Deer Rump Roast

Deer rump roast is a beautiful and tender cut of venison. Especially when taken from a young deer, like this one. Being only 1,2lb (550g) chunk, it feeds two or three people so keep this in mind when serving larger groups.

Venison is lean meat, which means you need to be careful with temperature management. Deer rump roast should be cooked to medium rare doneness, thus 135°F (57°C) meat temperature. If you go far beyond that, it gets dry and chewy.

This time I wanted to sear to surface well so I grilled with quite high, direct heat. It is a bit risky, as meat cooks fast and you need to follow temperature with care. Still, when you succeed, end result is fantastic!

Here is how to do it:

1. Remove silverskin, if any, with a sharp knife.
2. Sprinkle kosher salt all over and put to a fridge for an hour
3. Season with your favorite herbs. I used rosemary, but thyme goes well also
4. Don’t forget black pepper
5. Heat your charcoal grill up to 335°F (170°C)
6. Place deer rump roast on a grill grate directly on top of the heat
7. Turn once after 10 minutes
8. This roast took 25min to hit 124°F (51°C)
9. Take the roast out and wrap in foil for 15-20 minutes. Roast temperature will carry over few degrees while resting, so when you unwrap, it will be perfect medium rare.

Cut and serve with red wine sauce and root vegetables.