Bill Winke – Midwest Whitetail
GRILLED BACON-WRAPPED TENDERLOINS
I like to cut the inside tenderloin out of a deer I have shot when gutting the deer. These are located on the inside of the body cavity next to the spine just forward of the rear leg joints. Â In a typical deer, this amounts to just about two pounds of meat, but it is the best two pounds on the entire animal.
I cut the inside tenderloins out immediately when gutting the deer and place them in a small ziplock plastic bag that I carry in my pack just for this. Let them cool thoroughly.
At home, I clean them in the sink to remove excess blood and other tissue, leaving just the meat.
But the tenderloins into thumb-sized pieces and wrap them in short strips of bacon using a toothpick to hold the bacon in place.
Put these small bacon-wrapped delicacies in a container with your favorite marinade. Â We have used several, but like the A1 Steakhouse marinades.
Let marinade for a few hours (two or three) and then place on the grill.
It is important to cook the pieces very fast on high heat – even flame. Â You need to get the bacon done on the outside without overcooking the venison inside. Â Â Venison is best served rare and this meat especially is ideally cooked fast and hot. Â Cook the bacon fast and then get it off the grill.
Eat!
GRILLED BACON-WRAPPED VENISON TENDERLOIN BITES
Serves 4, as an appetizer
Ingredients:
1 lb. venison tenderloin, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb. bacon
Marinade:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 TBSP whole grain mustard
- 1/2 TSP Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Cut bacon in half crosswise to make two pieces of bacon from each strip.
Mix all ingredients for marinade in a bowl and add tenderloin pieces, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (up to overnight). Drain marinade from meat and wrap each piece of tenderloin in bacon and secure with a toothpick.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the venison bites in a single layer, turning every couple minutes to cook the bacon until crisp. Serve and enjoy!