Get back to your Southern-fried roots with this hand-battered venison backstrap

Dunking hand-battered, thinly sliced cutlets of venison backstrap into a cast-iron skillet sizzling with grease is a tradition that speaks to the hearts of many. It’s not going to aid in the accomplishment of any health-centered ambitions you might have just vowed to pursue in the new year. But it surely will bring you back to your Southern-fried roots.

Mashed potatoes and green beans round out this meal perfectly and give it the down-home cooking vibe that we all love. Smother the golden, crispy morsels with some homemade gravy, and allow yourself to bask in the goodness of this dish that initially turned so many of us onto wild game in the first place. After all, these dense calories will provide you with the extra motivation necessary to stick to your New Year’s exercise regimen. Not before chowing down though, of course.

PAN-FRIED VENISON BACKSTRAP

Photo by Capt. Nate Skinner

4 pounds venison backstrap cut into ¼-inch thick slices

6 eggs

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Peanut oil

Buttermilk

Soak ¼-inch thick slices of backstrap in buttermilk in a large bowl for 12-24 hours in a refrigerator before preparing the remainder of this dish.

Once you are ready to prep and cook, pour peanut oil into a large, cast-iron skillet until the oil in the pan is about 1-inch deep. Heat the oil to 325-350 F.

Crack and de-shell 6 eggs and pour them into a bowl. Stir the eggs vigorously with a fork or whisk.

Remove backstrap slices from the bowl of buttermilk and bathe each slice in the eggs.

Batter each slice of backstrap with flour. Salt and pepper the batter to taste.

Fry the slices of backstrap in the cast-iron skillet of peanut oil until they’re lightly browned on each side and appear to float in the oil.

Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade gravy.