The first recipe I'm going to post is what started this whole thing in the first place -
Bacon Stuffed Deer Loin with Steamed/Boiled Onions and Potatoes.
I unfortunately did not get many pictures but here is what you need:
Toothpicks soaked in water
Deer Roast
1 3lb Deer Roast
2lb Bacon
8oz Feta Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Potatoes
1 Bag of Red Potatoes
1 White Onion
2-3 Cloves of Garlic (to taste)
1/4-1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 Cans of Beer
Water
1 Stick of Butter
Salt
Pepper
Foil
Start by frying up a pound of bacon. You want it good and crispy. When it's to this point, break it up into a mixing bowl. Also, crumble in the feta cheese with the warm bacon and mix. I've found that buying feta cheese in a block and crumbling it yourself is MUCH cheaper than buying pre-crumbled. It's easy to break up. Go the cheap route.
If cooking with charcoal, now would be a good time to light it.
Next, butterfly that deer roast. Don't cut all the way through but open it up almost toe the opposite edge. Once butterflied, Salt, pepper, and season salt the inside. Next, cram in as much of that bacon and feta cheese as you possibly can. Close the deer roast around the mixture and kind of mush it down. Don't get carried away with the mushing. We just want a nice, tightly packed, deer roast. Salt, pepper, and season salt the outside.
OK now for the second pound of bacon. This is the key to making this cooking-fest work successfully. You want to wrap the (uncooked) bacon tightly around the deer roast and toothpick it together. Count how many toothpicks you use. They will smolder while cooking and could be difficult to find later. Line the bacon side by side so that it touches the next piece in line. When you've wrapped the entire pound around the deer roast, it should feel tight and well held together.
Now it's time to start grilling the roast. It took me about 3 hours. What you want is a pretty good pile of charcoal all on one side of the grill and maybe 6"-8" below the grilling grates. Place the roast on the opposite side of the grill. This will slow cook the roast and also allow the bacon to drip without catching fire. Roll the roast over every 30 minutes or so to keep it cooking evenly.
While that's cooking, it's time to prep the potatoes.
Dice the garlic and spread it out in the bottom of a large metal cooking pan.
Wash/rinse the potatoes and slice them (with skin) into the pan. I found for a large pan, I used almost all of the potatoes.
Slice the onion into the pan - I always chop the ends off, cut it in half, then slice. It's really a preference as to how you like your onions. I find this method makes it easier to scoop out after they are cooked.
Salt and Pepper the potatoes/onion.
Slice the stick of butter into pads and place over the top of the potatoes/onion.
Pour the vegetable oil over the potatoes/onion. I used enough to ensure it would seep down and coat everything a bit. You don't need a ton as the potatoes will steam/boil in the beer - mainly enough to help keep everything from sticking/burning.
Now pour the beer over everything. You want maybe half a pan full of liquid. My pan allowed two cans of beer and one can of water. If you can't find canned water at the grocery store, you can fill an empty beer can with tap water.
Cover the pan with foil and place on the grill about an hour or so before the roast is done. I usually put the pan on the top rack to avoid direct heat. Direct heat will boil the mixture too quickly and cause the potatoes to burn/stick on the bottom. The potatoes are 'done' when they are soft in the middle and the onions have cleared/softened as well (45 min - 75 min). Keep your eye on the level of the beer/water. When it starts getting low, add water. I have added beer in the past but found it left too much of a beer flavor behind. Again, this is a preference situation.
Note: The pan I used was about double this size. This is the only picture I had which was a different day of cooking. Also, in this batch, I used whole pepper corns as opposed to ground pepper. I think I prefer ground pepper.
I pulled the deer off when the inside reached about 150-160 degrees. This tasted good to me but I feel it would have been a bit more juicy at 140-145. 150-160 browned the deer all the way through and would be considered medium-well.
Note: This was while it was cooking. I wish I would have taken more pictures when it was finished.
Once everything is off the grill and has set for about 5 minutes, REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS then slice the roast. I made my slices thick which makes it easier to cut and eat. Thin slices may cause issues with the stuffing falling out.
With 3lb of deer, 2 lb of bacon, and almost a bag of potatoes, 5 of us feasted and ate it all. If you have a hungry group of 5-6 people, this is a perfect amount of food.
I rate this probably an 8/10. It's delicious, not too dry, but a little rich (2lb of bacon and feta cheese are the cause here). The potatoes/onions help counteract this rich taste.
Enjoy!
>
ChrisHager's Grilled Thread
ChrisHager's Grilled Thread
