Five Things You Need to Sous Vide the Best Venison Backstrap You’ve Ever Tasted

First and foremost, you will need a sous vide precision cooker like this one from Anova Culinary. Perhaps you’ve heard about this method of cooking before, just have never actually dove in and went as far as purchasing one for yourself. Let me tell you, if you’re going to be cooking a lot of wild game, a precision cooker is going to be your new best friend!

They allow the meat – or whatever is on your menu – to cook in a way that locks in flavor and moisture, which results in texture and taste that is second to none. And when you’re dealing with such lean meat like wild game, that is essential.

You’re also going to need some kind of container to sous vide the meat in. You can use a large pot if you’re in a pinch, but I prefer using a container like this one from Rubbermaid. It’s a good size and shape to fit your food in, but not so large that it takes forever to bring the water up to temperature.

This one covers all the bases and even saves you some coin. Win, win for you!

You could also just use Ziploc bags, but this little device is just fun to use! Plus, the sous vide vacuum bags are made of BPA free plastic.

Tongs will come in handy when it’s time to transfer the backstrap from its water bath to a hot pan. Let it develop a nice sear all over, while you turn and even hold the steak with your tongs on one side to get that charred crust on the outside. Because when you cut into the backstrap, it will be perfectly cooked throughout just the way you like it.

I usually opt for the ‘long-daddy tongs’ – as I call them – because I don’t like to burn my hands and these keep your hands out of the hot steam or away from the cooking surface.

The cast iron pan is the secret weapon here. I used to cook my backstraps on the grill, but always found they came out way too dry afterwards. I’ve since turned towards a cast iron skillet with a little bit of oil to help keep the meat nice and moist.

Get your pan piping hot, toss in a little garlic and some fresh herbs, and let your backstrap sing in there for about 10 minutes depending on the size and how you like it cooked.