Is venison the same thing as deer?

Mostly. Venison is a general term to describe hunted animals. In Latin, it means "to hunt" so venison could be used to describe wild game like antelope, elk, moose, reindeer, etc. Mostly, we think of venison meat as deer meat.

Is deer (venison) loin the same as deer or venison backstrap?

Nope. The terms are often used interchangeably but it's not correct. The backstrap (also known as the loin) runs outside the ribs near the backbone along the length of the spine. It's loonnnnggg. The deer tenderloin (also knows as the inner loin or under loin) runs inside the back near the gut. There are two tenderloins per deer and they are very small compared to the backstrap. Confused yet? I really like this diagram from North American Whitetail.

Can I cook venison / deer tenderloin the same way as venison / deer backstrap?

Yup. This deer tenderloin recipe works for both the tenderloin and the backstrap.

Seared and Baked Deer ( Venison ) Tenderloin Recipe

Perfect Seared And Baked Deer Tenderloin

Sliced deer tenderloin on a dark green cutting board with a sprig of rosemary.- Eat Simple Food

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EatSimpleFood.com

These prized venison tenderloins cook easily in a skillet on the stovetop and oven and are an easy, delicious and tender recipe to make.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stovetop / Oven
Cuisine: International
Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

1 lb deer tenderloin (or backstrap)
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
sea salt
black pepper
1 Tbsp safflower oil or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.
Sprinkle deer tenderloin with salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary. Let meat sit at room temperature ~ 15 minutes.
Bring a medium size pan to medium high heat. Cast iron works well because it can go from stovetop to oven.
Add olive oil and butter. When melted and hot, sear tenderloin on all sides (usually there are 3 sides) ~ 2 minutes or until browned. The first seared side generally takes ~ 1 minute more.
Transfer to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes or until internal temperature of deer reaches 145F. Remember - the oven time will need to increase if you are working with a larger tenderloin(s).
Let meat rest ~ 15 minutes and thinly slice. Add salt to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie

Notes

The meat should naturally come easily off the pan when it's done. If you're not sure if it's ready it's ok to take a quick peak under an edge, but generally you don't want to disturb the meat while it's searing. If it's not letting go of the pan than it is generally not ready.
Butter burns easy. If you find the butter burning before the meat is browning then add a little vegetable or olive oil to bring down the smoking/burning point.
Don't like or have rosemary? Skip it. Just butter, salt, and pepper is perfect.
Please note: I have edited this recipe Aug 2021 to add a little olive oil to add with the butter. It tempers the butter so the meat doesn't burn if you have the pan really hot.

Find it online: https://eatsimplefood.com/perfect-seared-baked-deer-tenderloin/