Pecan-Crusted Venison Tenderloin
This is an easy-to-follow recipe that will easily ‘wow’ your guests. Served as an appetizer or main course, this preparation is quick and delicious, as long as you don’t overcook it. Try other nuts as well for different flavors.
Pecan-Crusted Venison Tenderloin
Ingredients
- For the "Crust"
- 2 cups pecan pieces
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- The Tenderloin:
- 1 1/2 - 2 pounds venison tenderloin about 2 whole tenderloins
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Lightly roast pecan pieces evenly in a 300 degree oven. Allow to cool and place in a food processor. Pulse until they are still coarse, but not fine like bread crumbs. Combine with Kosher salt and next 3 ingredients and mix well. Transfer mixture to a shallow bowl or plate.
- Season venison tenderloins with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard with Tabasco. Rub mustard mixture over tenderloins. Press tenderloins into pecan mixture and roll to coat evenly.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place tenderloins in skillet and brown on each side, about 5 – 6 minutes total cooking time. Allow to rest for 3 – 4 minutes and carefully slice each tenderloin into 4 medallions.
I tried this recipe tonight and it was a disaster. Everything was going great until I flipped the tenderloin. The pecan / bread crumb / mustard coating came off the meat in huge pieces. I think maybe the mustard was too thick which resulted in a thick coating of pecans and bread crumbs. By the time I finished 90% of the pecan / bread crumb / mustard coating was off the tenderloin. The olive oil was soaking up by the bread crumbs so when I flipped the tenderloin there wasn’t any oil in the pan. The bottom line is, I ended up eating the tenderloin sans the coating so not a total loss.
Not sure what happened. I’ve made this one a zillion times. If the oil was hot enough, it shouldn’t get soaked up by the breadcrumbs unless it was cooked past medium-rare. I wouldn’t recommend this recipe for med-well or well-done venison tenderloins. When you pulse the pecans, make sure they’re not too chunky and really press the coating into the meat. No matter how careful you are, you will always lose some of the coating. Or maybe try another recipe? Sorry this one didn’t work.
Hi Scott, I’m not usually one for leaving messages but this recipe was amazing. Will definitely be doing it again!
Thanks! It’s a favorite, but I haven’t prepared it in a while. Thanks for the reminder.