Dr. Pepper Marinated Venison Backstrap

The gift that is a tall, cold glass of Dr. Pepper came to us back in 1885. In the town of Waco, Texas stood a pharmacy, Morrison’s Old Corner Drug Store. A young pharmacist there named Charles Alderton enjoyed mixing carbonated drinks for the patrons during down times between filling prescriptions. Legend has it that Alderton particularly enjoyed the smell of the fruit stands, syrups, and other items that filled the store. He set about mixing a soda that reminded him of that smell. After a bit of trial and error, he struck upon a blend that did just that. Over the years, that soda fountain experiment grew into what we know today as the Dr. Pepper Company.

Believe it or not, Dr Pepper soda makes a great marinade base for your venison backstrap. All images by Michael Pendley

By now, you’re probably wondering what this little history lesson has to do with venison backstrap. Believe it or not, that same refreshing soft drink makes a great base for a marinade. The carbonation and acidic nature of the drink help to tenderize the meat and the fruit based flavors pair perfectly with the backstrap. Since every good marinade has a balance of flavors, this one gets a bit of saltiness from a combination of soy sauce and Worcestershire. For even more flavor, some minced garlic gets tossed in.

The marinade is a simple one with only four ingredients.

And that’s about it. Mix the marinade ingredients in a zip top bag, add a section of well-trimmed backstrap, work it around a bit with your hands to fully coat the meat, then pop it in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

Add the marinade ingredients and the backstrap to a zip top bag, then refrigerate 4-8 hours.

Once marinated, remove the backstrap from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper or Realtree APX seasoning blend. Place the roast on your preheated Pitboss Grill at 350 degrees and grill until the center reaches 125-130 degrees for medium rare.

Grill to medium rare to medium, then rest before slicing.

Remove the backstrap from the grill, loosely tent with foil, and rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Slice the backstrap into ½ to ¾ inch medallions and serve over rice or potatoes and with a vegetable or two of choice.