“Olympic Mountain Blacktail with Blackberry Drizzle”

By: Shawn McCarthy (MDF Contributor)

Description:

This Olympic Mountain Blacktail with Blackberry Drizzle recipe is amazing when smoking venison with a fruit or nut-based wood like apple, cherry, oak, or pecan.   Searing to medium in a cast iron skillet in butter with garlic and fresh rosemary sprigs is a great alternative if you prefer not to smoke.  When smoking, my go to for blacktail is a 50/50 mix of apple and pecan, and here’s how I do it:

Ingredients:

 Blacktail tenderloins (or backstrap medallions (1.5” thick) or equivalent weight)

For Marinade:

• ·       1 TSP ground thyme
• ·       1 TSP fresh chopped rosemary
• ·       1/2 TSP ground nutmeg
• ·       1 ½ TSP coarse ground pepper
• ·       1 TSP coarse ground sea salt
• ·       1 cup soy sauce (low sodium)

For Blackberry drizzle:

• 2 pints of fresh blackberries
• Local honey (to taste)
• 2/3 cup bourbon (local recommendation: Elk Rider Bourbon from Heritage Distillery (Gig Harbor, WA)
• 1 TSP vanilla
• Up to 1 cup sugar
• Water

Cooking Instructions:

For the Marinade: 

• Combine thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper, salt, soy sauce, and venison.  Marinate venison between 6 to 18 hours in the refrigerator.

For the Drizzle:

• Rinse blackberries under cold water.
• Blend berries in a food processor, and blend until smooth.
• Add honey (to taste), and blend again (can substitute sugar for honey if more sweetness is desired).
• Pour the pureed mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pushing it through with a spoon or spatula into a bowl or jar.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the pureed blackberries, bourbon, and vanilla.
•  Over medium heat, blend well with a whisk.
• Starting with adding ¼ cup of sugar to saucepan, dissolve and check for desired sweetness (use no more than 1 cup).
• Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.
• If the drizzle is too thick, whisk in water as necessary to achieve desired viscosity.  
• Keep warm (or warm up in saucepan just prior to serving venison). 

NOTE:

Any preferred method to cook the meat is fine, just don’t cook it past “medium” doneness.  This recipe is amazing when smoking venison with a fruit or nut-based wood like apple, cherry, oak, or pecan.   Searing to medium in a cast iron skillet in butter with garlic and fresh rosemary sprigs is a great alternative if you prefer not to smoke.  When smoking, my go to for blacktail is a 50/50 mix of apple and pecan, and here’s how I do it:

• Establish a medium-heavy rate of smoke at approximately 285-degrees.
• Place venison on grill and baste with marinade.
• Close the lid, and cook for 10 minutes, checking the temperature.  Do not let it go over 140-degrees!  (The meat should be slightly pink and moist in the center)
• If the meat isn’t cooked to 140-degrees after 10 minutes, flip venison, baste with marinade, and continue cook until internal temperature reaches 140-degrees.
• Remove from grill, wrap in foil to keep warm, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Serve:
• Plate meat (slice if desired) and spread drizzle over the meat.  Garnish with fresh parsley.
• Pairs well with a Cabernet Sauvignon or a blackberry muddled bourbon.
  Tell the story of how cool (and frustrating) blacktail deer can be!

Get Cooking!

As always, Good luck this fall everyone and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the mule deer foundation for only $35 dollars a year. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership

Shawn McCarthy: @norwest_outdoorsman

Moving from Colorado to upstate New York to Arizona throughout the course of his childhood, joining the Navy to see the world just seemed to be the natural thing for Shawn to do.  He served as a Submarine Torpedoman, retiring in 2018 after a 24-year career.  Throughout that time, he deployed 14 times across the globe on “boats” that conducted anti-piracy operations, anti-terrorist missions, carrier strike group operations, Naval Special Warfare unit employment, and nuclear deterrent patrols.  In between his times at sea, he always managed to re-center himself in some wild place with gun, bow, or rod in hand.