For the past few years, Chili Crisp has been one of the big new trends in the culinary world. A flavorful and aromatic hot oil from China, chili crisp can enhance and add a bit of heat to a wide variety of foods. The food of choice for today is a chunk of some whitetail backstrap off a late-season buck I got on my last hunt for the season. One of, if not the most popular cut off a whitetail is a very tender cut of meat that easily overcooks, so I am going to use a Sous Vide machine today to get that perfect temperature on my Chili Crisp Venison Backstrap. While you can try to reverse sear the backstrap I feel that a sous vide will have more consistent results, especially when dealing with wild meats. This recipe makes for a very flavorful and tender backstrap that is not “gamey” in the least. And as I stated before in my Mongolian Venison recipe, my wife is not a fan of “gamey” meats, to the point that she doesn’t eat lamb. So this recipe has been a great way to get her to eat venison willingly.
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Ingredients – Sous Vide Chili Crisp Venison Backstrap
- 1.5 lb of Venison Backstrap
- 2 tbsp Lao Gan Ma – Other Chili Crisp can work, but I like the OG the best.
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
- Salt
Instructions for Sous Vide Chili Crisp Venison Backstrap
For starters this is not a quick recipe, this will be at least two days of prep time so just be aware of that. The first step is to salt the trimmed-up backstrap liberally on all sides the day before you marinade it. Then place it on a rack in the fridge uncovered overnight, this will act as a dry brine, tenderizing and concentrating the flavor of the meat. This isn’t necessary but if you have the time I recommend you do this step for better end results.
1. The next day, or not if you didnt dry brine the backstrap overnight, add in the Lao Gan Ma, Oyster Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Sesame Oil, Minced Garlic, and Ground White Pepper into a larger food vacuum seal bag.
2. Once you put everything in the bag give it a mix, either just massaging all the ingredients together or use a spoon.
3. Add in your piece of Venison Backstrap and coat it with the marinade, then use the food sealer to pull out the air and seal the bag. Make sure to double-seal the bags, I’ve had bags pop before in the sous vide it is not fun. Then place it in the fridge for another day to marinate.
4. Once the venison backstrap has marinaded for at least 24 hours start prepping your Sous Vide hot water bath. Place your Sous Vide machine into a large pot of water and set it to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the water is up to temp, place the vacuum bag into the pot to cook for the next 3 to 4 hours. You can get away with 2 hours but 3 or 4 will be more tender. Don’t go past 4 hours because then the meat will start becoming too soft.
5. Once the venison backstrap is almost done in the hot water bath, you can prep your grill or cast iron to finish off the back strap. With either method. you want an intense heat to really sear the meat.
6. Once the grill or pan is ready, open up the vacuum seal bag and remove the backstrap. Do not throw away the cooking liquid we are going to use that in a minute. Pat the backstrap dry with a paper towel and take it to the grill or pan.
7. Sear each side, you want to move quickly here. You have already cooked the meat to your desired temp so all you want here is color and for the Maillard reaction to occur. Just maybe a minute or two on each side. Take it off the grill and put it aside while you make the sauce.
8. Take all the cooking liquid and pour it into a small saucepan and start reducing it down on high heat. You want to stir constantly so the sauce doesn’t burn. Once it has reduced about a third add in a tbsp of Hoisin sauce and take it off the heat. Mix well to combine and emulsify it.
9. Slice your backstrap on the bias and serve with a dollop of the sauce and whatever sides you like.
After a good bit of experimenting this deer season with different dry brines and marinades for venison. This has to be my favorite by far, I hope y’all enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
The post Cook your Catch – Sous Vide Chili Crisp Venison Backstrap Recipe appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
