This buck was shot in Giles County in the western part of Virginia near Blacksburg. It would be reasonable to call it a Mountain Lake deer. It was probably 2 ½ years old and had a nice symmetric 6 point rack. Undressed I estimated the weight at 150 lbs.
It was shot exactly one week before Thanksgiving and hung in the woods after field dressing for 3 days and then in the refrigerator for another 3 days for a near perfect aging.
I will call this a venison standing rib roast (which happens to be prime in my book and since there weren't any USDA inspectors to consult I can only stand by my grading system ) Feel free to offer your suggestions on a precise name for this cut of meat. Most people of course remove the backstraps (top loin) and the tenderloin. Around here most people call the back straps "tenderloin". The total weight was about 6.5 lbs.
Prior to rubbing and marinating I removed the fascia from outer surface. If I wasn't going to cover it in bacon I would have left this on to seal in moister. (these pictures are actually after it came out of the marinade)
Here is a picture of the actual tenderloin.
The night before I sealed it in a bag with Worchester Sauce, garlic, a touch of Soy Sauce, and a splash of A-1. This was after it was rubbed down with pepper and course sea salt.
I usually cook all my venison free of any other fat or non-venison products but this time I went ahead and covered it in bacon.
I had a chunk of cherry about 3 ounces that went into the smoke box and into the 055 it went set at 225. I might have cooked it slower but when it went in I had only 4 hours till serving time.
I had the probe inserted in the middle of one side about 4 inches deep. My target for today was 140 to 145 and I took it out at 143 which took right at 3 hours.
It was then foiled and wrapped in a towel and placed in a cooler for serving time.
I had poured off the marinade and in a sauce pan cooked it down some after adding some finely chopped orange peel, chopped garlic and onion and thickened it a bit with some flour. This afforded a sauce for those who feel something needs to go on the meat.
It was served up with the traditional turkey.
To cut it up into serving sizes I removed the bacon and cut out a side by running the knife down along the spine and then down along the ribs. Then the meat was sliced about 1 inch thick and served up.
If I must say so it was one of the best (probably THE best) pieces of venison I've ever served up. The end slices were medium and as the center was approached we got to a medium rare then rare in the middle. Between the bone and bacon moisture was retained and it was very tender and juicy.
Happy Holidays
Richard
