Bacon & Herb Seasoned Venison Tenderloin

I made this for dinner last night, and the results were succulent and as delicious as any beef filet mignon I've ever had. Because venison is so lean, the bacon grease keeps it moist and juicy while it broils and gives it an amazing "steak house" flavor which the herb seasoning enhances even more. If you know someone who swears they hate venison, I bet this recipe will change their mind! There's nothing to measure for this recipe - just go by feel - and I bet it would work on the grill as well as the broiler. I always have a little container of bacon grease in my fridge because we save the grease when we fry bacon. But if you don't have any in your refrigerator, simply fry up some bacon (which you can enjoy with your meal or save for later) and use the grease in the skillet for this recipe.

I started with two large pieces of venison tenderloin, from the big doe Greg shot on Saturday. I rinsed off the venison under running water and patted the meat dry. I then melted some bacon grease in a microwave safe bowl, and dipped each piece of venison in the melted grease to coat on all sides. I shook off the excess grease from each piece and then placed the meat on a piece of aluminum foil on my broiler pan (for ease of cleaning the pan later). I liberally sprinkled the venison tenderloin pieces with Big Daddy's Superb Herb Seasoning on both sides, and then placed the broiler pan on the second-from-the-top rung of my oven, and broiled for a few minutes, turning once until done to medium-rare. ***Keep your eye on the oven while you broil, because the bacon grease can splatter and can catch on fire!!***

Broil until just a little less done than you'd like because the venison will continue to cook for a while after you remove the pan from the broiler, so be careful not to over-cook. I removed the pan from the oven while the meat was still rare and I let it sit for a minute or so, and by the time I served it the meat had finished to medium-rare.

While driving to work this morning, it dawned on me that the venison tenderloin would probably also be delicious if made this way: Rinse & pat dry the meat as above, then sprinkle both sides liberally with Big Daddy's Superb Herb Seasoning, and then wrap with two or three slices of uncooked bacon. Place on the broiler pan or on your grill grate, bacon-seam side down, and broil or grill over indirect heat until the bacon is cooked and the meat is medium-rare (or your preferred doneness, keeping in mind that the venison will continue to cook for a bit after removed from the oven or grill). I'll see if we can try this bacon-wrapped method the next time we have some venison tenderloin.

Do you have a favorite recipe for venison tenderloin? Feel free to share it here in a comment!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria