From the woods to the table, smoked bacon-wrapped venison backstraps are melt-in-your-mouth tender with a lick of smoke, bacon, and barbecue sauce. Wow!
Trim the backstraps, removing as much silver skin and sinew as possible. Rinse the backstraps under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle the steak seasoning directly on the backstraps being sure not to add too much. A nice light coating works best. Wrap each backstrap in bacon. Tuck the ends of the bacon underneath itself and secure with toothpicks if needed.
Set up the smoker or grill for indirect cooking. Preheat the grill to 275 degrees F. Use half as much charcoal tp maintain this low temperature. (half chimney full)
When the coals are ready to cook, place the backstraps on the hot grate on the cool side of the opposite side of the coals, toss a large chunk of the pecan wood onto the coals, and cover the grill.
Bring the temperature back up to 275 degrees F, using the vents to regulate the temperature. Allow the meat to cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours, but smoke the backstraps with smoke for no more than 45 minutes.
Monitor the temperature of the meat, but also check the temperature of the smoker. Check every 30 minutes to keep the temperature between 250 and 300 degrees F. Make adjustments to the vents and add more coals as necessary.
When the backstraps reach an internal temperature of 125 degrees, brush on some barbecue sauce and continue cooking until the internal temp reaches 130 to 150 degrees F.
Remove it from the smoker. Allow the backstraps to rest for 10-20 minutes before cutting. The bacon should be browned and fully cooked on the outside and the inside of the meat should be somewhat firm to the touch and light pink.
Notes
Crispy Bacon: At the end of the cook, if the bacon isn't crispy enough, you could stoke up the fire and sear it quickly before taking the meat up to rest. You may even want to use a cast-iron pan to do this instead.Seasoning: Blends of spices that contain rosemary, sage, savory, onion powder, garlic powder, and sweet marjoram all pair well with venison other wild game.You will never go wrong with a simple mixture of equal parts black pepper, salt, and garlic powder on any meat you throw on the grill.Use a Binder: If the seasoning doesn’t want to adhere to the meat, use a binder to help it stick. Binders to consider Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, soy sauce, or vegetable oil.
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