When he’s not pounding the stage with gut-sizzling electrifying rock ‘n roll like he’s done for 40 years, it’s a safe bet you’d probably find the Motor City Madman in a deer stand with his Mathews bow in hand.
Ted Nugent’s been hunting for just about as long as he’s played music. Maybe longer. Perhaps he had a bow in one hand and guitar in the other. Whatever the case, he was reared in Michigan and was dipped in the blood of bowhunting like Thetis immersing Achilles in the Styx River.
To say he loves grilled backstraps is an understatement. In one of his recent blog posts here for Deer & Deer Hunting, Uncle Ted shared a great Nugent family recipe. I thought it’s worth repeating here in the Food section in case you missed it. Give it a try!
— Alan Clemons
By Ted Nugent
Though this favorite Nugent family recipe is as basic as flesh and fire, and quite honestly, all we need is flesh and fire to truly appreciate the superiority of venison, this little twist on tradition seems to maximize the natural flavor of our favorite meat.
I was raised on Vernors Ginger-Ale, a Detroit-brewed soda that is absolutely delicious, served hot or cold. It’s effervescent!
Take your favorite cut of meat, (can you say BACKSTRAPS!) and after proper cold aging and the careful butchering and slicing off of all the silver skin, fat and membrane, lay thinly sliced medallions in a glass dish deep enough so that a can of Vernors and a cup or so of quality olive oil, or oil of your choice, cover the slabs.
Add a dash of your favorite seasonings over each medallion, cover in Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. We like ground ginger, paprika, oregano, garlic salt and garlic pepper. But over many years of creative experimentation, we have discovered that you just can’t go wrong with any seasonings of your choice.
Get creative, go wild, hit that spicy road less traveled already!
The next step is also very subjective, and though a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is always killer, as is usually the case, nothing quite compares with local seasoned hardwoods and coals. Mesquite, oak, cherry, apple, hickory are all good, as long as flames are kept under control, any good wood works great.
We like to combine dry seasoned wood with fresh cut green chunks to keep the smoke going and minimize the flames.
We tong each medallion still dripping with the seasoned Vernors and oil, and lay them over red hot, golden, orange coals.
Venison is always best when rare to medium rare, so we singe them quickly over these hot coals, turning them but once apiece. It only takes a minute or two per side as long as the coals are real hot.
Light on! Light off! Light Up Your Deer’s Ribcage With These Hot Lighted Nocks!
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