Archive for the ‘BBQ and Grill’ Category
Whole Deer Smoked on Grill
For several years, Rick has wanted to smoke an entire deer on a spit. The problem? We don’t have a fire pit with a spit. Is that enough to deter my hunter? Heck no.
Our neighbors have one of those portable backyard fire pits. It’s small, but Rick figured a very small deer would fit over it. So, this summer he got a Spring buck that dressed out at 26 pounds and put it in the freezer until he could figure out how to make a spit for the fire pit. For the record, a whole deer—even a small one—takes up a lot of room in the freezer.
Alas, Rick was foiled on the spit. He just couldn’t find a non-commercial grade rotisserie that would hold more than 12 pounds, and a commercial rotisserie was not in our 2010 budget. So, he opted for option 2: to build a grill over the fire pit and slow roast/smoke the venison. Enter Home Depot where 1 grate, 4 steel rods, and a few bolts later, we had a grill for the fire pit. Better yet, we had a glorious early fall weekend day approaching. The BBQ was on!
If you’ve ever seen the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,†specifically the scene with the lamb grilling in the front yard, then you can visualize the roast. We too were in the front yard. But we invited the neighbors, so it was okay.
In the end, this adventure in grilling was worth every minute. It was one of the best roasts we have ever made. Absolutely amazing. So, if you’re feeling up to the challenge, this is what we did…
Apple Rotisserie Roast
The flavor of apple really brings out the rich taste of venison when you’re grilling a roast. This is one of our favorites; so much, it’s the star of our July 4 BBQ today. You can use the rotisserie, grill regularly, or smoke it; they’re all good methods for cooking this. Below is the rotisserie version. Happy grilling!
Recipe: Apple Rotisserie Roast
Ingredients
- 1 2- to 4-pound boneless roast
- 2 cups apple cider
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- 1 apple, diced
- ½ onion, chopped
- water
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients, except the roast and water, in a large bowl.
- Place the roast in a large pot—big enough to fit the roast and have room for the liquid. Pour the marinade over it. Add enough water so that the marinade covers the roast completely. Place in refrigerator and marinate overnight (or about 10 to 12 hours).
- Heat grill to 225°.
- Put roast on rotisserie. Grill for 2 to 3 hours, until roast reaches an internal temperature of 125°. Remove from rotisserie and let the meat sit until the internal temperature reaches 135° (rare) or 145° (medium).
Variations
If you grill it, cook it at 200 and keep your eye on it; it will cook fast on the grill.
Cooking time (duration): 10
Meal type: dinner
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Summer BBQ Stuffed Backstrap
Summer means grilling in our house. Every day is an occasion for a BBQ! Nothing tastes as good as meat off the grill. That means I spend a lot of time thinking about new things to do with my venison. This weekend, I decided to stuff a backstrap with polenta, which is basically the corn version of mashed potatoes. Yum. It was the perfect summer dinner. We served it with chips, salsa, and guacamole…and beer, of course.
Recipe: Summer BBQ Backstrap
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain polenta
- 2 baby red peppers, chopped
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 large back strap, butterflied
- 1 tbs cilantro-lime marinade
- 10 slices Applewood smoked bacon
Instructions
- Heat the grill to 350Ëš
- In a bowl, thoroughly mix the polenta, peppers, cayenne, cumin, salt, and cilantro. Set aside.

- Place the backstrap on a cutting board, spread open. Rub the marinade on the meat, and then spread the polenta over half.

- Fold the meat over, wrap with the bacon, and secure with toothpicks.

- Place the backstrap on the grill, and cook for 10 minutes. Flip over, and cook another 10 minutes.

- Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.
Quick Notes
Note: you could also use a flank steak for this recipe.
Cooking time (duration): 20
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: dinner
Microformatting by hRecipe.













