French Onion Stuffed Venison Backstrap

I love French onion soup. But I love it best in the wintertime when I don’t mind spending hours in the kitchen to make it from scratch. Sweet and salty caramelized onions, red wine and gooey, melty gruyere cheese along with a toasted slice of good bread is heaven in a bowl.

If you love French onion soup, try transferring those same flavors to your next grilled backstrap. Images by author

In the summer and fall, I have better things to do than to stand over a hot stove all day. I’m all about the grill this time of year and this venison backstrap recipe combines the unbeatable flavor of grilled venison with the classic flavors of French onion soup.

The caramelized onions take the longest, but there is a trick to speed the process. Place your sliced onions in a large glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Now pop that bowl in the microwave and run it on high for about 12-14 minutes. This steams the onions, causing the cell walls to break down and moisture to release and the onions to soften. The same things happen in the pan if you start the onions there, it just takes a LOT longer. Once the onions have cooked in the microwave, carefully open the plastic wrap away from your body and face. A lot of steam is going to release and you don’t want it releasing onto you.

Save time by microwaving your sliced onions with a tight fitting cover to jump start the cooking process.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Use a set of tongs to lift the onions from the bowl, allowing any moisture to drip back into the bowl. Place the onions directly into the skillet. Salt the onions well.

Cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the onions start to take on a light caramel color. Add the red wine and continue sautéing the onions. The wine will simmer and cook down with the onions. Once all the moisture has evaporated and the onions are a rich mahogany color, remove them from the heat.

Once the onions soften and start to take color, add the wine.

Butterfly the backstrap roast by coming about a third of the way up on one side and slicing three quarters of the way through. Fold it open like you are opening a book. Now start your blade at the fold and cut through the thicker side almost all the way through. Fold it out again so that you have a flat section of backstop. Use a meat mallet to pound it into an even thickness. Don’t worry if you cut all the way through in places, you can repair it when you tie the roll together with twine. Season the backstrap well with Italian seasoning.

Butterfly the backstrap and pound flat with a meat mallet.

Spoon the caramelized onions down the center of the backstrap. Top the onions with the shredded cheese. Next, fold the backstrap around the onions and cheese.

Spoon over the caramelized onions and top with cheese.

Use several pieces of butcher’s twine to hold the roll together.

Roll and tie the backstrap around the filling.

Gently transfer the roll to a preheated grill set at 350 degrees. Grill, turning a time or two, for about 20 minutes or until the center reaches 140 or so degrees or to your preferred finish.

Grill to your desired finish, then rest before removing strings and slicing.

Remove the backstrap from the grill and allow it to rest, loosely tented with foil, for about 10 minutes before slicing into pinwheels. I like to serve this one with some buttered Texas toast garlic bread for the full onion soup experience.

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