Fancy steakhouses are whipping up venison! And you can too!
Venison tenderloin is on the menu at upscale restaurants across the U.S. And there's a reason! It's tasty, flavorful and healthy! My hubby whips up a make-at-home version that can be done in less than 15 minutes. It looks beautiful and is so tasty and is seasoned simply. You’ll think you’re in a fancy steakhouse eating it.
You need three things to make it:
1. A black cast iron skillet.
Another pan might do just fine, but we like an old-fashioned black iron skillet because it can distribute the heat really well, take the high temperature and will clean up nicely afterward.
2. An instant read meat thermometer. This item has been a gamechanger in our kitchen. You can find one for $10 up to $150. Now, we don’t overcooking chicken or turkey until it’s dry because we’re not sure it’s done. The thermometer will pay for itself if you’ve ever ruined a nice piece of meat. Make sure you buy the instant read version.
3. A compound butter. Butter is the ingredient that fancy steak houses use to get that over-the-top flavor burst in each bite. This recipe requires a compound butter. The dish won’t be the same without it. You can make compound butter a bunch of different ways. Try it with our Fancy Like Compound Butter.
No ordinary steak sauce or ketchup for this steak! If you want a sauce on the side, try our Buck Dancer Bleu Cheese Dip or Jake's Horsey Sauce. For veggies, may we suggest Sunny Carrots & Wilted Arugula.
Sizzling Skillet Venison Tenderloin
Recipe Ingredients
Everything you'll need for this delicious recipe is below.
1 venison tenderloin
Salt, pepper
Garlic powder
2 T Grapeseed oil
1 recipe of Fancy Like Compound Butter
Preparation Instructions
1. If tenderloin is freshly killed, soak it in iced salt water for an hour to get the blood out. It will also help the meat taste less gamey.
2. Dry the meat.
3. Season liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. (If you have time, you can do this several hours before if you want to so the flavors have more time to soak into the meat.)
4. Get the skillet really hot.
5. Add oil and let it heat for a few seconds.
6. Sear for 3 minutes on one side.
7. Then add roughly 1 T of compound butter on top of each tenderloin steak. Continue cooking for 2 minutes. (5 minutes total on one side.)
8. Then flip steak over.
9. Cook for 3 minutes on that side.
10. Then add 1 T compound butter on top of each steak. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, 5 minutes total on that side.
11. Immediately remove from heat.
12. Add 1-2 T compound butter.
13. Check with an instant read thermometer. Get steak off just as it reaches 120 degrees for rare. It will keep cooking from the heat of the pan.
14. Let rest for 5 minutes.
15. Cut across the grain in ¼ in. slices.
16. Serve with more Fancy Like Compound Butter, Buck Dancing Bleu Cheese Dip or Jake’s Horsy Sauce.
Cooking tips:
1. Your tenderloin size will vary, so you may need to adjust cooking times accordingly.
2. Because the pan needs to be really hot, my husband will sometimes get out his propane burner, set it up outside and use that to cook with to keep from creating smoke in the house. He also uses it for skillet burgers or when he fries shrimp or fish.
3. If you want to cook the tenderloin inside the house, get your vent hood going 5-10 minutes before you even turn the stove top burner on.
4. Make the compound butter before you start cooking the tenderloin. The steak cooks so fast you'll need to have all the ingredients ready. That way it takes the pressure off.
5. Grapeseed oil has a high smoke point (425 degrees) which is why it’s preferable and has little taste to it. Bacon fat adds a nice flavor but has a smoke point of 325 degrees. Olive oil has a high smoke point if it’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If it's not, olive oil wouldn't be the best choice.
6. Also, make sure your side dishes are ready – maybe a baked potato, salad or something more fancy. They should be ready to go when the tenderloin is ready to be served.
7. It’s important to let most any meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
8. Meat with little marbled fat like a tenderloin is best cooked medium rare, not well done. It can be tough and dry if cooked too long. That’s why checking with an instant read thermometer is important. You want to take it off the heat as the meat reaches 120 degrees.
9. Cut across the grain to make it more tender.
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