Smoking venison backstrap

I like the taste of venison so I would not heavy smoke or heavy season.
Light sear and roast to 130 at the most with a little salt and pepper and brush of melted butter after the sear. Have you seen the pieces? Can't imagine 100# doe would have a piece large enough to inject like a roast.
Take some photos of your cook.

don't smoke it!..... just cut it across the grain.... .75 inches thick....cook it for about one minute per side in some butter in a hot skillet.... with salt and pepper( i like lotsa fresh black pepper) .....deglaze the pan with some red wine... add some heavy cream....reduce for a 30 seconds... pour the cream sauce on the the medallions of venison..... one of the best things you'll ever eat!.... if you smoke it you'll dry it out.... it;s an extremely lean piece of meat .....it's similar to good piece of fresh sushi grade tuna.... overcooked... turns to junk...very easily...and you'll have missed an culinary delight..... trust me!....thanks! ray try some different versions but don't ruin the whole thing all at once.... deer backstrap.... is a gift from God....

Just my two cents. Low and slow cooking works great when you are trying to render out large amounts of fat from a pork shoulder, duck, or other hunk of meat that contains a significant amount of fat. Deer tenderloin or backstrap (different cuts by the way) are so incredibly lean that they do not lend themselves to a slow/low technique.

If you want to add smoke flavor and have a cold cut-thin sliced venison strap, I would recommend the following. I have only done it once and it came out pretty solid.

Take a whole venison backstrap (the larger outside back muscle) and cut it in half. For a doe the size you're talking it should be about 10 to 12 inches long and about the diameter of a Coke can...and much thinner at the ends. Put them in Ziplock bags and put at the back of your fridge for a couple of hours to get it really cold.

Get the Egg up to about 275 dome stabilized and drop in some chunk wood. I prefer persimmon with venison but maple is good and oak is a nice match. Hickory and mesquite might be a bit much and could overpower the natural flavor. Set up indirect with some kind of drip pan.

When the Egg is stable and good smoke is coming out, pull your backstrap wrap them in VERY thin (read CHEAP) bacon. Don't bother buying high quality thick cut bacon.

Put on top of the grid, insert a temp probe into the center of the backstrap, and smoke until an internal temp of 120 to 125. Trust me... anything over that will be gross. Venison should be served rare to medium rare (if it's not pink it's overcooked)

If you want to slice it for cold cuts, let it cool to room temp and wrap in plastic. Before cutting, drop it in the freezer for 30 minutes and then slice thin across the grain (basically cutting 1/8th inch "steaks" across the whole backstrap)

You should get a decent smoke ring, some great flavor and really enjoy it.

Clark,
Did four for a friend last weekend. Trimmed all the "white stuff" till I only had meat. Used soy, mustard, little bit of oil, ground pepper, crushed garlic, lemon juice, and Bourbon as a "brine/marinade". The soy raises the salinity for the 24 hour "soak" in a large ziplock bag.
Egg at 500, indirect, gasket height, with pecan wood. They came straight from the frig to the grill. About 3-4 mins per side, they had great grill marks with crust, and pulled at 135, wrapped and rested, and then sliced less than .25 across the grain.
I kept one for the "fee"

Here you go Clark:

JB’s VENISON MARINADE
North Portage Smoke-Shack

1/3 C. soy sauce
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. ginger
1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
1 (12 oz.) Coke

1)) Place loin in a 2 gal zip-lock with the marinade. Coat well and place in the fridge. for at least 4 hrs. (Over night will be OK too) turning often.

2)) Remove the loin and wrap in bacon, held in place with tooth picks. Reserve the marinade, if you wish to cook it into an au jus.

3)) Place loin on a hot grill (about 400 F) turning every ten minutes, cooking to your doneness.

Rule of thumb: Temperature is the determining factor here not time, as the size of a loin will vary. I like to cook mine to about 145 F. or even a little less, medium rare to medium (medium being the 145 F mark). This means pulling from the Egg at at about 130 to 135 F. and letting it rest, foiled, for about 15 minutes.

To make an Au Jus of the marinade:

Place the marinade in a heavy sauce pan and bring to a hard boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until you have the thickness you want!