This is not my first tango in “Americas Dairyland.”  I came to Wisconsin often in my childhood…always to Milwaukee.  Mostly via a red Ford Escort wedged between my next eldest siblings for the 13 hour drive.  It sucked.

Anywho, It’s been a while since I’ve been back.  This time I set up shop outside the Cream City and met some genuine Wisconsinites.  Let me be frank; they don’t fuck around.  They will survive a zombie apocalypse, or a Trump presidency, and will have leftover rhubarb pie to share.  They grow shit, they make shit…they refer to their garages as kill sheds.  They are ruthless at Cards Against Humanity, and they will teach you how to play dominoes.  They are fucking awesome.

I’m pretty sure nobody in their right mind wants to be identified in this blog, so I’ll call my Wisconsin heroes “Fara” and “Jim.”  This is their recipe.

Stuffed Venison Tenderloin

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t miss this step!  Kill a deer and process the meat in your goddamn kill shed.

*6 thick slices of bacon1.5 to 2 lb venison tenderloin
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Approx 1/2 pkg of cream cheese
*Chopped jalapeños (1-3 depending on how spicy you want it or how hot the peppers are,  we did three garden fresh peppers once and we couldn’t eat the inside but store bought aren’t as spicy)
*1-2 cloves of chopped garlic
*Season salt
*Tooth picks
*Optional: Marinate in Italian dressing or any type of meat marinate you like,  we change it up depending on what is in the fridge

1. Butterfly the tenderolin.
2. Marinade (optional)
3. Preheat oven to 350f/175c
4. Lay the bacon out, slightly overlapping the bacon and place the tenderloin on top
5. Coat the inside of the tenderloin with a thin layer of cream cheese
6. Top the cream cheese with jalapeños and half of the garlic, season with salt, pepper and season salt
7. Roll the meat and bacon up. Hold it together with the tooth picks
season the outside of the meat with the remaining garlic, salt, pepper and season salt
8. Place meat on a broiling pan to catch the drippings
9. Cook on the center rack at 350 for 30-50 minutes, until internal temp is at 145 or to taste (we like it slightly pink). For a crisper crust cook the last 5 minutes or so on broil to crisp the bacon. Or throw on the grill. Watch the meat carefully while doing this to not over cook the meat. Overlooking the meat will cause it to be “gamey”.
*Note: People have added onions, Cajun seasons, cilantro and many other seasonings to the meat. This is just a nice basic starting recipe.