It’s hard to go wrong with grilled backstrap. A simple seasoning of salt, pepper, and garlic, or, even easier, a good shake of Realtree APX seasoning, and a quick turn on a super hot grill makes the perfect medium-rare steak. But if venison is on your menu several times a week, then it’s nice to mix things up from time to time.

Image: venison_parm_3The parmesan crust is a nice twist on traditional grilled backstrap.

This easy parmesan crust was inspired by a meal we had recently at a nice local steakhouse. The topping is simple: mix sour cream, Duke’s mayonnaise (you don’t really taste it after it cooks, if you are on the fence about mayo) and good parmesan cheese. Go with freshly grated real parmesan for best flavor. Leave the green top stuff at the store. You will notice the better flavor. I like to put the mix into a zip-style plastic bag and snip the corner, making a handy pastry bag style applicator.

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Mix the topping ingredients and transfer to a zip-top bag that you have cut the corner off of to make piping the topping onto the grilled steaks quick and mess free.

Cut the backstrap into 1 to 1.5 inch thick medallions.

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Cut the backstrap to your desired thickness of steak.

Fire up your pellet grill to 375 degrees. I’ve been using a Pit Boss grill, and one of my favorite features on it is a Flame Broiler Lever, which allows me to grill with direct flame over the exposed firebox. This gives a nice sear on the backstrap steaks.

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Sear your backstrap to just under your desired doneness level since they will continue to cook a bit under the broiler.

Grill the steaks for 4-5 minutes per side to get a sear and good exterior color. You don’t want to fully cook the steaks at this point, as they will go into the oven in just a minute to sear the parmesan crust. I like to pull these at 110-115 degrees to give me a little buffer so that the steaks finish out at 125-130 for a nice medium rare.

Once the steaks have reached your desired temperature on the grill, pull them and allow them to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to cool. Move the steaks to a baking sheet or roasting pan. Preheat your oven’s broiler.

Snip the corner of your parmesan crust bag and pipe the mixture directly onto the tops of the steaks. I like to go in a circular pattern, but do it however you wish, as long as the steak ends up covered.

Image: venison_parm_1Top the steaks and run them under a hot broiler to sear brown the topping.

Once all the steaks have the parmesan mixture, slide the pan into the oven and broil for 4-6 minutes or until the parmesan crust has browned slightly and crisped a bit.

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Serve with rice, potatoes or your favorite steakhouse sides.

Serve the steaks with your favorite side dishes for a meal your family will swear came from a nice restaurant.