If you season, cure, and smoke ground venison and pork fat, you can make venison bacon, which is sweet and smoky sheet bacon.
This recipe has been on my to-do list for a long time. People who like to hunt really like venison bacon, but I could never find a recipe for how to make it. I could only find ready-made cure mixes that I had to buy. For people like me who are proud to kill their own animals and make everything from scratch, that wasn’t okay. So I set out to create this recipe.
Venison bacon is made from ground meat instead of a whole cut of meat like pork belly in regular bacon. It is also sometimes called “formed ground bacon.” It is prepared and cooked like venison sausage, but loaded with bacon seasonings and thinly sliced.
As an avid hunter and wild game enthusiast, I’m always looking for delicious ways to cook up the venison from my hunting trips. While venison chops, roasts, and steaks are tasty, venison bacon is one of my absolute favorite preparations. With its deep, woodsy flavor and pleasantly chewy texture when cooked just right, venison bacon is a real treat
In this article, I’ll share my proven method for achieving crispy, savory venison bacon by cooking it in the oven Whether you are cooking venison bacon for the first time or are a seasoned pro, these straightforward instructions will help you turn out fantastic venison bacon every time. Let’s get cooking!
Why Cook Venison Bacon in the Oven?
Before we get to the how-to, let’s take a look at why I like cooking venison bacon in the oven:
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Even cooking The dry oven heat surrounds the bacon strips evenly, preventing undercooked or burnt areas.
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Ideal crispiness: The oven’s hot air dries out the venison bacon’s exterior and renders the fat perfectly for an optimal crispy texture.
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Easy: When you cook venison bacon in the oven, you can prepare other foods or clean up the kitchen while it cooks.
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Large batches: Multiple strips of bacon cook evenly at once in the oven, ideal for larger quantities.
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Flavor development: Slow oven cooking deepens the flavors of the venison meat and any spices/seasonings applied.
With the advantages covered, let’s get prepping for oven-cooked venison bacon bliss!
Ingredients
To cook a half-pound of venison bacon, you will need:
- 8-12 ounces venison bacon (about 8-12 slices, depending on thickness)
- Parchment paper
- Aluminum foil (optional)
- Seasonings: brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, etc. (optional)
The only essential is high-quality venison bacon from the loin or belly of the deer. Choose bacon slices about 1⁄4 inch thick for the best results. Now let’s get cooking!
Step-by-Step Oven Venison Bacon Cooking Method
Follow these simple steps for perfectly cooked venison bacon every time:
1. Preheat Oven to 375°F
Preheating ensures the bacon cooks quickly at the ideal temperature as soon as it goes in the oven. Allow 10-15 minutes for your oven to fully preheat.
2. Line Baking Sheet with Parchment Paper
Lining your baking sheet with parchment prevents sticking. For super crispy bacon, also lay strips of aluminum foil shiny-side up on the parchment for maximum heat conductivity.
3. Arrange Bacon Slices in a Single Layer
Lay the venison bacon strips side-by-side on the prepared baking sheet without overlapping. Even air flow and direct pan contact are key for proper crisping.
4. Season the Venison Bacon (Optional)
For extra flavor, sprinkle the venison lightly with brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, or other spices of choice. Go light, as venison bacon has a naturally robust flavor.
5. Bake for 15-20 Minutes
Pop the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. The bacon should sizzle and pop as it crisps up. Rotate the pan halfway through for even cooking.
6. Check for Desired Crispness
After 15 minutes, check the bacon. It should be browned and crispy around the edges. For extra-crispy bacon, bake up to 20 minutes total.
7. Remove, Drain, and Enjoy!
Once cooked to your ideal level of crispiness, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then serve and enjoy!
And that’s all there is to it! With these simple oven venison bacon cooking steps, you’ll enjoytender, woodsy venison flavor wrapped in irresistibly crispy, savory goodness.
Handy Venison Bacon Cooking Tips
Beyond the basic oven cooking method, employ these tips for exceptionally delicious results:
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Choose naturally-raised venison for the best flavor. The animal’s diet greatly impacts taste.
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Look for venison bacon slices around 1⁄4 inch thick. Thinner slices can overcook quickly.
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Apply maple syrup or honey for candied bacon. Brush on lightly before baking.
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For chewier texture, bake at 300°F for 25-30 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning.
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Blot bacon strips with paper towels before cooking to remove excess moisture for better crisping.
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Freeze leftover cooked venison bacon in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
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To reheat, bake frozen venison bacon straight from freezer at 400°F for 8-12 minutes until hot and crispy.
