Tenderloin BLT Skewers

Dinner at our end-of-season deer camps often consists of a main course of meat, along with various other meats for sides. Potatoes and onions usually suffice for vegetables. That said, sometimes I mix things up and surprise everyone with some extra vegetation. These simple skewers fit the bill.

Combining grilled venison tenderloin with BLT sandwich fixings, these skewers make the perfect appetizer or light meal. Images by author

Based on the classic bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, these include, of course, extra meat. This time it is in the form of fresh venison tenderloins. While it may seem unusual to grill lettuce, if you have ever had a charred romaine lettuce based salad, you know the idea works.

Venison tenderloins are perfect for this recipe, but you can also use backstrap or roast.

Since you don’t want to overcook your venison tenderloin, start by pre-cooking your bacon until it is almost done, but still pliable. This gives it time to crisp up in about the same time it takes to cook the small bites of tenderloin. If you don’t have tenderloin handy, simply slice some backstrap or round into bite-sized pieces.

Season the meat with whatever blend you prefer. I hit these with some Kinder Buttery Garlic. Remove the stems from the romaine and roll up the leaves to make them easier to skewer. This also gets a nice char on the surface of the lettuce, but keeps the inner portion tender and green.

Alternate the bacon, lettuce and tomato with the tenderloin bites.

The rest is pretty simple. Alternate tenderloin, cherry tomatoes, rolled lettuce and folded bacon slices on the skewer. Grill until the tenderloin is medium-rare; these took about 6 minutes with a flip or two along the way.

Grill until the bacon is crisp and the tenderloin cooked through to medium-rare.

Since our late season hunts are normally cold, I keep a fire going near the cooking area in my Solo fire pit. The cooking grate that fits over it is perfect for things like this.

Cook these on a grate over an open fire or a hot grill.

These make a great appetizer or lunch at camp, or even a full meal if you serve a couple per person.

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