Simple Pan-Seared Venison Tenderloin

Venison tenderloin sliced on a cutting board and topped with herb butter.

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Simple Pan-Seared Venison Tenderloin

This venison tenderloin recipe starts with a simple dry brine, then it's pan-seared in a hot cast-iron skillet and finished with an easy herb butter. This prized, naturally tender cut of deer doesn't need a marinade or long list of ingredients to make it delicious.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Dry Brine4

Total Time4 20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Rachel Kochlin

Equipment

cast iron skillet

Ingredients

Venison Tenderloin

1 pound venison tenderloin
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt* (3.5 grams)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon beef tallow (or other cooking oil)
lemon wedges for serving, optional

Garlic Herb Butter

¼ cup unsalted butter softened
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon finely chopped chives (substitute rosemary, parsley, or your favorite herb)
½ teaspoon lemon zest (about ¼ lemon)

Instructions

Dry brine the venison. Season the tenderloin all over with the salt, place on a plate or, ideally, a wire rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for at least 2-3 hours or up to 12 hours.
Make the garlic herb butter. Mix all of the ingredients together until combined. Set aside.
Prepare the venison. Remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before cooking. Pat the surface dry if needed and season with black pepper. Do not add additional salt.
Sear the tenderloin. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tallow and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add the tenderloin and sear for about 2-3 minutes, or until deeply browned. Turn and sear the opposite side for another 2-3 minutes. Continue turning as needed to brown the tenderloin on all sides. For medium-rare, most tenderloins will take about 6-8 minutes total, depending on thickness.
Baste with garlic herb butter. During the last few minutes of cooking, reduce the heat to medium-low and add a big scoop of garlic herb butter to the skillet. Once melted, tilt the skillet and continuously spoon the butter over the tenderloin until it reaches your desired temperature (125-130°F for medium-rare).
Rest. Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board and spoon more garlic herb butter over the top. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. The internal temperature will continue to rise about 5°F as it rests.
Slice and enjoy. Slice the tenderloin against the grain, and serve with fresh lemon wedges and more garlic herb butter, if desired.

Notes

*Salt. For the most accurate dry brine, use salt equal to approximately 0.75% of the weight of the meat. For 1 pound (454 grams) of venison, that's about 3.4 grams of salt (454 grams x 0.0075) or ½ teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt. No worries if you don't have a kitchen scale, use your best judgment with a measuring spoon.
Short on time? If you don't have at least an hour to dry brine the tenderloin, season it with salt immediately before cooking instead. Salting it about 20-30 minutes ahead can actually draw moisture to the surface without giving it enough time to reabsorb, making it harder to get a good sear.
Cooking time: Venison tenderloins vary in size and thickness, so use the cooking times as a guide and rely on internal temperature to determine doneness.
Internal temperature: I also wrote an entire post on venison internal temperatures if you need more guidance.
- Rare: 125°F
- Medium-rare: 130-135°F
- Medium: 135-140°F
- Medium-well: 140-150°F
- Well: 150-160°F+
Always account for the fact that the meat will continue to cook once it's removed from the heat source; this is called carryover cooking. The residual heat left in the meat will continue to cook the meat for about 5 minutes, and the temperature will continue to rise 5-10 degrees. So, for example, if you want the venison steak cooked to 135°F for medium, remove the meat from the heat source at 130°F, then let it rest for 5-10 minutes until it reaches 135°F.

Nutrition