Roast Bacon-Wrapped Venison Loin

Roast Bacon-Wrapped Venison Loin

Recipe Type: Jim's Original

Ingredients:

1/2 of a whole venison loin, or backstrap trimmed of all fat and silverskin
spice rub (Emeril's original Essence is good, I use my own blend)
5 or 6 strips of bacon

Process:

Coat the loin in the spice rub. Let sit for a while to come to room
temperature, and to let the spices penetrate the meat.
Rub with a light coating of olive oil and sear in an extremely hot skillet,
preferably cast iron. This will be smokey, so make sure there is adequate
ventilation. Once the meat is browned on all sides, remove from the heat.
Beginning at one end of the loin, wrap the strips of bacon around the loin,
overlapping each strip slightly until the entire loin is wrapped.
Return the meat to the skillet, or onto some other roasting pan or broiling
pan.
Insert meat thermometer into the center of the loin.
Place in a 350 degree oven until the meat reaches approximately 140 degrees.

Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes or so.
Slice very thin and serve with the juices from the pan/cutting board.

Done this way, the meat will still be moist and juicy, and will appear to be
medium rare in color, and the juices will still be mostly red in color.
There are risks associated with consuming raw and/or undercooked foods, so
please be aware of this fact. While I cannot condone eating raw or
undercooked meats, I feel that this dish tastes best this way. If it is
cooked to a higher temperature, this cut of venison will dry out and not be
as good.

Given generous portions, this should serve 2-3. Petite portions will serve
4-5.
This vension dish is great served with roasted-garlic mashed potatoes and
grilled fresh asparagus, along with a nice glass of a dry red wine. My
personal favorite reds are shiraz and merlot.

Enjoy!
- Jim Miller