Venison round steaks are what happens when someone with a band saw takes a hindquarter and cuts it — bone, roasts, and all — perpendicular to the leg. The end result is 1- to 1-1/2-inch-thick bone-in steaks containing slices of all hindquarter roasts and everything in-between.
Unless you personally own a band saw, this is something you will have to request from your processor. This recipe, however, and its methods, will apply to any venison steak you cook. The only difference: Round steaks come with a ring of sinew and/or fat around the edges. When they cook over high heat, this ring will act as a rubber band and tighten, causing the meat to curl and not make direct contact with the cooking surface. For this reason — and this logic applies to ANY steak, including beef, where a ring of fat and/or fascia runs around edges of meat — we want to score the outside edges ever so delicately. We don’t want to cut into the meat, but we want cuts to disconnect the ring so when it wants to pull and curl meat, it cannot do so. (This is like us putting cuts into a rubber band so once it’s pulled, it breaks.)

The reverse-sear method has been my gospel, in terms of steaks, for several years now. The logic is simple: a low roast or smoke slowly moves heat evenly through the meat and, at the end, a hot-and-fast sear adds the crust we all know and love in our steaks, while carryover, after pulling the steaks, means the steaks still slowly continue to cook without any addition of heat. Yes, when your meat is just sitting there on your counter after you’ve removed from the grill, it is still slowly cooking. Reason: Hot external layers are still pushing heat through the meat.
The goal of the reverse-sear method is what you see in the photo: a very minimal gray edge along ample real estate of medium rare. Ever see steaks where they’re perfect in the middle but surrounded by a wall of well-done grayness? That is what happens when you cook a steak over high heat throughout the entire process. The outer layers get overcooked before the middle reaches perfection. We really only need high heat to add a crust, so we apply as little as possible and at the end.
A lot of self-proclaimed grillmasters and even pseudo “wild game chefs” forget about carryover. Your average 1- to 1-1/2 inch steak requires approximately 15 minutes to rest to evenly redistribute juices throughout the meat. During this time the internal temp will rise 15-20 degrees. This is the reason we pull our steaks when they reach 108 degrees Fahrenheit internal temp, then sear each side on a grill, skillet, or flat top heated to 550 (which will raise the internal temp another 10 degrees), then allow to rest for 15 minutes. Are you doing the math? 108 + 10 +15 = 133 degrees, the perfect medium rare.
I do highly recommend a solid meat probe to monitor internal temp. This ensures you aren’t guessing and are getting your perfect cook in the end. The common argument against probing meat: doing so punctures muscles and juices leak out. If that is true, the juices leaked out are minimal, but I can promise you’ll lose far more juices if you overcook your steaks.
Ingredients (makes 2-4 servings):
- Two 1- to -1/2-inch thick round steaks, minimum 1 pound
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Sunflower oil (or similar cooking oil)
Directions:
- Pull thawed steaks from fridge 3 hours prior to cooking and leave out at room temp. Carefully score outside edges of fat and any fascia every couple inches around the edges of the steaks. Liberally dust all sides of meat with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. If you plan on smoking your steaks prior to reverse searing, leave them in fridge after adding salt and pepper. Cold meat smokes better.
- When ready to cook, heat oven or smoker to 200. Place steaks on a stainless steel grate mesh (or something that allows for ample airflow to all sides) and insert meat probe into thickest part of middle of steak. Cook until internal temp reaches 108. This takes anywhere from 35-50 minutes. Also, because oven and smoker temps can vary, this is why a meat probe is very important.
- Once steaks reach 100 internal, pre-heat a grill, flat-top, or (preferably cast-iron) skillet to 550 degrees. You may want to do this outside, as the cooking surface will smoke. When steaks hit 108, pull them and very lightly coat both sides of steaks with sunflower oil.
- Sear each side exactly 1 minute at 550. Remove and let rest on another grate of some sort that allows juices to drip (not accumulate on bottom and soften crust). Rest for 15 minutes before serving and carving.
Enjoy! Reach out to me on Instagram (@WildGameJack) with any questions or comments.