Smoked Venison Steak with Cherry Sage Butter

Prep time:

80 minutes

Cook time:

60 minutes

Difficulty level:

Intermediate

If you’re tired of grilling up the same ol’ things, try switching things up with wild game instead of your usual beef and pork. There are so many potential options for venison and other large game animals. Here is one recipe for venison steak that is sure to have your mouth watering.

As an added layer of deliciousness, the venison steak is topped with smoked butter infused with garlic, sage, and dried cherries. The whole dish put together is like eating a fresh bite of the crisp fall mountains. The earthy venison, savory garlic, bright herbs, rich butter, and a little kiss of sweetness from the cherries come together beautifully.

Really.

Just unbeatable.

Credit: Hey Grill Hey

Ingredients

4- 8 oz venison steaks (I used rump steaks)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

SMOKED CHERRY SAGE BUTTER

8 Tablespoons salted butter
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Tablespoon fresh sage (minced)
⅛ cup dried cherries (chopped)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Preheat the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees F.
In a heat-proof shallow pan, place the butter, garlic, sage, dried cherries, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Season the steaks on all sides with the salt and pepper. Place the steaks and the pan with the cherry sage butter on the grates, close the lid, and smoke for about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on the thickness of your steaks. The goal is to smoke your steaks to about 125 degrees F internal temperature if you want to end with a medium rare steak.
When your steaks hit 125 degrees F, remove them from your grill and preheat your sear box (or crank your Hasty Bake to ‘Sear’) to high heat (at least 500 degrees F). Dip the steaks in the butter mixture. Don’t get any pieces of garlic or cherries, just a thin coating of the smoked butter.
Place the steaks on the grill grates and sear for 2-3 minutes per side.
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Top each steak with a spoonful of the warm smoked cherry sage butter and enjoy!