For you Venison lovers out there……Let’s face it, Venison Tenderloin is good enough as it is but when you wrap it in bacon and then smoke it…..shut the front door!!! You have just taken things to a whole new level of awesomeness!!!

Ingredients:
2 Venison Tenderloins
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt and pepper
Regular cut bacon, not thick, brand and flavor is up to you
For the sweet bourbon sauce:

1 cup bourbon
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. onion powder
½ lemon, juice only
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Get your smokers ready on indirect heat, flavor of wood is up to you, Preheat to 275 degrees.

You will get your glaze ready while your tenderloins cook. In a medium saucepan, add all of your sauce ingredients. Whisk together until combined. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer uncovered until reduced by ⅓ and thickened. Remove and let cool until needed. Leave ¼ c. of sauce aside. You will use this to glaze the tenderloins.
Lay your tenderloins flat and sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper on both sides.
Wrap the bacon strips around the tenderloin securing with toothpicks if needed. Use regular cut bacon for this because thick cut bacon won’t cook all the way. Put the back straps on the grill until it hits an internal temperature of 120, then brush on some glaze. When the internal temperature reaches 130 it is ready to take off the grill. This is one cut of meat you don’t want to overcook. Backstrap is best cooked rare to medium rare; anything else and the meat could be tough to eat. Remove the venison and let it rest for 10 minutes. Why do we let it rest? While cooking, the heat causes the juices to head toward the center of the roast. If you cut it immediately, you will lose all those juices. If you let it rest just a few minutes, it gives it time to reabsorb the juices making the roast juicier. Slice and serve with remaining sweet bourbon sauce.

Christina’s note’s:
You can use this recipe with beef or pork loin also but a few minor adjustments to internal temperature may be needed.