Deer Bites

It may still be August, but there has certainly been a nip in the air this past week. The cool mornings have reminded me that hunting season is just around the corner. In honor of that fact, I have a recipe for you today that is my personal favorite way to prepare deer meat.... wrapped in bacon! Venison is already wonderful on its own, but when you wrap it in bacon, something magical happens!

This recipe can either be prepared on the grill, or in the oven, whichever suits your fancy. (I'll provide instructions for both.) However, you will need a full 24 hours to marinade the meat beforehand, so the recipe does require a little bit of forethought. And be warned... Deer Bites are quite addictive, and will go faster than you might think, so be sure to make plenty! I hope your family and friends enjoy these little delights as much as we do... 

 Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:

• Deer Tenderloin or Backstrap
• Milk
• Italian Dressing
• Bacon
• Greek Seasoning (see photo)

Method:

Prepare your deer tenderloin (or backstrap) by cutting it into bite-sized pieces. 

Then tenderize them.

Some of the pieces ended up pretty big after I tenderized them, so I cut those pieces in half.

Place the tenderized meat into a sealable bowl and cover the pieces with equal parts of milk and Italian dressing. (I like to use the Zesty Italian dressing) Marinade the meat in this mixture for at least 24 hours. (This is said to take some of the gaminess out of the deer meat.) 

Remove the meat from the marinade and wrap each piece in a half strip of bacon, and secure it with a toothpick. Sprinkle all sides with Greek seasoning.

The amount shown (33 bites) is from 2 tenderloins.

To bake them: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a broiler pan by lining the inside bottom with aluminum foil (You'll thank me for this later.), and spraying the top grating with cooking spray. Place the deer bites on the broiler pan, and bake them in the oven until the bacon is crisp and the deer meat is cooked through. (The actual time can vary depending on the thickness of your bacon and the bites themselves, but usually about an hour.) Flip them over after 30 minutes of cooking. 

To grill them: It's pretty much the same... Spray the grill with cooking spray, then cook the bites until the bacon is crisp and the deer meat is cooked through. You will need to flip them regularly, and move them around to ensure even cooking, though. (Again the time will vary according to the thickness of your bacon and the bites themselves.)

Enjoy!



Related posts that might interest you:

 Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Deer Backstrap 

 30 Minute Venison Chili