With proper ingredients and technique, oven-cooked venison bacon is sure to be a hit. Now let’s look at some delicious ways to eat this woodsy treat!
Incorporating Venison Bacon into Meals
From breakfasts to dinners and everything between, crispy oven-cooked venison bacon is endlessly versatile. Here are just a few meal ideas:
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Complement pancakes or waffles by crumbling venison bacon over syrup drizzle
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Take BLT sandwiches up a notch by swapping turkey bacon for venison
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Top loaded baked potatoes with cooked venison bacon bits, cheese, and chives
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Toss chopped venison bacon into pasta carbonara for a heartier, woodsier twist
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Use crumbled venison bacon as the base for creamy caesar salad dressing
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Skewer cubes of venison tenderloin wrapped in venison bacon for appetizers
With its unique flavor profile, venison bacon adds incredible depth, texture, and heartiness to so many dishes. Get creative with this wild treat!
Storing and Handling Leftover Venison Bacon
Like regular bacon, cooked venison bacon keeps for about 1 week refrigerated and 1-2 months frozen. To freeze:
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Allow venison bacon to cool completely after cooking.
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Separate slices from each other and place in a single layer in a freezer bag.
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Exclude as much air as possible and seal the bag.
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Freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat leftovers, bake frozen venison bacon straight from the freezer at 400°F for 8-12 minutes until heated through and crispy again.
With proper storage, you can enjoy oven-cooked venison bacon for weeks on end!
Frequently Asked Venison Bacon Questions
If you’re new to cooking venison bacon, chances are you have some questions. Here I’ll tackle some of the most common queries:
How do you know when venison bacon is done?
Look for visual cues like sizzling, browning around the edges, and a hardened texture. Minimum internal temperature is 145°F.
Does venison bacon need to be cooked all the way through?
Yes, venison bacon should be fully cooked through until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
Can you eat venison bacon medium rare?
It is not recommended. Venison bacon should always be cooked to 145°F for food safety.
Is venison bacon better than beef bacon?
It’s subjective, but venison bacon provides a more complex, woodsy flavor compared to beef bacon’s milder taste.
What’s the best way to season venison bacon?
Light seasonings like maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, black pepper, cayenne, cinnamon, and paprika work well. Avoid over-seasoning.
How long does cooked venison bacon last?
Properly stored venison bacon lasts 5-7 days refrigerated or 1-2 months frozen before quality deteriorates.
Can you wrap other meats in venison bacon?
Absolutely! Venison bacon delivers incredible flavor when wrapped around beef, poultry, pork, seafood, or wild game.
Does Venison Bacon Taste Like Bacon?
Venison has a distinctly different flavor than pork which will be reflected in the bacon. However, venison bacon does have the same traits as traditional bacon – wonderfully sweet, smoky, and salty!.
Equipment Needed for Venison Bacon
There are affiliate links in the list of things you need to make venison bacon that let you quickly and easily buy the same things I use from Amazon.
- Stick smoker—You can use a regular oven to make deer bacon, but smoking it will make it taste better. It is best to use an electric smoker for making any kind of sausage because it lets you control the temperature more precisely as you raise it gradually during the cooking process.
- Deli Slicer: Once the bacon is done smoking, you can use your chef knife to cut it into thin slices, but a deli slicer is much faster and easier to use. You can also use it to cut my smoked rump roast recipe into thin slices.
- Meat Grinder: You will need to use a meat grinder to grind your deer brains into bacon that is already formed. Read my How to Butcher a Deer tutorial for tips on how to grind deer meat.
Most likely, you don’t keep a few of the things you need for venison bacon on hand if you don’t usually make bacon or sausage.
- Curing—The meat needs to be cured because it will be cooked at very low temperatures for a long time. The cure stops dangerous bacteria from growing in the meat while it cooks, making it safe to eat. You can buy a lot of different cures. Always read the label to make sure you use the right amount.
- Dairy-Free Dry Milk Powder: You can get this at any grocery store. It is added to sausage to keep it together, keep the moisture in, and stop it from shrinking while it’s cooking.
- Brown Sugar—Smoky and sweet is the classic bacon pair. The brown sugar gives the meat a great sweetness and makes a sticky glaze on the outside. Feel free to add/substitute maple syrup as well.
- Ground Venison—I use a mix of ground venison and pork fat to make venison bacon. Somewhat less than 80% lean meat and 20% fat is a good starting point, but you can go as high as 30% fat if you want to. Make sure you don’t lose more weight than you need to, or your bacon will taste dry and lack flavor. If you had a butcher process your deer meat, you can ask them what fat ratio they used.
