[Pic-N-Stick]

I started with a fresh (aged 1 week) tenderloin from a 1.5 year-old doe. Cut it in half so you have 2 pieces the same length. Then butterflied both halfs to give 2 thin wide slabs. I marinaded them in Jack Daniels Steakhouse that comes in the zipseal bags for an hour or so. I laid them out, heated 1.5 ounces of bacon drippings (I always keep some in the fridge) and spread it on. Then it was rolled up, both halfs togather, wrapped in Hickory smoked bacon and tightly tied with roast twine. Into the oven uncovered at 325 until the internal temp was 140. I also basted it with the drippings a couple times. After 10 minutes rest time, we were in for a real treat! WOW! Fantastic! Picture included for Anthony! Anyone's mouth watering, yet?

[Anthony]

And boy does it look good.... thanks for the picture!

[T-post]

Man-O-Man, that sure does sound and look good! Sounds pretty simple too; I'll give it a try for sure. Thanks for sharing!

[Ghostman]

I'm glad gun seasons on the 22nd this month your killing me with that scrumshious tenderloin!
You listed aged 1 week, can you explain that procedure you use? We refrigerate hang ours for aging and get any wild out of them so to speak.

I'll surely keep this reciepe, thanks for sharing it.

"Ghostman"

[Pic-N-Stick]

I hunt all year long, sometimes in warm or hot wearher. So I quickly quarter the deer and place it in a contractor bag from Home Depot. In a 6 day cooler I place a bed of ice in the bottom, then the deer in bag, and fill the rest of the cooler with ice. That ice melts quite a bit as it initially brings the venison down to temp, so I re-pack the cooler the next day, then as needed for a week or 10 days. It keeps the water from direct contact with the meat, but doesn't dry it out like in a fridge or hanging. I place a piece of plywood over the cooler covered loosly with a tarp, silver side up to reflect the heat away. The drain is left open to let the water from melting ice out. I've done it this way for probably around 100 deer and the results are terriffic! I've never had an issue with these bags contaminating the venison and tissues break down making it more tender and less gamey. Give it a try!

[T-post]

Very interesting!
The Contractor bags are the really heavy black ones, right?
How do you seal the bag?
Do you leave the ice chest drain closed during the initial cool down, or is the drain open all the time?
What is the best location for the ice chest...the garage, under a shade tree, back porch?

I've heard of folks doing something similar, but without the bag. They claim the melting ice "flushes out the blood" as the meat ages. I've never tried it.

[Pic-N-Stick]

I just twist the top of the bag and leave the opening at the top of the chest. I also leave the drain open the whole time. The bags are the contractor 3 mil bags in the yellow box at Home Deopt. I found that doing this without the bag leaves the venison grey and flushes too much of the natural juices.

[T-post]

Thanks Pic....I'm going to give this a try.

[nylla]

Nice looking backstrap there. And I do still have one left in the freezer ...

Nearly everyone I know does the ice cooler aging. But you are correct about

I found that doing this without the bag leaves the venison grey and flushes too much of the natural juices.

None of us has ever thought about bagging it first. I will definitely be trying that. Of course some folks want it all washed out. To me, aging is what makes for great eating. You go to a high dollar steak house and they'll advertise that their steaks are aged for 28 days or such. I tend to stick with 7 to 10 days in an ice cooler. I used to go 14 days when I had a small chest style freezer. Fill it with water, throw the meat in, plug in freezer just long enough to freeze ice all around the edges and let it sit on the north side of the house, in the shade. This was winter time only. Drain and change water every now and then, before all the ice is gone.

[iambowhunter]

A doe is gonna die this weekend because of that picture and recipe.