ~ ½ lb each. You will need to up the oven time if you are working with larger cuts for this recipe. This is where adigital oven thermometercome in handy, as you never have to open the oven door to know where the internal temperature of the meat is at.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Season the deer meat with salt and pepper. Add fresh herbs like chopped rosemary if you like.
- Add a high heat oil like safflower or vegetable oil and butter to a medium size pan that's at medium high heat. When melted, sear tenderloin on all sides (usually there are 3 sides) ~ 2 minutes or until browned. The first seared side generally takes ~ 1 minute more. Cast ironworks well because it can go from stovetop to oven.
- Transfer pan to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes or until internal temperature of deer reaches 145F. Remember - the oven time will need to increase if you are working with a larger tenderloin(s).
- Let meat rest ~ 15 minutes and thinly slice. Add salt to taste.
Additional Notes:
The deer meat should naturally come easily off the pan when it's done searing. If you're not sure if it's ready it's ok to take a quick peak under an edge, but generally you don't want to disturb the meat while it's searing.
If the deer tenderloin is not letting go of the pan than it is generally not ready.
Butter burns easy. If you find the butter burning before the meat is browning then add a little vegetable oil to bring down the smoking/burning point.
FAQS About Deer Tenderloin / Deer Backstrap
Is venison the same thing as deer?
Mostly. Venison is a general term to describe hunted animals. In Latin, it means "to hunt" so venison could be used to describe wild game like antelope, elk, moose, reindeer, etc. Mostly, we think of venison meat as deer meat.
Is deer (venison) loin the same as deer or venison backstrap?
Nope. The terms are often used interchangeably but it's not correct. The backstrap (also known as the loin) runs outside the ribs near the backbone along the length of the spine. It's loonnnnggg.
The deer tenderloin (also knows as the inner loin or under loin) runs inside the back near the gut. There are two tenderloins per deer and they are very small compared to the backstrap. Confused yet? I really like this diagram from North American Whitetail.
Can I cook venison / deer tenderloin the same way as venison / deer backstrap?
Yup. This deer tenderloin recipe works for both the tenderloin and the backstrap.
Things In My Kitchen:
- Digital oven thermometerfor checking the internal temperature of the meat without opening the oven door.
- Splatter guardfor containing grease better so it doesn't get all over your stovetop, counters or face!
- Cast iron skillet- 12", silicone hot handle, pre-seasoned, made in the U.S.A.
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Wanna up your game? Try giving it a flavorful sauce:
- Fresh Rosemary Plum Coulis
- Fresh Grape Reduction Sauce
- Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
- Horseradish Sour Cream Sauce
Try some of these other mouth watering recipes
- Stovetop to Oven Cast Iron New York Strip Steak
- Easy Herbed Pork Tenderloin
- Easy and Crispy Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Easy Pan Fried Cast Iron Quail
Perfect Seared And Baked Deer Tenderloin
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EatSimpleFood.com
These prized venison tenderloins cook easily in a skillet on the stovetop and oven and are an easy, delicious and tender recipe to make.
- Author: beckie
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop / Oven
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb deer tenderloin (or backstrap)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 1 Tbsp safflower oil or vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Sprinkle deer tenderloin with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary. Let meat sit at room temperature ~ 15 minutes.
- Bring a medium size pan to medium high heat. Cast iron
works well because it can go from stovetop to oven. - Add olive oil and butter. When melted and hot, sear tenderloin on all sides (usually there are 3 sides) ~ 2 minutes or until browned. The first seared side generally takes ~ 1 minute more.
- Transfer to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes or until internal temperature of deer reaches 145F. Remember - the oven time will need to increase if you are working with a larger tenderloin(s).
- Let meat rest ~ 15 minutes and thinly slice. Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
works well because it can go from stovetop to oven. Notes
- The meat should naturally come easily off the pan when it's done. If you're not sure if it's ready it's ok to take a quick peak under an edge, but generally you don't want to disturb the meat while it's searing. If it's not letting go of the pan than it is generally not ready.
- Butter burns easy. If you find the butter burning before the meat is browning then add a little vegetable or olive oil to bring down the smoking/burning point.
- Don't like or have rosemary? Skip it. Just butter, salt, and pepper is perfect.
- Please note: I have edited this recipe Aug 2021 to add a little olive oil to add with the butter. It tempers the butter so the meat doesn't burn if you have the pan really hot.
Check out these recipes!
- Easy Whole Beef Tenderloin
- Lime and Cumin Pork Tenderloin
- Pork Tenderloin with Plum Coulis
- Easy Herbed Pork Tenderloin
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Reader Interactions
Comments
- Tim says
Was a good recipe, thank you
Reply
- beckie says
awesome - thanks Tim!
Reply
- Sam says
I brined my back straps for maybe 6/7 hours before hand and also like mine a little less done. I had mine in the oven 5 mins.
This is a phenomenal recipe! Simple and so so tasty. Allows you to taste the true flavors of the meat with a little seasoning here and there. Love it.
Reply
- beckie says
Thanks Sam - I bet the brine made it extra moist!
Reply
- Nicolette says
This was delicious, thank you!
Reply
- Beckie Hemmerling says
Thanks for letting me know Nicolette!
Reply
- Aaron says
"Medium-high" is apparently not equal on all stoves. I got my cast iron up to Medium high, poured in some olive oil, and was immediately greater with a pillar of fire straight out of the Old Testament. Once I put it out, I measured the skillet with my digital IR thermometer and it read 700⁰+ . The ignition point of olive oil is around 410⁰. Beware!
Reply
- Beckie Hemmerling says
Hi Aaron - Thanks for the comment and the warning! It's true. The BTU output on different burners and different stoves varies so much. I have 4 burners (like most people) with 4 outputs: 18,500, 12,000, 9,100, and 5,000. Medium high is a vague term but it's also an easier term for most to understand. I need to figure out a way to say this better without adding more confusion or scaring people off. A fire straight out of the old Testament is terrifying. I will change this recipe now to safflower or vegetable oil or another high heat oil.
Reply
