Stephen Bargeron goes wild in the kitchen. This hunter's bacon-wrapped venison brings rave reviews.

As a child, Bargeron went hunting about two weekends a year. He continues the tradition with his sons, Hugh, 7, and Ben, 6. "Most people think (hunting is) about the kill. For a lot of people, it is. I was raised just going hunting as a form of relaxation, a way to get away in the wilderness," he said. "(My sons) don't shoot but they like to go out, and we take a lot of photos and camp out and those type of things.

"Hunting is more than just shooting an animal. It's an experience and being outdoors," said the husband of Connie Bargeron.

Bargeron uses cooking skills learned from his parents and grandparents when making venison. Although the term "venison" covers a wide range of game including caribou, elk and moose, Stephen usually uses Whitetail Deer that is abundant in Georgia. "You can use any form of venison," he said.

Because venison is extremely lean, overcooking it can cause toughness and dryness. "If you don't cook venison right, it's really hard to eat. You really need to cook it right and prepare it right," he explained.

The secret to his recipe is marinating the tenderloin in Coca-Cola for 8-10 hours. "The Coca-Cola is absolutely phenomenal how it takes out any game taste as well as the toughness," the Marietta High School graduate said. "You can marinate it overnight, but to me it's really not necessary."

After marinating the tenderloin, also known as the backstrap, Bargeron removes the tendons so it is a clean cut of meat. Then he seasons the tenderloin, wraps it in bacon, securing it with skewers or long toothpicks, and grills over medium heat.

"Medium rare is perfect," he said. "The bacon adds a lot of flavor."

He recommends serving with horseradish sauce as an hors d'oeuvre or main entree along with garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus and salad.

Under Bargeron's guide, you're sure to score with his bacon-wrapped venison.

Bacon-wrapped venison

Ingredients

2-3 pounds venison tenderloin / backstrap

Coca-Cola (enough to cover venison)

Juice from two lemons

Cavender’s Greek Seasoning

Garlic powder

Olive oil

1 pkg. bacon (6-8 slices)

Horseradish sauce

Instructions

Soak venison in Coke for 8-10 hours. Make sure meat is completely submerged. Rinse venison with cold water and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Massage oil and juice into venison. Sprinkle with Cavender’s and garlic powder.

Lay bacon slices side by side and place venison on top of bacon. Roll venison up in bacon using toothpicks or short skewers to secure bacon and venison in place.

Grill on medium to medium high heat approximately 12-15 minutes until venison has a warm, pink center.

Remove from grill and let meat rest for 5 minutes. Slice in bacon width portions and serve with horseradish sauce.