If you want tender, restaurant-quality venison medallions without extra fuss, this is the move: trim clean, salt ahead, get a cast-iron ripping hot, sear 1–2 minutes per side, baste with butter, rest, and serve medium-rare.
Use tenderloin for ultra-tender or backstrap for a little more bite. Both shine when you build a golden brown crust and don’t overcook. I finish with a bright orange cilantro tapenade that brings acid and herbs to lean red meat. It’s fast, elegant, and and easy to throw together.
If you’re looking for more dinner ideas, check out my complete venison recipes guide. Or stick with the prime cuts and take a look at my backstrap and venison tenderloin recipes page.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Medallions
- Venison tenderloin or backstrap, trimmed of silverskin (cut into 1½–2-inch medallions)
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- High-heat oil (avocado or grapeseed)
- Unsalted butter
- Optional aromatics: 1 garlic clove (smashed), thyme/rosemary sprig
Orange & Cilantro Tapenade
- Fresh orange juice + zest
- Lime zest
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kalamata olives (pitted, finely chopped)
- Capers (finely chopped)
- Cilantro leaves (finely chopped)
- Kosher salt & black pepper
(Tapenade quantities and method are in the recipe card.)
How to Cook Venison Medallions
- Trim & portion: Remove silverskin completely so the meat doesn’t curl or turn chewy. Cut medallions 1½–2 inches thick; square edges for even browning. For even cooking, tie butchers’ twine around the medallions for a uniform shape.
- Salt ahead: Season all sides with kosher salt 30–60 minutes before cooking (room temperature, uncovered). Pat very dry before searing.
- Preheat pan: Heat a cast-iron skillet or other heavy pan over medium-high/high until it lightly smokes. Add a thin film of oil; it should shimmer instantly.
- Sear: Lay medallions in without crowding. Sear 1–2 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms. Flip once.
- Butter-baste (last minute): Add 1–2 Tbsp butter with smashed garlic and a thyme or rosemary sprig. Tilt the pan and spoon the foaming butter over each medallion for 20–30 seconds.
- Temp & rest: Probe into the center of the venison. Pull at 120–125°F and rest 5–10 minutes (carryover to 125–130°F, a juicy medium-rare).
- Serve: Spoon the tapenade over or alongside. If you can see which direction the grain runs through the meat, slice across it.
Best Cuts for Medallions: Tenderloin vs Backstrap
- Tenderloin: Most tender, but it overcooks fast. Watch temps closely.
- Backstrap (loin): Slightly firmer than the tenderloin. Easier to get a gorgeous crust due to longer cooking time.
- Venison Round Steaks: A little firmer than the prime cuts, but they work great. They take a little more knife work to cut into medallions
Internal Temperature & Cooking Time
Use a fast instant-read thermometer and probe from the side into the center.
- Rare: pull 115-118°F | rest to 120-125°F
- Medium-rare (recommended): pull 125-128°F → rest to 130-135°F
- Medium: pull 135-138°F → rest to 140-145°F (lean venison starts to dry here)
Serving Tips
What to serve with venison medallions
- Bright finish: spoon the tapenade at the table. Top the venison with flaky salt.
- Starches: crispy roasted potatoes or creamy mash. Polenta is also a great choice.
- Greens & veg: peppery arugula with lemon, charred asparagus or broccolini, sautéed mushrooms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature should I cook venison medallions to?
Pull 125–128°F and rest to 130–135°F for medium-rare. Venison is lean, and it eats best below medium.
Tenderloin or backstrap? What’s better?
Both work. Tenderloin is ultra-tender; backstrap takes a killer sear and a little more chew. Backstrap gives you more room for error.
More Venison Backstrap and Tenderloin Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Venison Backstrap
- Venison Tataki
- Smoked Venison Backstrap
- Venison Backstrap with Mushroom Sauce
- Fried Venison Backstrap
Lastly, if you make this bacon wrapped venison, be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! Also, tag me on Instagram with some of your creations. I thoroughly enjoy hearing feedback and checking out the photos of recipes that you’ve made.
SEARED VENISON MEDALLIONS WITH BACON AND CILANTRO ORANGE TAPENADE
Servings: 3 People
Ingredients
For the Bacon Wrapped Venison Tournedos
- 8 venison medallions (about 2.5 inches thick venison cut from the backstrap or tenderloins)
- 8 strips thick cut smoky bacon
- 1 bunch cilantro stems, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- salt and pepper as needed
- butchers twine for securing the bacon
For the Orange Cilantro Tapenade
- 1/4 cup fresh or high quality orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
For the Hushpuppies
- Cooking oil, for deep frying
- 1 8.5 ounce box cornbread mix
- 1/4 cup cake flour
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup canned sweet potato puree
Instructions
Wrap and marinate the venison
- Place the bacon in a pot with enough water to completely cover the bacon. Bring to a slow simmer and cook the bacon for 3 minutes. Remove the bacon and dry off with paper towels. Wrap one piece of bacon around the circumference of each medallion. Wrap butchers twine around the bacon and venison to secure.
- Place the venison in a baking dish. In a bowl mix together the oil, cilantro, garlic and a pinch of kosher salt & back pepper. Pour the marinade over top of the meat and marinate for 2 to 8 hours.
Make the tapenade while the venison is marinating.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the tapenade to a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Covered tightly this mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Make the hush puppies and keep them warm in the oven.
- Pre-heat your oven to the warm setting. In a heavy duty medium sized pot, add enough oil to fry the hush puppies while leaving at least 3 inches of clearance to insure there is no oil spillage. Bring the oil to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together all of the ingredients for the hush puppies and mix until thoroughly combined. Drop the batter into the hot oil in tablespoon size portions being careful that you do not splatter the oil. Fry in batches until they are golden brown (about 3-4 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Place uncovered in a pre-heated warm oven while you cook the venison.
Cook the venison medallions.
- Place your grill or large cast iron skillet over high heat. Season the steaks with salt and black pepper. Place the steaks on their sides (bacon side down) and cooked while rotating the meat until the bacon in nicely browned and a little charred.Now turn them onto their flat sides and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until you reach your desired internal temperature (as always I recommend not cooking venison steaks passed medium rare). Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes, remove the strings and serve with the tapenade and sweet potato hush puppies.
Make this recipe?Mention @Larry__White or tag #WildGameGourmet!
